Seeing an empty check-out aisle and waiting customers, Ethan Tram (11) unhesitantly dashed to the cash register, smiling at a customer on a Sunday afternoon.
He made casual small talk as he scanned groceries at the register in Lucky Seafood, a Vietnamese supermarket where he serves customers multiple days a week, Sept. 29.
At Lucky Seafood, Tram restocks aisles, serves food, places labels on products, and works as a cashier.
Throughout his childhood, he observed his dad start, work at, and manage several small businesses. From these observations, Tram familiarized himself with the process of operating a business.
At the start of this school year, Tram began working at Lucky Seafood to gain hands-on experience—experience that he hopes will get him closer to his dream of running his own business one day.
However, interacting with customers hasn’t always felt natural to Tram. He said that as a child, he frequently would shy away from conversation.
“I had some social anxiety when I was a kid,” Tram said. “I had to take speech classes. What I feared most was talking to people, but I’m facing those fears now.”
Tram said that the time spent improving his customer service skills also allowed him to build his confidence. One day when he needs to make business deals or attend meetings, he’ll successfully cooperate with others.
“I’m able to approach people more naturally and speak up more now,” Tram said.
Tram often shadows his dad at his business meetings. Tram’s dad owns and oversees multiple locations of the Lucky Seafood chain and the Pho Lucky where Tram works.
On Sunday, Tram and his dad met with the son of the CEO of the brand Trung Nguyen, one of the Vietnam’s largest coffee distributors. There, Tram and his dad conversed with the son of the CEO, sharing their background and Tram’s dad’s business plans. From meetings like this one, Tram said he learned the importance of communication and sociability in business and making deals.
“My dad talks more casually [in business meetings] than I expected,” Tram said. “There is a lot of emotional depth involved. I was astonished at how my dad had connected with one of the wealthiest people in Vietnam.”
As a first-generation immigrant from Vietnam, Tram’s father worked hard to provide for his family in the U.S.
His business endeavors first began from selling jewelry in Vietnam, but just three years ago, their family had taken a large step and purchased the supermarkets and restaurant. Now, he mentors Tram so that Tram can open his own business someday.
“[My dad] is a self-made man,” Tram said. “In Vietnam, he was struggling financially, but my dad helped my entire family move here. I want to be able to provide like that for my family one day.”
Now, Tram is already reaping the benefits, as his social skills learned from his work have helped him connect with his peers at school.
“I often used to be teased for being quiet, but I’m taking steps in the right direction now,” Tram said. “It’s easier for me to speak louder, and that’s definitely helped me at school as well. There are times now that I feel more comfortable making a presentation or speaking in a socratic seminar.”
Tram applies the social skills he learns from his dad to the interactions he has with customers at Lucky Seafood and Pho Lucky.
“It’s important to keep up an image, which helps keep people interested in your business,” Tram said. “I try to be curious and assertive. ”
Because the store attracts a large demographic of Vietnamese-speaking customers, Tram has been able to practice his speaking and comprehension skills in the language. He said that studying from books can’t compare to the improvements he’s made from everyday, casual interactions with customers.
“I tried to study the language when I was little,” Tram said. “I thought very rationally about learning the language and I was caught up in my worry about specific tones and details about Vietnamese. But now that I’m not overthinking it, I’m improving a bit. I use some phrases each day, and now that I’m applying them at work, I think I doubted myself too much before.”
Although most of his family speaks English, Tram said he struggles at times to communicate with his grandparents, who only speak Vietnamese.His experience at work has helped him break this language barrier and better connect with his family and heritage.
“Language is a big part of Vietnamese culture,” Tram said. “Language is also a big barrier, I would say, to actually learning the culture. Now I’m breaking down that barrier bit by bit. I just wanted to talk to my grandparents.”
Tram said that his job at Lucky Seafood has helped him get closer to achieving his goals. The social skills he’s learned and his dad’s guidance will further his journey to becoming a business owner.
“It’s just a matter of showing up to work every day,” Tram said. “If you’re consistent, you can actually see the progress. I’m trying to talk to people more, just taking the first steps in the right direction.”
