Why I Created This Site
TL;DR
After two decades of entrepreneurial adventures across continents, this space serves as my digital coffee shop for meaningful conversations. I hope to share my journey through international trade, personal growth, and entrepreneurship, connect with like-minded people, and find opportunities to invest in or collaborate on technology ventures transforming global trade.
Long Story
Some of the happiest moments in my life have been when I’m deeply engaged in stimulating discussions about subjects I’m passionate about—international trade, entrepreneurship, personal growth, Stoicism, and investing—with someone who shares that enthusiasm. While the world is full of such individuals, these opportunities don’t always arise organically due to a lack of awareness about shared interests.
Over the years, I’ve immersed myself in these topics through reading, attending conferences, participating in webinars, and journaling—a habit I developed thanks to Stoicism. On those rare occasions when I’ve connected with someone equally intrigued by these subjects, the conversations have been profoundly rewarding. Realizing that these encounters don’t happen as often as I’d like, I created this platform to share my thoughts publicly, hoping to open opportunities for more of these meaningful exchanges.
I wanted a space where I could explore ideas freely, without the constraints of sticking to a niche, chasing trends, or focusing on traffic. This site is a reflection of my journey and musings as an entrepreneur and lifelong learner, and I hope it opens doors to connect with like-minded individuals.
My Entrepreneurial Journey
My entrepreneurial journey began at the age of 13 in New Delhi when I started selling rare cricket cards at school. In a cricket-obsessed country, these cards were highly sought after, and this venture taught me early lessons about business and integrity. Between then and 18, I explored various part-time ventures to supplement my pocket money. I delve deeper into these experiences and the life lessons I’ve learned in a podcast I did, where I also discuss my journey as an entrepreneur.
At 18, I moved to the UK to pursue my undergraduate studies and simultaneously started my first formal venture in 2005—importing fashion jewelry from China and India. This venture marked the beginning of my relationship with China. Importing direct from China, was a significant step in an industry where international importing was largely the domain of big businesses, at a time when Amazon was still primarily a bookstore. My goal was to support my university fees, so I began by selling at university booths and Sunday markets. While this allowed me to interact with people from all walks of life, I realized there had to be a more efficient way.
Embracing the potential of e-commerce, I established a wholesale e-commerce website. At that time, most UK wholesalers either had no online presence or simple webpages without e-commerce capabilities, presenting a big gap in the market. This allowed me to supply retail stores across the UK, including remote areas like Guernsey and small towns in Scotland and Ireland, who faced the distance barrier in accessing offline wholesalers.
To expand further, I developed a dropshipping system that provided dropshipping services to resellers. I set up websites for them connected to my database, showcasing all our products which they could mark up as they saw fit. I also opened a store in Birmingham’s Jewelry Quarter to expand the business offline. The business thrived, but by the end of 2009, I sensed that China was where the real action was. Taking a leap of faith, I moved to China, without much of a business plan or an idea of what exactly I wanted to do, but I was impressed by the work ethic and hunger people had to learn, grow, and thrive.
In 2020, I founded IMEX Sourcing, focusing on supply chain solutions for the UK market. The initial years were a learning curve—navigating a new culture, language barriers, and finding the product-market fit. With the rise of Amazon FBA and the proliferation of courses like the Amazing Selling Machine, we pivoted to become a Supply Chain company for e-commerce sellers, being the first to tailor services and marketing to this segment. This strategic move led to rapid growth.
Recognizing the industry’s need for transparency, and the low levels of tech adoption, we were also the first ones to launch an online portal that provided real-time production data. Including my experience as an importer, it’s been almost 20 years since I embarked on this journey, and international trade has been at the heart of my professional life throughout.
My Personal Growth Journey
Like many entrepreneurs, personal growth has been a central theme in my life. It began at 18 when I discovered the personal development blogger Steve Pavlina, sparking my interest in topics like goal setting, values, and principles. Over the years, various influences have shaped my perspectives, the philosophies of Stoicism, practices like meditation and journaling, and thought leaders like Ray Dalio and Naval Ravikant being the major ones. These philosophies and practices have been guiding forces, enriching both my personal and professional life.
I often find that when I share this journey with fellow entrepreneurs, there’s a shared resonance. Many have walked similar paths, and these shared experiences have led to some of the most enriching conversations and connections I’ve had.
If any of this resonates with you, I’d be delighted to connect. I spend most of my time in China but also a significant amount of time in, Portugal, the UK, and India—if you’re in any of these places, I am always open to a cup of coffee.
My Goals and How We Can Collaborate
International trade is a vast field with immense potential, yet significant parts of the industry haven’t fully embraced emerging technologies. I’m exploring ways to make a meaningful difference. I’m currently envisioning a tech platform to advance technology adoption in international trade, though it’s in the early stages, and I look forward to sharing more as it develops.
In addition, I’m eager to connect with entrepreneurs and innovators working at the intersection of international trade, AI, e-commerce, and other emerging technologies. Whether you’re looking for an early-stage investor, advisor, board member, mentor, or just someone to bounce ideas off, I’m interested in supporting ventures that aim to revolutionize this space. If you’re working on something exciting or have ideas to share, I’d love to hear from you.