Episode#6

Lili Shi, Gong cha Australia, Franchise Business Leader.

With little in the way of capital backing compared to competitors, Lili convinced Gong cha International in Taiwan to back her vision for the brand in Australia, and now 150 locations later....

Episode#6 - The remarkable entrepreneurial journey of Lili Shi who has spearheaded the growth of the Gong cha bubble tea brand in the Australian market.

Rolling out 150+ Gong cha stores in the Australian market basically under the radar of the franchise sector.

In 2010 Lili had a franchised crepe business with 4 locations, with a brand she imported from Japan. The jump into that business was spring boarded by her partners bankruptcy and subsequent marriage breakdown, seeing Lili look to business as a way forward with stability.

A request from the Adelaide crepe brand franchisee to range bubble tea in his location via a co-branding set up, was a light bulb moment for Lili.

In 2011 there were only 2 main players in the bubble tea market in Australia. While still running her crepe business location in Sydney, Lili watched on with one of those brands open across from her with the demand for bubble tea growing in front of her.

Deciding bubble tea was the future for her, Lili set out on a journey to find the best quality product she could find, which she surmised was in Taiwan.

Convincing an already established brand to take a risk on a person with limited resources to grow the brand, compared to others who wanted it, Lili managed to convince Gong cha International to sell her the licence to the Australian market.

And more than 150 locations later, here we are...

Podcast Produced by:  www.magneticbusinessmedia.com.au

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