Today we’d like to introduce you to Tien-Peng HO.
Hi Tien-Peng, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in Taipei, Taiwan, which is the homeland of boba tea. In 2016, my family moved to the Annapolis area when my first son was just five years old, and a few years later, my second son Skyler was born during the very first week of the pandemic in 2020.
There were many factors that inspired me to open Maryland’s first DIY boba shop. After returning from the Iraq war, I was diagnosed with PTSD. I went through some very dark times and initially refused to get help, but my wife was always there to support me. Going through that struggle made my desire to help others even stronger. It made me realize I wanted to create a physical space for people to hang out, talk, and support each other.
As the pandemic began to ease, I saw so many people struggling with job losses and developing communication barriers—especially children. That was the final push I needed to finally open a safe place for people of all ages to come together and reconnect. The concept of the shop is a combination of my lifelong dream of becoming a dessert chef, mixed with my favorite childhood memories: hanging out at boba shops with arcades!
We opened our first shop in Severna Park (545 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd), and we do things very differently. Today, many businesses try to sell products as fast as they can with minimal human contact. We put our customers first. For us, it’s not just about a good business model; it’s about bringing back genuine human engagement and care. We take our time and treat every customer like a friend entering our home. I personally introduce them to the boba tea I grew up with, let them sample the teas, and help them build a drink they truly love.
Almost every item in our shop is customizable—from DIY drinks, shakes, and slushies to DIY shaved ice and bubble waffles. Our space is designed to be a place to be creative, be yourself, and be loved.
Now, after two and a half years, we are thrilled to announce our second location! We found a great spot in a former ice cream shop at 8030 Georgia Ave in Silver Spring. We are currently in our soft opening phase, operating from 11 AM to 8 PM every day. We’ve brought in even more fun arcade machines—and even a punching machine! It has a brand-new layout and a cool “boba bar” atmosphere, but of course, it remains a welcoming space for all ages.
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?
I believe many business owners will say the same thing: it is never a smooth road! Ours has definitely been a rocky one.
While dealing with the high stress of opening our first shop, we faced a major setback with our builder. Many projects were left unfinished, and we were drastically overcharged for third-party hires. The contractor essentially took our payment and abandoned the project, leaving critical communications with the county health department completely unresolved. We had to quickly pivot, finding a new contractor and plumber to finish the job and re-establishing contact with the health department to ensure all our permits and documents were properly filed.
On top of that chaos, I was laid off from my job, which provided about 70% of the funds for our household and the new shop. Thankfully, I still had some remaining Army GI Bill benefits, so I went back to the University as a full-time student. To cover the bills while looking for a new full-time job, I drove for Uber and DoorDash.
I give 110% to everything I do. By the time I eventually secured a job with CrowdStrike, I was able to “retire” from the gig economy as a 5-Star Uber driver and a 4.9-Star DoorDasher!
Even today, the hustle continues. Both my wife and I still work full-time jobs while simultaneously running the business across two locations.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My life mission is simply to help others. That passion scales from something as small as making a drink to see a customer smile, all the way up to the national level, where I help the government and law enforcement fight crime.
I love the work I do at our DIY boba shop because I get immediate, direct feedback from our community. Seeing their smiles is the best reward. We have so many loyal customers who love us not just for the food and drinks, but for the level of care we provide and the freedom to create something entirely their own. The fun, engaging experience at our shop is truly unmatched. Even after being open for almost three years, we remain the only DIY boba shop in Maryland, and no one else comes close to the experience we offer.
Because of the DIY setup, my customers are still creating combos I’ve never even thought of! One combination that really surprised me came from my very first employee, Lisa. She had never even tried boba before working with us. One day, she mixed our taro milk tea with butterfly pea tea. At first, I thought it would just water down the taro since the butterfly pea tea has no sugar. But she proved me wrong! It transformed the creamy taro into an incredibly refreshing, summer-like drink. You still get that great taro flavor without it feeling watered down, and the butterfly pea tea adds a crisp, caffeine-free refreshment. Because it lowers the overall sugar level, you can even add other flavors without making it overly sweet.
It was so good that customers who tried it started making it their go-to order. We officially named it the “Misty Butterfly,” and it’s now a signature drink on the community blackboard created by our staff and customers! This is exactly what we are about—bringing creativity to life in a fun way you can actually taste. If that isn’t unique, what is?
Outside of the shop, my full-time day job is working as a Senior Blockchain Intelligence Analyst. In this role, I help the government and law enforcement trace illicit funds used by criminals for scams, money laundering, and drug trafficking. My work still requires me to travel the world to educate different agencies on how to fight crypto crimes. I am incredibly proud that I can help people on a global scale. However, the moments that make me the absolute proudest are when customers tell me that our shop is their favorite place to be, and that they always have a wonderful time with us.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Balancing two full-time jobs, a family, and two businesses comes down to time management and having incredible people you can trust.
My wife and I both still work full-time jobs. Luckily, I have a fully remote job, which allows me to work from the shop and run the business at the same time. At the end of the day, it is all about how well you manage your time. Every day I have a to-do list, but my first priority is always a morning gym workout with my wife to start the day. We went through a lot of stressful days in the past, and working out is the best way to maintain our health and keep us focused for the rest of the day. After that, I start knocking out my daily to-do list so that I can spend the rest of my time with my kids. I try my best to be present with them and make sure everyone is taken care of.
But I can’t do this alone; my wife is the most important person who helps me balance work and family. She keeps reminding me when it’s time to come home, time to take a break, and time to go for a walk with her and the family. I couldn’t do any of this without her; her partnership makes it possible for me to be a good dad and a good business owner.
Then there is our team. Finding the right people is always the hardest part of running a business. We are able to consistently provide great customer service and receive excellent reviews because we hire people who share our goals and treat the business as their own. I deeply respect my staff, I believe in fair compensation, and we operate on a foundation of mutual trust.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sweetbambooboba.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweetbambooboba/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Sweet-Bamboo-Boba/100095366889046/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/sweet-bamboo-boba-silver-spring?osq=sweetbambooboba&q=sweet+bamboo+boba
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@sweetbambooboba
