President and chairman, L&L Hawaiian Barbecue, Honolulu

When my family moved to Hawaii from Hong Kong, we struggled to make ends meet. Our family of nine lived in a two-bedroom apartment.

My father had only a sixth-grade education, so it was up to me, the oldest son, to help out. I was just 16, but I worked long hours as a busboy, dishwasher and yardman.

School was challenging. Not only did I have a language barrier, but I had to live down the reputation of being stupid. I had to repeat first grade twice, as well as third grade and eighth grade. My first grade report card says I spent the entire day daydreaming.

But that daydreaming has made me successful. My restaurant chain, L&L Hawaiian Barbecue, has 185 locations in 10 states. I’m constantly thinking of new things to do with my restaurants. I’m always dreaming.

After I graduated from the University of Hawaii, I worked for a bank. But I dreamed of starting my own business. So I quit and went into real estate.

At that time, my mother was a cashier at a restaurant. So I saved enough for a down payment on a loan and bought her a restaurant. In the Asian tradition, taking care of family is very important.

I kept growing the business, even though everyone told me I was crazy. Within 10 years, I had 50 restaurants in Hawaii and started expanding to the mainland.

About 50 percent of my franchise owners are former employees. And many are immigrants, like me. When I find someone who is loyal and capable, we help him or her by selling them a restaurant.

I like to stay busy. For the past 20 years, I’ve taught classes to help motivate future entrepreneurs from economically distressed com-munities. To honor my heritage, I helped create the Filipino Fiesta and Parade and used my financial experience to raise $14.2 million for a Filipino Community Center.

Because of my background, I know how difficult it can be to get a college education. I wanted to help less fortunate students, so I created a $1 million scholarship fund at the University of Hawaii’s Shidler College of Business. It’s for restaurant industry employees, their children and families.

I went from a child who had a lot of trouble in school to the author of two business books with a master’s degree from the University of Oklahoma.

In America, everyone has the chance to make their dreams come true.

View his video here.