Today we’d like to introduce you to Esther Huynh.
Hi Esther, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’ve always had a knack for communication, which benefited me in my interview experiences and sales positions. The older I’ve gotten, I’ve realized that I have a heart for people and empathy for everyone’s life challenges. Like many struggling college students figuring out their purpose in life, I started my college career like a dog chasing its own tail. I bounced around from major to major, which led to feeling hopeless about where I was headed in life. I resorted to filling the void by distracting myself with getting married, having kids, and plugging myself into church activities to keep myself busy.
On the other hand, my husband had always been the go-getter. He had a doctorate degree, a stable job, and a passion to eventually sacrifice it all to humbly pursue ministry. Through many, many conversations, we both decided that he would step away from dentistry to chase after his dreams. This caused a drastic change in our family’s financial situation, and for me it made me feel anxious about what what would happen.
I felt the need to step up and try to find a way that my family would not have to sacrifice the comfortability of our livelihood. So I was able to convince my husband and a church friend of ours to start an escape room business when the industry just started growing. We caught a huge wave as the industry emerged that led us to opening 7 locations within 3 years. Running the escape rooms was so fun that work never truly felt like work. Instead, it opened my eyes to see how something so simple can bring so much joy to individuals, couples, families, and friends. It ignited my passion to bring joy to people, to use my communication to help them connect, and my empathy to help people see their cup as half full instead of half empty.
As the business grew, our business partners continued to expand the business’s reach to national cities. I stepped away from it to focus on my young family and my struggling marriage. Then COVID hit. The lack of interaction, people, and joy during that time really brought me back to question what my purpose was. I just craved to be in community again, which led my husband I to look into boba shops. My heart for the boba shop is to invest my energy into pouring into the cups that are half empty. My team members are a part of a generation that is extremely fatherless, and even motherless. They struggle to find purpose in life. They just struggle to find meaning in their existence. I want to use my experiences to help lead those who are wandering and who need a to be pointed back to the Way, the Truth, and the Life where the families and environments they’ve been dealt couldn’t do for them. I am seeing that our customers desire for a sense of family, and because my team isn’t a team but a family, we extend the same love to our customers who crave for belonging.
It has been almost 2 years, and we are taking the next steps to grow and expand all while maintaining our genuine hearts for people, attention to detail, and quality. This is my business, but it is also my home, my family, a community, and a safe place for you and yours.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Owning a business has its hard days and its good days. I would be lying if I said that there haven’t been any bumps along the way. As a mother, wife, and ministry leader, I struggle to maintain a work-life balance. My mind, soul, and body get consumed by the work and the heart I have for the people I encounter every day. The numbers aren’t always there. I’ve never had a business providing a product, especially food and beverage. It was hard to predict the slower days and busy days, which affected how I scheduled my team and how much inventory I should order. Bad reviews, as someone who cares so much about the business, the opinion of others affect me. Although it doesn’t happen often, it makes my heart sink into my stomach when someone leaves my store having had a bad experience or didn’t like what they ordered. I love learning from my mistakes, getting feedback, and giving my team something to improve on, but it still hurts us a little because we always strive to give 110%. We’ve learned so much. We’ve grown so much. The challenges of owning a business have led to many memories and joy.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Nubo Tea is all about bringing a great boba experience to the community. When a customer comes in for a drink, we are aiming to kindle specifically three of their senses. First, we want them to visually see exceptional quality inside a beautiful space they can enjoy if they sit down for a drink, and they can also revel in the esthetic of their colorfully crafted boba drink. Next, we want them to soak in the feeling of warmth and welcoming from our team’s customer service. We have gotten to know our customers on a personal level and some have become like family to us. And thirdly, our boba drinks are not just meant to be great tasting, but also to add a moment of fun to the day.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
We love hosting events or attending them as vendors! We’ve hosted Kpop events where fans from all over the world gather to celebrate a Kpop star’s birthday or an upcoming concert. For Halloween, we organized a car meet trunk-or-treat where beautifully restored cars came together to pass out candy to children in our community. Our community and boba customers collaborated to host a Holiday Market, where we had the privilege and honor of supporting our customers who have been a part of our business journey. The market showcased their talents, small businesses, and side gigs. Recently, we partnered with a local artist and hosted a CreativiTEA Night, where individuals interested in boba and art came together to learn how to paint a gratitude-themed scenery on canvas while enjoying their favorite drink. We plan to host a CreativiTEA Night once a month, utilizing various art mediums and crafts. These events will collaborate with different artists in the future. Since this is my first time navigating a business like this, any help in marketing our humble abode would be incredibly encouraging. Word of mouth is crucial in this type of business. We understand that we’re not the only ones offering a product similar to many other businesses, but we firmly believe in our team, our passion, and the quality of care we provide in both our products and customer service.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/nuboteaco
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nuboteaco/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nuboteaco
Image Credits
Aubree Plascencia
