Donut Underestimate The Power Of Donuts

Rising from nothing, achieving the American dream, and losing it all; lessons from the rise and fall of Ted and Christy Ngoy

Photo by Kobby Mendez on Unsplash

After escaping the brutal conditions of Pol Pot’s communist Cambodia, Ted and Christy Ngoy defied the odds, became multi millionaire entrepreneurs, and lived happily ever after.

Until they lost it all.

Here are some lessons from the rise and fall of the Donut King and Queen, Ted and Christy Ngoy.

The Plight of Immigrants

Before rising to success, Ted and Christy Ngoy came from the most dire of circumstances.

While working in Cambodia’s scorching hot rice fields, enslaved Cambodians like Ted and Christy were expected to work from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. every single day without any breaks.

While recalling his experience, Ted relayed that workers were shot dead if they were believed to be lazy, that he would frequently see piles of his peers’ bodies decaying in the fields, and that in lieu of payment for his slave labor, the money went directly to the communist regime.

Luckily, the couple managed to escape to America as refugees, but their journey was not without its own challenges.

While in America, Ted and Christy did not have enough money to purchase shoes, did not know the English language, and were mocked and harassed for their Asian appearance.

The racism was so rampant, that Ted and Christy legally changed their first names from “Bun Tek” and “Suganthini” to appear more American.

Which brings us to our first lesson.

The life of an immigrant can be excruciatingly difficult.

I am well aware that immigration policy is an extremely nuanced discussion that I know very little about.

So, instead of stepping out of my boundaries, I merely ask you to treat immigrants with decency.

A large portion of them have lived through hell.

Cold Cold Competition

Prior to the Ngoy’s arrival in California, the Winchell’s Donut Company had a…