---
title: "EO Overdrive: I’ve Survived Worse"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/6f59bdb0-d5dd-4add-9e8a-084d29bd0366
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/eo-overdrive-ive-survived-worse-1663
category: "Franchise Industry"
industry: "Franchise Industry"
published: 2015-05-19T19:14:00.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T13:25:23.341Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/8d777f385d3dfec8815d20f7496026dc4192.png
---

# EO Overdrive: I’ve Survived Worse

**TL;DR:** Hao Lam, CEO of Best in Class Education Centers, shares his story of perseverance and resilience in the face of adversity, having fled Vietnam as a young boy. He now owns 11 tutoring centers and has 29 Best in Class Education Centers across the U.S.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2015-05-19. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/eo-overdrive-ive-survived-worse-1663).*

## Story

Hao Lam is more than just the CEO of a successful franchise, he’s also a Vietnamese American who was born into a war-torn country and had to learn persistence at a young age.

“My father had worked for, and fought alongside, the United States army,” Lam wrote for EO Overdrive. “When Saigon fell, we were closely monitored and ostracized, resulting in my father being jailed as a political prisoner. I had to flee.”

Lam said he tried to escape Vietnam on 10 separate occasions but failed each time.

“Those failures had me running from gunfire and in jail on several occasions, but I refused to give up,” he continued. “I was a young boy dreaming of a life that would allow me to grow, achieve and excel on my own term.”

After a final harrowing boat ride to the Philippines, Lam and his wife succeeded. Now he owns 11 tutoring centers and has 29 Best in Class Education Centers across the U.S.

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Franchise Industry (sector)
- franchise success (topic)
- personal story (topic)
- immigration experience (topic)

---
Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/eo-overdrive-ive-survived-worse-1663). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/6f59bdb0-d5dd-4add-9e8a-084d29bd0366).