Today we’d like to introduce you to Afnan Adam.
Afnan, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Where I am today began with an urge in mid-2015 to leave a life I felt imprisoned by. I was working a corporate job, and had been for five years, between various sectors: oil & gas, healthcare, and IT consulting. By all standards it was successful and rewarding, but it felt compromised because I realized it lacked any avenue for genuine fulfillment or freedom. Although there was always enough money to buy what I wanted, there was never enough time to do what I wanted. I had lost my independence to learn, to experience, and to grow in the direction of my own choosing.
I dove into researching a way to build a lifestyle that enabled me that freedom. I think what surprised me was actually the wealth of opportunities out there. But nothing’s easy. I had had the training to know that, and now I had the desire fueling my off-hours into days of persistent work for six months. I utilized lunch breaks and weekends, early mornings and late nights. I tried a couple of things, but what finally took off after those six months was selling on Amazon. I even encouraged and taught friends how to do it and now I’m part of a community of entrepreneurs who make a living off of importing and selling online. I’m 28 and in January 2017, I left my job. The time since then has been incredible. Maybe it’s cliché, but I traveled to 10 countries in 3 and a half months and now, I’m a full-time student again in a subject that wasn’t chosen by its earning potential but simply, my desire to learn it.
Work is important and necessary. But increasingly, my generation looks for meaning and agency.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Perhaps the experience of difficulties at the beginning, are signs of prosperity at the end. At least, that was my experience in building my business over the past two years.
After three months of constant research, I decided on my first product for Amazon. I had spent a lot of time in choosing it, finding suppliers, and studying the market. But I forced myself to continue to ask the essential questions until the last step. In the end, I didn’t allow my momentum and the time invested to dictate whether it was the best business decision. I pulled the plug on that first product idea and sacrificed hours of research and efforts when I decided to start over with a different product. It paid off, and although the delay was frustrating, I’m glad I had the foresight to trust my instinct rather than let my effort override me.
With an international business, it’s constant learning on the go. I walked into my first business dinner in China as if I had had many before, but I really I felt excited and a bit overwhelmed, despite spending time ahead of the meeting to learn cultural business etiquette. These challenges are also what make it exciting and I am grateful to learn as I do.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Blue Shoe Guys – what should we know?
Our company specializes in selling disposable protective garments. Our signature product is our shoe covers. We liked our product because it allowed people an environmentally-friendly way to keep their homes and their shoes clean. When we design our products, we realize there are many others on the market. Competition is good. It allows you to learn from others mistakes and creates an opportunity to improve. That’s where we believe we excel. We are always looking at our products and our competitors to find ways to improve. When we came out with our shoe covers, after much research and design we believed our product was actually better than what was currently on the market. Thicker, more durable, more reliable. Recently, we’ve realized the product’s strength has further, better application.
Hurricane Harvey devastated many communities in Texas last month. We began to hear from many customers who were using our products to aid themselves and their neighbors in efforts to slowly recover and restore their homes after the damage. We immediately reached out to customers who shared this with us. We felt thrilled that our shoe covers were able to give back to the people and communities that had given us so much.
We’re working on increasing our philanthropic profile. In the coming months, our customers will know how much of their purchase will be going to help others in need. And when the need arises, we’ll always make sure we move shoe covers quickly to those in hardship.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I am grateful to a very close friend who shared the opportunity with me two years ago which I then learned more about through research online. With any business, you start to learn about the community surrounding it and I then was able to find a like-minded people who support each other and share ideas on ensuring we evolve with changing times. We help each other with challenges and also celebrate each other’s successes. We are also very grateful to the individuals who help produce our products because without them we wouldn’t be where we are. My wife, my family, and friends have always been supportive and helped challenge many ideas.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://blueshoeguys.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialblueshoeguys/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blueshoeguys/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/blueshoeguys
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/blueshoeguys/
Image Credit:
Taiyyib Choudhry Photography
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