Meet Galina Lang | Creative & entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Galina Lang and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Galina, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Starting my own business at a relatively young age (I was 20 and an undergrad student at the University of San Francisco) came with fresh energy and excitement. I was very confident and couldn’t wait to bring my first product, the Boba Bottle, into the world because I knew that there were other boba lovers who struggled similarly to me in drinking boba without contributing to single-use plastic waste. My biggest obstacle was obviously the capital to start, since I had nowhere close to enough of savings from my part-time jobs. I learned about crowdfunding from a previous internship, and it sparked the lightbulb in me for how to resolve the money problem. Although I was a bit nervous here and there starting the business, I was definitely more excited and optimistic along the way knowing how impactful my bottle would be for the boba industry

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I’ve attached a detailed document about our story in the provided Media Kit here https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_yu0pgT0W-CFSoRsL2tKNb7Flmg7TLR5qRDR6HzIaCU/edit?usp=sharing

Regarding some of the other questions:
– what you are most proud of or excited about — definitely seeing how our boba bottle has made it easier for people to drink boba guilt/plastic-free and now with our second line of product, DIY at-home boba kits, I’m so excited for people to be their own boba baristas and make/taste authentic Taiwanese from the comforts of their own home without breaking the bank and wasting time

-Was it easy — Since I was only a junior in colleges starting BobaMate, there was so much experience I lacked compared with other founders who have worked a 9-5 for years and accumulated more knowledge, so it definitely was challenging when reality hit me that it’s not just starting a business but maintaining it that’s hard. To be honest, everyday is a new challenge as a first-time founder. Everything I’m doing is new, but I see it as as stepping stone. It’s all about how you frame things at the end of the day

-Lessons — always begin with end in mind (have a strong purpose to start with). Things won’t always go as smoothly as you envisioned, always have a plan B and be flexible with changes, know how to bounce back fast when things get tough. Systemize and measure everything, no systems, no data, no growth.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Some of my favorite places in SF/things to do: -Lands End during sunset hours
-Pier 39 — love walking around there and also watching the seals!
– Going to cafes in the sunset/richmond district and the Valencia (my favorite is Home cafe for pretty latte art)t

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
One organization that was pivotal to the success of the launch of my business is the Facebook group Asian Hustle Network. Joining the group in its early stages, I was able to connect with founders Bryan Pham and Maggie Chui, who have grown to become close friends of mine and my earliest strong supporters.

Website: https://mybobamate.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mybobamate/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mybobamate

Other: https://tiktok.com/@mybobamate