We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tony Vuvan. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tony below.

Hi Tony, thanks for joining us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

My background is in computer engineering. I worked in the IT industry for more than 2 decades. I enjoyed the fast-paced environment, the continuous learning as I tackled challenges, and most importantly the relationships I cultivate. But then COVID hit, and similar to many, I found myself unemployed; I was laid off in Jan 2021. I wasn’t sure what my next move was going to be, but I knew I wanted something different.

In a casual conversation over dinner one night with the family, we started talking about business ideas. My brother made a statement that sparked the beginning of what we now know as Lula Banh Mi + Bakery. He said there has not been a banh mi shop that has failed in Charlotte, and as far as I knew, he was right! He also shared a story about a man who drives to local businesses to sell his food and was quite successful.

Almost immediately after, things started to click and fall into place. My past was catching up to me, but in a good way. In the early 2000s, I went to Vietnam to learn how to make banh mi. I took a semester of culinary classes at CPCC where I learned so much about baking and working in a commercial kitchen. In 2007, I bought a Chinese restaurant and added a Vietnamese menu. It lasted barely a year. I lost the restaurant and our home; we moved in with my parents. My food and restaurant dream ended there. Fast forward to February 2021 when my idea became reality. In our first week, I had secured close to a dozen businesses who wanted our food delivered hot and fresh. We offered banh mi in addition to noodle and rice dishes and desserts that were staples in our culture. I digitized the ordering process, people ordered week after week. I ran the business for almost a year out of our house. In the evenings, we prepped the orders. We were up by 5am packing orders so everything could be delivered by lunchtime. Friends and family showed up and helped us for free! Actually, they worked for food.

We received great feedback for our products so I felt confident that it was time to expand. But in order to further separate us from the already established banh mi shops around, I had to and wanted to make my own bread onsite, everyday. It had to be mom-approved and taste as close to the ones in Vietnam as possible. As luck would have it, my father-in-law connected me with an uncle in California who mentored and taught me. Returning home from that trip, the biggest challenge was sourcing the right ingredients for making the best bread that tastes just like home.

After countless trials and errors, I had something I was very proud of, and moms approved! We pride ourselves in authenticity and quality. We opened our doors in July of 2022 and the community has loved us since day 1. We won’t say the past 16 months have been easy, we’ve experienced a lot of challenges but that’s how we grow and get better.

At the end of the day our mission is to provide the best service and product at a great value.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Please refer to Panel Discussion Question

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Please refer to Panel Discussion Question

Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?

Please refer to Panel Discussion Question

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lulabanhmi.com
• Instagram: lulabanhmi
• Facebook: Lula Banh Mi + bakery
• Yelp: Lula Banh Mi and Bakery