AS SHE turns 33 years old this September, young entrepreneur Melissa Ann Lim-Young wishes to see 33 outlets of Bubble Tea Station (BTS) actively operating in Cebu City.
Now BTS has 28 branches spread in key locations in Cebu. She wants to end 2019 with 46 branches, which means 18 more branches are soon to be opened in the coming months.
Considered her “baby project,” BTS was born out of Young’s longing for milk tea in Cebu, a beverage she got enamored with while traveling often to Manila.
“I used to travel to Manila every week for work and at that time, milk tea was already big there. I was one of those who got crazy about milk teas. I joined the crowd and loved it. But I miss having it every time I come home to Cebu. It’s like my comfort drink,” said Young.
BTS was one of those milk tea businesses in Cebu that blossomed during the first wave of milk teas in the Philippines.
Young’s longing for it while in Cebu led her to open her first business venture located at the Banilad Town Center (BTC).
“We wanted BTS to be just near where we are. It was a small store though and we started with three people,” she said.
As a newly-wed couple, Young and her husband Johann Young, poured all their savings and monetary wedding gifts to open BTS. They initially spent P450,000 as startup capital.
New to opening a business, Young said she devoted time and effort in learning the business, which include sourcing of suppliers, researching flavors and setting up the operations.
It took the couple five months to perfect the milk tea taste that fortunately captured the Cebuanos’ taste buds.
“That time I really did not know if it’s going to work but what I know is that I want to have one,” said Young, adding that she was blessed to have a husband who is both a chef and entrepreneur, who helped her achieve her goal.
In April 2012, BTS started serving milk teas in BTC that sells a hundred cups a day. A year after until 2017, the couple was able to expand the business and opened four branches. They targeted high traffic locations such as in malls and other retail establishments.
It was only recently, in 2018, when the couple took the business to the next level and began opening one branch after the other. But during the slow paced expansion mode, Young said they dedicated their time and resources in rebranding the business from upgrading the store’s look to improving the product quality and professionalizing the entire system of the business.
“We were fortunate because while we were doing all those improvements, the milk tea craze never left. In fact, more foreign brands entered the country and Cebu which made the market more exciting,” said Young, adding that the country is now experiencing the second wave.
According to Young, milk teas are good entry beverage for a solid coffee-drinking nation like the Philippines.
“We don’t like teas but we like milk teas because it’s flavorful,” she said. She’s surprised the beverage doesn’t only appeal to the younger crowd but also to the older market.
“Milk teas have become a good bonding moment for families,” she said.
From a hundred cups sold in a day in 2012, Young said an average of 200 to 250 cups are now being sold in a day per store.
From three employees seven years ago, BTS now employs about 182 workers.
“I think what allowed us to create a good market following is that we are a homegrown brand. This allows us to adjust and adapt faster to the market we are serving,” she said. “We are also present in locations where there are no milk tea competitors.” BTS being strategically located in almost key spots in the city also helped attract new markets and sustain the existing ones.
The company recently tied up with the Metro Gaisano stores that will allow BTS to have presence in their supermarket chains. Young also disclosed they are starting to penetrate office buildings, especially now that milk teas have become an alternative beverage for office workers too.
Young’s passion in growing the business has earned her the 2019 Young Entrepreneur Award during the Grand Chamber Awards organized by the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
What was your first job?
I finished Management Accounting at the University of San Carlos. After college, I worked for Red Ribbon as marketing services officer for its Visayas-Mindanao operations for three years. I also did a part-time job for Starbucks while in college. I had a total of five years of solid work experience before I opened my first official business. These work experiences, I know, were an integral part in starting the business.
Who inspired you to get into business?
As a young girl, I started displaying my entrepreneurial spirit – selling different products and services to peers. I sold stationery to classmates, ice candy and other items to neighbors. During summer, I would have a “mini fair” in my house and I invited neighbors to play games for a small fee. There was something about people patronizing my products that made me feel good. It sparked something inside of me. My parents both worked in corporate, with a few sidelines here and there, but I always knew I was going to go into business someday. I didn’t know what kind, or how, but I was sure of my path.
I remember when I was in grade school my classmates would say they’d like to become doctors and lawyers, and at that time I didn’t know what I wanted. So I told them I want to be in business, although I did not know how it’s going to be.
When did you realize this was what you were meant to do?
I never thought I’d stay long in the food business knowing that the corporate experience I had already required so much of my time. But I’m the kind who never gives up because it’s difficult. I give up because it’s easy or boring. Building the business from scratch with zero background in business is quite difficult, so I took it as a challenge. I learned so many things then along the way. I also grew up seeing how hard work goes a long way and I knew that as an employee I always go the extra mile, what more if I run my own business. I knew I could give more than 100 percent.
Why did you pick this type of business or industry?
I think the business picked me and I think we came right in time when the milk tea business wasn’t so big, unlike now. We were one of the pioneers in Cebu so that also gave us the edge in terms of growing the captured market. Aside from being one of the first local brands, BTS is the biggest in store count and in market share. With so many international competitors entering the market, we have to stay true to who we are.
Where did you get your training/s you needed to succeed?
Google was my best friend when I started the business. From there, I kept on researching about milk tea trends. I also go abroad like in Taiwan, where milk teas originate, to see what’s new there and to taste their milk teas too.
How many times did you fail before you succeeded?
Failures have been part of my life. We’ve committed so many errors although not on a bigger scale. One challenge we encountered was when we had problems with delivering our supplies on a Christmas holiday but we made preventive actions after that. I personally don’t believe in committing the same mistakes all over again. We identified the root cause and came up with solutions.
Getting into business is not easy. One lesson I learned in this journey is to commit yourself to the Lord and He will establish your plans. Before I thought it was all about me but when I got to know the Lord and learned about His plan for me, everything I do is now meant to glorify Him alone and not myself.