In today's episode of OneHaas, hosts Ellen Chan and Sean Li profile Haas Alumnus Andrew Chau, the guy who refers to himself (on LinkedIn) as the "janitor" and CEO of Boba Guys. As AAPI and mental health awareness month come to a close, Andrew discusses discrimination and mental health.

Andrew discusses how leaders are vulnerable to being dehumanized. Check out his tips on how to handle these mental health issues affecting leaders. Listen to the end of the episode as he discusses his experiences with discrimination as a leader and as a business owner. 

The episode ends with a very good discussion on the struggles Asian American leaders face in balancing their eastern influences on collectivism and western influences on individualism.

Episode Quotes:

On Discrimination and Prejudice in the Food Industry:

“I believe that there is bias and prejudice, definitely in business that people don't want to talk about. We're not perfect, but we're trying to fight the good fight. We're not gonna do that much damage in one generation. It takes multi-generational to kind of move the whole industry.”

What’s One Advice He Gives to Young People Who Want to Study Business?

“You want to study business and you want to be a great leader in business? The number one skill you're going to need to have is your people skills.”

Andrew shares tips on handling the stress and pressure of CEOs and founders:

"Every founder has got to get a therapist […] if you can afford one, get one ASAP. The number one thing that hurts[...] most founders, because it happened to me, is when people dehumanize founders and leaders[…] Especially if you get big. I'm going to tell you, people will never understand."

Show Links:

• Andrew Chau on LinkedIn
• Andrew Chau on Instagram
• The Boba Book
• Dare to Lead, Brené Brown
• The Gifts of Imperfection, Brené Brown
• Rising Strong, Brené Brown
• The Boba Guys Official Website
• The Boba Guys Official FB Page
• The Boba Guys Official Instagram Page
• The Boba Guys Official Twitter Page

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