The Hangover is the brainchild of two friends who found they had many things in common, including their love for bubble tea. Alumni Charis Low and Tan Zhen Ying (both BBA 2020) met in 2016 during freshman orientation and have been inseparable since. They struck up a friendship over a common interest in entrepreneurship, and even going on exchange together to Vancouver.
The idea of a bubble tea live station came to Zhen Ying while on internship. She noticed strong demand for the service at corporate events. An ardent bubble tea fan herself, she believed that engaging a live station would both motivate employees, and provide freshly made beverages at work.
The duo enjoyed runaway success, breaking even within their first two months of commencing operations and consistently hitting five-figure sales in the first five months. To date, they can claim Facebook, Proctor & Gamble, DHL and Porsche are now numbered among their clientele.
Charis Low (left) and Tan Zhen Ying at their Bubble Tea Live Station at a SAFRA family event.
Best of both worlds: Alcoholic bubble tea
To further enhance their offering, the duo began introducing alcoholic options to their product range to marry the merriment of weekend drinks with the popularity of regular bubble tea.
Largely dependent on physical events, the COVID-19 pandemic hit The Hangover hard. With all event types cancelled for months, the company’s usual revenue stream was hugely disrupted. But running a small company with lean operations, Charis and Zhen Ying were nimble enough to swiftly adapt. Coincidentally, the duo was already working on Bubble Tea DIY Kits, and were the first in the local industry to launch the product. This came in handy when physical stores closed during the circuit breaker, and consumers scrambled to secure any available variants of bubble tea.
When bubble tea stores reopened and demand for the kits died down, they released another new product – Bottled Bubble Tea, which was very well-received. Circuit breaker downtime was also spent improving on their website and live station image. Charis and Zhen Ying continued experimenting with new flavours and introduced 10 new ones, as well as a wider variety of toppings.
The Hangover Bubble Tea Live Bar crew in action at a DHL corporate event
One major difference between the two founders is their working styles – Charis prefers to work in the day while Zhen Ying is a night owl. This resulted friction and delays whenever major joint decisions had to be made. But the duo overcame through setting clear goals and visions, effective communication and mutual trust.
On how to thrive in a crisis, Charis emphasises the need to stay open-minded, agile and always improving. The Hangover owes its success also to its ability to provide highly customisable products, satisfying the unique cravings of every customer.
