Today we’d like to introduce you to Sy Van Tran.
Sy, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I never really said that I wanted to own a Medical Equipment Company as a life goal. Sometimes, especially when we’re younger, we are not sure what we want to do, but I always knew that I wanted to be an Entrepreneur and work for myself. This was instilled in me at a very young age since my parents were also Entrepreneurs and made their own success, even as refugees of the Vietnam War.
In college, I majored in Marketing because I figured at least with a Marketing degree, I could apply my knowledge to whatever future business I ended up with. After college, I worked for Baker Huges in the Oil and Gas industry. It was a very comfortable job; I had my own office, made decent money, had healthcare a 401K, pension, etc…
Senior managers were very hands off and relaxed, but after 3 years I was miserable even though I was comfortable. Now I understood why my “Rich Dad” told me before I started my own business to go and work in the corporate world. In 2009, I was laid off during the Great Recession. It was a blessing in disguise.
I remember that morning, being led into the conference room by my senior manager, I knew I was about to get laid off. The buzz had already been going around. I wasn’t concerned at all. I sat down. They gave me the talk about the economy and when they were finished I simply said “ok”. The three of them had a puzzled look about them. I guess they were expecting me to cry and throw some type of temper tantrum and possibly even break a few things, but nope just a calm, cool, collected “ok”.
They asked me if I had any questions or comments. I just said “No, I understand how business works. As long as I get my unemployment benefits then I will be fine”, even though I had no idea what would happen next career-wise in my life. I turned to both my direct and senior manager and said “thank you for the opportunity. I know this is not your fault. Its been a great learning experience” and walked out. As they walked me back to my office to gather my things, I said “just go ahead and pack up my stuff and ship it to me” and left the building. I was free!
So I’m unemployed for 2 months, not worried at all. My mom is freaking out because she sees that thousands of people are getting laid off each week and competition would be stiff. I told her to calm down, that what I am meant to have, I will be given. About a week later, I get a call from my friend who I worked with during college at a small medical equipment company. That’s where I learned everything about the business I’m currently in. I did everything for customer service, to deliveries, to marketing, billing, and collections. My friend tells me she found a business for sale and asked if I could go along and analyze the books. I said sure.
Long story short, the guy was profitable but was going to shut down because he could not meet new regulation requirements. So we made him a low-ball offer of 15 thousand dollars. After about a week, he gave us a call and it was a done deal. My friend and I took it over. She had two kids and could not handle the partnership agreement and asked me to buy her out. That was in 2010. I became the sole owner and have worked tirelessly to grow my business ever since. With hard work, sacrifices and a lot of faith, I am where I am today.
People always ask me how I got to where I am. I always say learn how to recognize opportunities. Learn how to connect the dots. Learn how to see money making ideas that aren’t obvious. Look a little deeper for the opportunities everyone else misses. It’s easy to spot the easy and obvious ones. The challenge is to find opportunities where others aren’t looking. That is how I grew my business. I learned to capitalize on opportunities and challenges where others didn’t.
Has it been a smooth road?
Just like everything else in life, it is full of ups and downs. It is scary at times. I remember times when I was sleeping on a cot in the back office of my warehouse with a little TV so I didn’t have to pay rent for an apartment and could re-invest more money back into my business. I did this for about two years.
Fortunately, my parents didn’t live too far and I would shower and eat at their place or the gym and go back to my office. Living at my office and making that sacrifice paid off because not only did I save money but I also worked more since I was always at work. It takes a lot of sacrifice, patience, hard work, and faith.
I’m not a religious person but am a very spiritual person and I always believed in a positive force in the Universe that is greater than myself. Some call it God, some call it energy, I am still not sure, I just know that in my gut, I had faith in not only myself but in something greater that was guiding me along the way, opening new doors for me just when I needed it. Some may say it’s just coincidence, but I don’t really believe in coincidences.
I believe we make our own luck. Some people like the quote “God lays down the path, but you must put one foot in front of the other”. So no, it was never smooth and still isn’t, but I will never stop believing or having faith in myself or my higher power that things will get better and that I am destined to achieve the success I want in my life.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with MedHealth Medical Equipment – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I have 3 companies.
My primary company is MedHealth Medical Equipment. We provide cutting-edge innovative quality medical equipment and devices for use in the home. Whether you need a fancy hospital bed or CPAP machine for sleep apnea, to feeding pumps, or power mobility devices, we carry it all, but we focus on providing quality products with innovative design.
For example, our latest power mobility device called the Luggie Scooter is a heavy-duty power scooter that folds up and is lightweight enough to take anywhere. It has a lithium-ion battery that lasts all day. Its won numerous awards for its innovative design and we are the only authorized dealer in Houston Texas with a demo model for people to test drive.
Another innovative new product we are the only dealer for is the InTone Pelvic Floor Stimulator. This device is designed specifically for women who have just given birth. Over 60 million women who have give birth experience urinary leakage due to stretched pelvic muscles during carriage and childbirth and don’t realize that it’s related. Have you ever had an accidental leakage while laughing or doing certain exercises? This device helps repair and strengthen those muscles to end the leakage.
Most women don’t realize how this is caused and also aren’t aware this product exists and is covered by your insurance.
Then I have OrthoTech Pro which is a professional Orthotic and Prosthetic Consulting company. We provide various types of O&P assessment services for companies that are not big enough to hire their own O&P professionals. We step in when they need our services to ensure that they can continue to service their patients according to state and federal guidelines.
AdMark Direct is my smallest business that provides Direct Marketing services. This includes ad design and layout, direct mail campaigns, but mostly B2B direct marketing and sales services specializing in Healthcare marketing.
I am most proud of the fact that we are a small and locally owned and operated a company that focuses on really taking care of our customers. I care about people. There have been days when I have sat with patients and customers in their homes beyond my usual time allotted because I knew they need me to listen. I have even helped a customer figure out which company was fraudulently billing her insurance and recouping her money.
Needless to say, she is now my customer for life. She won’t leave me even if other companies try to poach her. In my field, you encounter a lot of seniors whose kids are grown and not around and they are lonely and they struggle with many issues just like the rest of us. They are usually not as cognizant of current procedures and get taken advantage of by many companies and providers that aren’t as ethical as we are.
So I am very proud that I’ve grown my business with integrity through truly showing compassion for people I encounter and that’s why my customers are loyal to me. I go the extra mile for them and they can feel that I actually care.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love that Houston has transformed so much in the last 20 years. Houston is my hometown and I have seen it change. I like that even though our city is in a Red state, Houstonian’s are generally very diverse and people are nice. What I like best is that Houston is ripe with potential for makers and doers to achieve their dreams.
What I like least is that we aren’t the most beautiful city when it comes to nature and the outdoors. I truly hope that as we grow and our talent does more and more amazing things, we find ways to make this city as beautiful a place to live just as much as we value the lucrative business opportunities that currently drives our growth.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2616 South Loop West, Suite 593
Houston, Texas 77054 - Website: www.medhealthmedequipment.com
- Phone: 832-849-1877
- Email: medhealthmedical@gmail.com
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/medhealthmedical
- Other: http://www.facebook.com/luggiescooter
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
