Perseverance, dedication help Oshkosh entrepreneur find success

Heather Graves

Staff

November 18, 2024

OSHKOSH – Christine Vang – owner of Christine’s Pho Bar in Oshkosh (686 N. Main St.) and in Wausau (936 S. 3rd Ave.) – said when she found out she was nominated for the Hmong Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce’s (HWCC) Professional of the Year award, “I didn’t think I was qualified.”

“I’m just a mom who works hard,” she said. “Other nominees founded nonprofit organizations, had fancy educations, and though I was so honored to be included in that pool, I didn’t know if I even qualified.”

However, when she spoke with Maysee Herr, executive director at the Hmong Wisconsin Chamber, Vang said Herr told her, “those things don’t matter. People need to hear your story and know that you don’t have to have years of education in order to run a business.”

HWCC’s Professional of the Year Award recognizes an AAPI professional (40-plus) who has achieved significant milestones in their professional career, elevating the community with their accomplishments.

Though she wasn’t selected as the winner, Vang said she is humbled that someone took the time to nominate her – recognizing the hard work she’s put in over the past several years.

From the ground up

Though she describes herself as a go-getter, Vang said she never imagined she’d one day open a business, let alone two.

“I started from the bottom up,” she said.

Though she was born in Philadelphia, Vang said she’s lived in the Oshkosh area for nearly 40 years – “it’s my home.”

Vang said her entrepreneurial journey is anything but conventional.

Though she attended community college after high school, Vang said she left to work in retail to support her growing family – which now includes six kids and three grandchildren, with another on the way.

“My work history was always in sales and marketing,” she said. “I pretty much worked retail management my whole life and spent all of my life in the store and the malls.”

Recognizing a lack of Hmong-American businesses in the Oshkosh community other than traditional grocery stores, Vang said she decided it was time for her to take a leap of faith – renting a small bar with a kitchen to start her own business using her income tax refund.

“I thought I’d give it a shot and it happened to work out for me,” she said. “I’m very appreciative of the landlord of my first building – he was super nice, because I was super broke, and he gave me a chance at renting out his building.”

As success came, Vang said Christine’s moved to a larger location.

A few years later, she said she opened a second location – this time in North Central Wisconsin.

“The location in Oshkosh I’ve had for 12 years, and the one in Wausau is in its ninth year,” she said. “Nothing very exciting about me, other than I work a lot, and when I’m not working, I’m pretty much with my kids all the time.”

The freedom it allows

Vang said the best part about being a small business owner is the freedom it allows for her to have a work-life balance.

“I am able to set my own hours,” she said. “I just opened for dinner and I stayed open until bar close. I don’t open until 5 p.m. and I’m not open every day – I’m open Wednesday through Saturday. So during the day, I’m able to accommodate my kids. They’re all in school now, but I’m still able to do mom activities.”

Though she’s found a balance now, Vang said it took a bit to get there as she worked to establish Christine’s. 

“The first couple of years, when I had to work the business every single day, it was really hard to find time for my family,” she said. “Now that we’re a lot more established, I have a full staff at both locations and so I have the freedom to do what I want to do – be able to go to wrestling and football and soccer, because all those things are super important to me.”

Christine Vang said the support from her husband, Toy Sisongkham, has helped her continue her passion – even through the tough times.

“He’s the rock of the business,” she said.

Serving as an example

With what she’s been able to accomplish in the last decade-plus as an entrepreneur, Vang said she hopes to serve as an example for not only other emerging entrepreneurs, but her kids.

“My kids have seen me work hard all the time – whether that was when I was working in retail or with Christine’s Pho Bar,” she said. “I hope it has shown them that working hard really does pay off as long as you’re motivated and as long as you stay focused.”

The most important thing she’d been able to show her children, Vang said, is the importance of a work-life balance.

“I think that they really look up to me seeing how I balance both, and that’s what’s really important for me, for them to know,” she said.

A name for itself

One of the aspects that sets both Christine’s Pho Bar locations apart from other watering holes, Vang said, is its offerings of Asian-American fusion cuisine. 

And though similar, she said the cuisine between the two locations varies slightly as well.

“At the Wausau location, I have two women from Laos in the kitchen and they focus on a very traditional way of cooking – which has been received well in the area,” she said.

In Oshkosh, Vang said the menu includes more Asian-American fusion items.

“The college campus is here and I’m the only restaurant,” she said. “Offering fusion options really brought people in.”

Both locations, Vang said, have become a place for community connection and support – contributing to college scholarships, sports sponsorships and aiding underserved communities. 

Looking to the future, Vang said she has aspirations of having a Christine’s Pho Bar location in several of the populated areas of Wisconsin – starting with Madison or Milwaukee.

“In the next couple of years, I’d like to open up another location, either in Madison or Milwaukee,” she said. “The Wausau location runs itself – I don’t have to go there very often.”

The Oshkosh location, Vang said, still needs her guidance, partly due to it being “super busy.”

“I’m there a lot more,” she said. “Right now, I’m the cook – I’ve been cooking since I was young. But I think once I have enough employees who are trained, I can start focusing on opening another location.”