Meet Lucky Nguyen

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

Lucky, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?

On my desk sits a memoir actually titled “RESILIENCE,” which tells the story of my grandfather’s journey of getting his wife and 10 kids out of Vietnam to the United States and further surviving here as immigrant war refugees. In the details of this is where I get my resilience from. Every trial and tribulation that I encounter will never measure to dealing with what my people have dealt with. That perspective has pushed me through moments where I felt like quitting and there have been plenty of moments to which my capabilities were pushed to the limits. After overcoming it, I become capable of even more. This combined with being a risk-taker builds even more resilience to pursue whatever it is that I desire.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I am a freelance social creative producer and editor focusing on two clients: PBS and Mr. Tai, my dad! By day, I get to create Webby-winning social content for the main social platforms of PBS connecting primarily younger audiences to their tv/film programs and the overall brand. I work with important, educational, diverse tv/film programs and market them through fun, smart, social creative techniques! From short documentary social pieces on BIPOC artists, educational memes/TikToks to co-creating and co-hosting their first social-original video series “PBS Film Club” where we highlight their expansive slate of docs filled with nuggets of knowledge which has now outperformed their traditional promo marketing!

Outside of that, I also get to build and market Mr. Tai Goods, a Vietnamese-American food brand founded from our family’s recipe for sate chili oil except a drier version which we call “Chili Garlic Flakes.” We’re a Father-Son duo and now family-run aiming to spread Vietnamese flavors to every household. My dad was just experimenting with the chili oil recipe when he created a dry version that my mom, who has health conditions, could actually eat without the pain and inflammation she used to experience from chili oil. Once we launched to wider audiences, we found nationwide attention and support because my dad’s entrepreneur story comes from him being a 62-year old immigrant and gas station manager. He became a source of inspiration that you can and should pursue your dreams. Lastly, we started an “OG Houston” video series going to his favorite local Houston restaurants to highlight them and got a viral video driving a huge, more diverse audience to his favorite Pho shop creating more attention and revenue for them. All this impact has left him in a state of disbelief and has been such a gift to him and being able to do that for him feels like such a repayment for this life that I know has been hard for him since leaving Vietnam.

What makes this all even more personally special is getting to do this family business from our cultural family recipe while operating from my specialties has always been a goal and focus of mine (pursuing ikigai, the place where your needs, desires, ambitions, and satisfaction meet). At the core of it all, we’re connecting with folks who enjoy Vietnamese culture/cuisine or haven’t had the chance yet through these chili garlic flakes.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Curiosity, resilience and storytelling!

Curiosity has always led me forward. Question everything and pursue that answer. If someone is in a position you are interested in, how did that person reach it? Why do you want that? How do you get there? If you are dealing with a problem, use the “but why?” method and get to the root of the problem. If you are doubting something or yourself, ask what’s the best thing that will happen out of this? Then pursue that answer! The answer will lead you to the next step in your journey.

Resilience as aforementioned has gotten me through all the complex situations I’ve endured. It leads you into bigger moments that require more capability and that compounding experience leads to further, deeper, unique success that only you who has been through it all can attain.

Storytelling has always been a talent of mine since middle school which most definitely came from reading! As you write more and more and consume different formats more and more, you hone your skill. My storytelling has specialized in social creative marketing and how to secretly get an audience to like what you’re essentially selling. But this skill is so widespread and essential because you have an ability to connect with others and that will get you anywhere.

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?

I’m a big fan of the golden circle because at the center is the “why?” With that, I try to stay grounded by reminding myself of the “why” for whatever it is that I’m doing. My north star right now is truly pursuing this larger goal of spreading Vietnamese flavors to every household through my dad’s food product, Mr. Tai Chili Garlic Flakes, and seeing his dream come true for him and our family. Every household is a lot of houses, and we envision each one using the condiment on almost everything like eggs, ramen, pizza, pasta, soups, rice, meats, condiments like mayo, ketchup, ranch and so much more! It’s going to require a lot of curiously failing forward, continued growth in my skillsets like working with PBS, and connecting with a lot of folks that are/would be interested in our Vietnamese culture and cuisine.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mrtaigoods.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mr.taigoods/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@mr.taichiligarlicflakes

Image Credits

Lucky Nguyen and Mr. Tai in their home kitchen where it all started.

Lucky Nguyen with a Webby award for his social creative work with PBS.

Mr. Tai, Ha Tran and Lucky Nguyen celebrating Lunar New Year.

Mr. Tai and his first display at the gas station he manages.