1851

From surviving gunfire to a grueling week-long boat trip, Lam has several life experiences that have&nbsp;shaped him into the successful entrepreneur and leader he is today.&nbsp; 
 
&ldquo;His story of coming over definitely influences him as a CEO; he&rsquo;s not afraid to take big risks,&rdquo; Stephanie Zhu,<a href="https://bestinclassfranchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=franchise-times-best-in-class-education-ceo-fearlessly-conquers-franchising-8937" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> Best in Class Education</a>&#39;s&nbsp;VP of business development and finance, told Franchise Times. &ldquo;For him, that&rsquo;s a minor risk on a relative scale.&rdquo;&nbsp; 
 
Lam left Vietnam after the fall of Saigon and spent a year as a refugee in the Philippines&nbsp;before starting over in Canada. After graduating from the University of British Columbia, Lam founded Best in Class Education in 1995 in Seattle and started franchising the company in 2010. In the first years of the company, Lam ran the company by himself. 
 
&ldquo;It had a similar atmosphere now where it was kind of a fun place to learn, and it wasn&rsquo;t a really rigid classroom. He kept it very light and fun, but still very educational,&rdquo; Zhu, one of Lam&rsquo;s first students at <a href="http://bestinclass.1851franchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=franchise-times-best-in-class-education-ceo-fearlessly-conquers-franchising-8937" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Best in Class Education Center</a>, told Franchise Times.&nbsp; 
 
Since then, the company has grown to 43 units in eight states nationwide.&nbsp;

Click <a href="http://www.franchisetimes.com/January-2017/Fear-is-relative-for-Best-in-Class-CEO/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=franchise-times-best-in-class-education-ceo-fearlessly-conquers-franchising-8937" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">here </a>to read the full piece. 
&nbsp;

Best in Class Education CEO | Fearless Franchising Leader | 1851 Franchise

1851 Franchise

The Vietnamese immigrant found the American Dream through franchising

Franchise Times: Best In Class Education CEO Fearlessly Conquers Franchising

franchise-times-best-in-class-education-ceo-fearlessly-conquers-franchising

BooXkeeping

image of booxkeeping franchise graduation present

Why a BooXkeeping Franchise Might Be the Smartest Graduation Gift You Can Give

booxkeeping-franchise-graduation-gift

KidStrong Franchising, LLC

image of kidstrong franchisees NFL player Shaun Wade and his former Team USA Heptathlete wife Jordan

Why This Athlete Couple Chose To Open a KidStrong Franchise

nfl-player-shaun-wade-kidstrong-franchise-georgia

HomeTeam Inspection Service

Team of home inspectors exiting branded HomeTeam Inspection Service vehicle

HomeTeam Inspection Service Offers Franchise Opportunity With No Experience Required

hometeam-franchise-training

Comfort Keepers

image of comfort keepers employees franchise

Comfort Keepers® Partners With PocketRN to Enhance Dementia Care Nationwide

comfort-keepers-pocketrn-dementia-care-partnership

Right at Home

Right at Home Franchise - Q3 2025 Momentum - 1851 Franchise

Right at Home Continues Momentum as It Closes Out the Third Quarter and Looks Ahead To Hit Its Annual Signings and Openings Goal by the End of the Year

right-at-home-franchise-q3-2025

Buying a Franchise Masterclass

 Franchise Opportunities

Get Support Buying a Franchise

How to Buy a Franchise White Paper

How to Buy a Franchise

How to Sell Franchises

How to Grow a Franchise

Find a Franchise Supplier

1851 Franchise Opportunities

Franchisor News

Franchisor Power Rankings

FranCamp Mastermind Summit

Franchise Development Website Builder

Franchise Resources

What ALEC-Laffer's Report Means for Franchising

Website Awards

Power Rankings

About 1851

Advertise on 1851

Contact 1851 Editorial

Terms of Use

1851 Login

GROWTH CLUB LOGIN

facebook

instagram

twitter

linkedin

youtube

Photo of Papa Murphy's Take 'N' Bake Pizza franchisee Lily Wilford

Entrepreneur: This 18-Year-Old Saves Babysitting Money for College — Then Decided to Buy a Business Instead

18-year-old-franchise-owner-lily-wilford

Amazon outage, AWS outage, Amazon AWS logo

The Day the Cloud Stalled: How Amazon's Outage Impacted Franchise Economy

amazon-aws-outage-franchise-impact-travel-dining-failure

Thursday 1851 Franchise Agg - NASAA’s Noncompete Push

NASAA’s Noncompete Push Puts Franchise Growth on Uncertain Ground

franchise-noncompete-nasaa-advisory-reasonableness-standard

How a Steady Economy Could Help Franchisors Plan Their Next Move

how-a-steady-economy-could-help-franchisors-plan-their-next-move

Bed Bath & Beyond - Franchise Expansion - Retail Strategy - 1851 Franchise

Bed Bath & Beyond Launches Franchise Model as Part of Comeback Strategy

bed-bath-beyond-franchise-expansion-retail-strategy

NJCAR v. Ford - New Jersey Supreme Court Limits Standing Under Franchise Practices Act

New Jersey Supreme Court Limits Standing Under Franchise Practices Act

new-jersey-franchise-practices-act-njcar-v-ford

Health Care Hiring Slowdown Highlights In-Home Care Franchise Opportunities - 1851 Franchise Agg

Health Care Hiring Slowdown Highlights In-Home Care Franchise Opportunities 

health-care-hiring-slowdown-in-home-care-franchise-opportunities

image of jerome hanway from right at home Las Cruces, New Mexico 1851 franchise franchisee spotlight

Jerome Hanway Is Building His Right at Home Franchise Around His Mission To Serve

right-at-home-franchise-las-cruces-jerome-hanway

A Practical Playbook: Who To Call First When Franchising Your Business

franchising-your-business-who-to-call-first

image of michael panos and michel panos, owners of mellow mushroom in Atlanta

The Panos Family’s Role in Preserving Mellow Mushroom’s Character — and Expanding in Atlanta

mellow-mushroom-franchise-panos-restaurant-group-metro-atlanta

image of franchise deep dive from 1851 franchise on doody calls franchise authority brands

DoodyCalls Franchise Costs, Fees, Profit and Data for 2025

doodycalls-franchise-deep-dive

graphic image of an 1851 franchisee spotlight brayden and johnny steven of teriyaki madness

Franchise Times: Best In Class Education CEO Fearlessly Conquers Franchising

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS