Today we’d like to introduce you to Jimmy Tran.
Hi Jimmy, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Jimmy J. Tran and I’ve lived in Dallas for 20+ years. I first came to Dallas to attend SMU under the generous and prestigious Hunt Leadership Scholarship, which selects 20 students a year to receive a nearly full-tuition scholarship to attend SMU. I’m extremely grateful to both the Hunt Family as well as SMU, which gave me the opportunity to study abroad in Denmark & Australia, hone my leadership skills, and, most importantly, meet my wonderful wife, Lisa.
After SMU, I worked in strategy consulting at Bain and Company and then to graduate school at Harvard, where I obtained both an MBA and MPA. Afterward, I continued to work in consulting for a few more years, then moved into an in-house strategy role care, where I was until the COVID pandemic hit.
COVID has granted me the opportunity to take a different direction in my life and career. In 2020, I opened up our first location in Preston Hollow. In late 2020, I had an opportunity to acquire and take over operations at Code Ninjas Coppell. It’s been a wild ride and we are just getting started. I love Code Ninjas because it fuses my interests in business, community engagement, and fatherhood.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I don’t think anything in entrepreneurship or small business is necessarily easy. Just like anything, there are highs and lows…often on a daily basis. Some of our challenges include getting the right staff and then motivating that staff to be the best they can be. Despite the struggles, it has been a rewarding journey, especially to see the impact that we are having on individual students and families.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Code Ninjas Coppell?
Code Ninjas is the world’s fastest-growing kids’ coding franchise, with hundreds of locations in the United States, Canada, and the UK. Historically, the three core subject areas in a child’s education have been reading, writing, and arithmetic. In today’s world, coding is emerging as a fourth critical area and at Code Ninjas, kids learn to code while building their own video games. They gain problem-solving, critical thinking, and STEM skills in a fun, safe, and inspiring environment.
The program is tailored to kids aged 5-14 and is centered around a “belt system,” starting with a white belt and ending with a black belt. Positivity and fun are baked into every aspect of the program so that kids are engaged in building video games they love, including popular favorites like Roblox® and Minecraft®.
Personally, I’ve always wanted to “own a small business” and was looking for a business that could engage both my family and local communities here in the DFW metroplex.
What do you think about happiness?
I am most happy when I have the freedom and flexibility to control my own schedule. Often, that includes a mixture of family activities, business activities, and civic engagement activities (I am highly involved in a number of local nonprofits and civic organizations). I also love to travel to new destinations near and far!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.codeninjas.com/tx-coppell
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/codeninjascoppell
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CodeNinjasCoppell
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/code-ninjas-coppell
