Contact
  • HOME
  • / MEDIA /
  • From Refugee To Legendary: The Roller Coaster Hustling of Serial Entrepreneur Tony Lam

Uncategorized

September 16, 2022

SHARE:

“I want to tell everyone it is NOT EASY. For all the folks in the restaurant/food business, I respect you and take my hat off to you.”

Tony’s current passion projects include helping to bring popularity to Vietnamese coffee in the United States and guiding the next generation of young, ambitious entrepreneurs to realize their full potential. 

He is married to his lovely wife Van Lam and has two sons named Damon and Andy. His son Andy is on the spectrum (ASD), “Raising an autistic child has many challenges and requires a lot of patience. These kids have a special place in my heart.” Because of this, he is currently working closely with Linda Nguyen, founder Laugh Out Loud with Autism Foundation (LOLA) whom he got connected through the Asian Hustle Network (AHN), “Much respect for this beautiful human being for having a BIG heart. We need more compassionate leaders like her in this world.” he said. 

Known for being a successful serial entrepreneur, Tony shared his successes and his humble beginnings and challenges that made him the hustler he is today. 

Escaping Vietnam

My story began 45 years ago from today. During the Fall of Saigon (April 30th, 1975), I was only 3 months old when my family fled on a tiny boat to the US. My father was one of the Naval captains of the South Vietnam government. 

My mother had just given birth to me and they had to make the difficult decision: Should they stay, or should they go with a 3-month-old baby and risk death by the communist government? They made the decision to drop everything they had and took a chance on a better life into the unknown. 

My grandma, aunts, uncles, and cousins left everything behind and boarded the boat. My father to this day still has nightmares of the harrowing escape.

My mother had just given birth to me and they had to make the difficult decision: Should they stay, or should they go with a 3-month-old baby and risk death by the communist government?

-Tony Lam
3 year-old Tony

A Fresh Start

My family was refugees in the Philippines for about 6 months. Not knowing what would happen, my family prayed hard and God answered our prayers. We were sponsored by an American family through Catholic Charities.

This American family took in a total of 6 of us, gave us a roof over our heads, put food on the table, and gave my family support for a couple of years to survive. My “sponsored grandparents” are now angels in heaven, but their kids whom I called Aunt Kim and Uncle John still live in southern California and we still communicate every so often. My family is grateful to their parents’ kindness and open heart to take in complete strangers into their homes.

My family would move to the Bay Area a few years later for a fresh start. My brother and sister were born, and we quickly became a family of 5. My father got his AA degree from San Jose City College and his trade was being a technician fixing medical devices for hospitals while my mother worked as an assembly worker.

Building Blocks That Lead To Success

I remember growing up in a poor neighborhood, teased by classmates for being Asian. Racism did exist at an early age for me but I did not let it bother me.

I remember my parents giving me a $100 allowance to buy enough clothes every year during my middle and high school years. So no, I did not grow up with a silver spoon in my mouth, but I was grateful for what I had. I got decent grades but was not smart by all means in high school.

I attended California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) where I got my business degree. My dream was to open a business one day but I didn’t know at the time what it would be. My first job out of college was at Cisco Systems (’97). I worked for corporate for way too long (14 years). I was a workaholic working 60-70 hr. weeks to save up money to start a family one day.

I should mention that this all would not have been possible without the love and support of my wife. I met my beautiful wife Van Lam through a college friend. We chatted for 3 months via Yahoo Messenger, fell in love, and married her one year later in Vietnam. We have two boys (Damon – 10 yrs. old and Andy – 7 yrs. old)

While I was working at Cisco, I discovered my first hustle (Wingstop) and the many more that would follow after leaving the company.

I was a workaholic working 60-70 hr. weeks to save up money to start a family one day.

-TONY LAM

The Serial Entrepreneur

Wingstop Franchisee — for 5 Locations (San Jose, Milpitas, Fremont, Union City) in the Bay Area for over 3 decades.

COOP Marketing President — for 50 Wingstop in the Bay Area instrumental in inking the deal with the GS Warriors and becoming “The Official Wings of the Golden State Warriors” since 2015

Omni Bev Co-founder — the first company to have an RTD (Ready to Drink) Vietnamese cold brew with condensed milk on the market with a shelf life of over 6 months. Its coffee beans are imported directly from Da Lat. They also serve nitro cold brew!

Omni Bev Co-Founders Tony Lam and Tammy Huynh

Mavens Creamery Shark Tank Winner — a macaron ice cream place that started in a 400 sq. ft. garage, expanded to 300 venues, and 4 years later struck a Shark Tank deal on TV with Barbara Corcoran. 

alaMar Kitchen & Bar Co-Owner — voted the Best Seafood Restaurant in Oakland by Oakland Magazine in 2020, was also featured in the Michelin Guide for 3 years, and on KQED

Okashi Fusion Co-Owner — with a 4.8/5 star rating on Yelp reviewed by 710 customers, is the  “BEST POKE in town with the BEST desserts” as Tony describes.

VitaBowl Board Advisor & Investor — a premium on-demand delivery brand that serves locally sourced, vegetarian, superfood meals and beverages. Tony teamed up with Charles Michael Yim through Asian Hustle Network, who also struck a deal on Shark Tank. Charles has assembled an A-team of talent, “I am honored to be working with these guys. Together, we have started a new company VitaBowl.” he expressed.

Enterprise Purchasing Group Co-Owner — a group purchasing organization that leverages the combined volume of many e-commerce businesses to secure exclusive programs with major shipping carriers (USPS, UPS, DHL, FEDEX) for both domestic and international destinations. “Our team has saved 10’s of millions for many customers spending in the range of $10K to $70M+ to date,” Tony added, “If you ship at least 50 orders a day domestically, we can surely help you with saving with our program.”

A Few Hurdles That Turned Into Bigger Opportunities

When IOS apps were just coming out in 2011, my partner and I created a booking app called Chimpped, which allows users to book with all your service providers (e.g. your dentist, doctor, kid’s activities, restaurant, etc.). One and a half years later, we closed down our business because we ran out of money and did not get enough traction. The “high tuition” I had to pay through this failure allowed me to consult with other app companies.

The apps KEA, Nextforce, and WorkStream have gone through Series-A funding and 1 Seed round. The seeds have been planted, just waiting on fruits to grow.

The “high tuition” I had to pay through this failure allowed me to consult with other app companies.

-Tony Lam

What Is Next For Tony Lam? 

Tony wants to dedicate his time to the special needs / autistic community and provide resources such as jobs and career-building services.

He is also planning on launching Andy’s cafe where a large portion of the staff hires will be from the special needs community. The plan is to launch this in 2023 in California. If successful, he would like to open 100 of these in the next 5 years to give the special needs community a safe place to work and be able to socialize with people

Lastly, Tony is planning on starting up a PE fund to invest in startup CPG companies.

Advice To Aspiring Entrepreneurs

  • Surround yourself with mentors and successful entrepreneurs. Join a support network of folks that bring positive energy
  • Write up a business plan so that you have done the research before venturing out
  • Have 18 months of the runway of savings to cover your expenses while you launch your company

You can reach Tony at tony@launchyourfirst.com

Related Articles

Image Source: Photograph by Ken Richardson Boston Magazine

Stories

Chef Tracy Chang Gives Back To The Community Through The Language Of Food

Restaurateur Tracy Chang started the nonprofit Off Their Plate and Project Restore Us through the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. 

The owner of the Japanese tapas restaurant,  PAGU, started Off Their Plate as a way to feed healthcare workers, and Project Restore Us sends nutritious and culturally appropriate grocery boxes to families living in food deserts. Both groups work to support local kitchens run by women and BIPOC and volunteers.

As a chef, Tracy also finds herself more in tune with customers than ever before. As someone who grew up lactose intolerant, she sources ingredients responsibly and remains mindful of the way guests feel after they leave her restaurant. This is also part of her restaurant’s ethos.

Her grandmother has also influenced Tracy’s cooking. Although her grandmother didn’t speak English, she spoke the language of food really well, said Tracy, and that was something that always resonated with her.

For Tracy, her personal experience has definitely come into play — trained in Spain but worked at a Japanese restaurant, and she grew up with a lot of Japanese and Taiwanese food, “The menu at PAGU is autobiographical and about my experience learning very specific dishes and techniques from people like my grandmother, my mentor and some of the chefs I’ve worked with.” she told TimeOut.

  • 2 min read
Image Source: CNN

Stories

Young Tech Startup Founders In Asia Make Mental Health Support Accessible To Break Stigma

Breaking down societal stigma and creating a new mental healthcare system for the Asia-Pacific area are two of Theodoric Chew’s objectives, founder of the digital mental health app, Intellect.

Founded in 2019, the mobile app frequently monitors users’ moods, delivers rescue sessions and exercises, and lets them chat with therapists in real-time. 

The 26-year-old explained that mental health is just as important as physical health, “You and I face things like stress, burnout, sleep issues, and relationship struggle as well.” he told CNN, “ That’s where actually a lot of us should start working on our mental wellbeing.”

Since early 2020, the startup serves over 3 million Asia-Pacific users in 15 languages. According to CNN Business, the Singapore-based mobile app has raised $20 million in its Series A funding, the largest amount raised by a mental health start-up in Asia.

Early this year, Singapore and Jakarta-based digital mental healthcare start-up, Ami, has raised at least $3 million from a number of investors, including Meta, the owner of Facebook. The firm was founded by Justin Kim, a Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia alum with Beknazar Abdikamalov.

Both digital mental health companies are targeting employers in their business models, where companies can subscribe to provide staff unlimited, private access to their services.

According to the WHO, depression and anxiety disorders cost the global economy $1 trillion a year in lost productivity. In March, it was reported that anxiety and sadness surged 25% worldwide in the first year of the pandemic.

  • 2 min read
Image Source: Shoutout LA

Uncategorized

Loose Leaf Boba Company Blends Third-wave Coffee And Tea With Cultural Inclusion

Loose Leaf Boba Company is not only well-known for its expert “bobaristas.” but also for its diverse cultural representation including Burmese, Thai, Filipino, and Hispanic. “Going out for boba” was a childhood tradition that assisted the company’s mission of unifying people by normalizing cultural differences.

The brand constantly values cultural inclusivity and also empowers BIPOC, AAPI, women, and the LGBTQ+ community.

Loose Leaf Boba Company’s sharp vision of “Building a Better Boba Company” comes to life every time a customer experiences a foreign favorite, for which they make beverages for customers to try global favorites. This means making tasty beverages like Vietnamese Egg Coffee or Mexican-inspired Guava Atole.

Founded in 2012 by husband and wife duo Thomas and Jasmine Liu in West Covina, the viral third-wave shop has locations across the United States, including Connecticut, California, and Massachusetts.  This bubble tea tycoon has big plans to grow large retail sites in metro Dallas, TX, Northampton, MA, and Hadley, MA.

  • 1 min read
Image Source: Forbes Asia

Stories

Farm of the Future: Farm66 Cultivates Vegetables Within Hong Kong’s Skyscrapers

In the course of COVID-19, a significant number of people have reported having insufficient access to fresh food entirely for sustainable living.

Gordon Tam has created an urban farm that solves this problem. He is the co-founder and CEO of the Hong Kong-based vertical farming – Farm66. With advanced farming technology, he grows fresh vegetables inside skyscrapers in Hong Kong. 

In 2013, Tam and Billy Lam, Farm66’s COO, founded Hong Kong’s first high-tech vertical farm and developed LED lighting and wavelength innovations for farms. Tam and his team found that different light wavelengths affect plant growth. Red LEDs generate longer, stronger stems, whereas blue LEDs produce larger, stronger leaves.

The technological and robotic advances at Farm66 are also both groundbreaking. The 20,000-square-foot indoor farm is managed with IoT sensors and robots for quality assurance and other tasks. 

When asked about the challenges facing conventional farming, Tam cites a lack of talent as a significant issue. “It’s because the children of many remaining farmers don’t want to take over the farms. They think it’s a very tedious job.” – he told Forbes. This is why he placed a premium on technology and saw it as a means to attract young people to farming by making the industry more appealing.

Farm66’s latest farming mechanism impressed billionaire Tang Yiu’s tech-focused venture capital firm ParticleX. The Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund, Sino Group, and the Hong Kong government’s Cyberport and Science & Technology Parks are also investors. A total of over $4 million in funding has been acquired so far. Hengqin Financial Investment and the City University of Hong Kong have also backed Farm66.

There are currently fifteen full-time workers at Farm66, including data analysts, food scientists, and mechanical engineers, who can harvest as much as seven tons of vegetables every month. Tam hopes to share its company’s urban farming methods and success in Hong Kong with other cities. For instance, Farm66 converted a shipping container into a mobile farm for use in Middle Eastern desert cities.

  • 2 min read