Bohan: Student-turned Cross-border E-commerce Entrepreneur Sees No Border
By Qinglang Wu, August 2023
In an office full of foreigners, a complete set of traditional Chinese tea sets are unpretentious but still conspicuous enough. This is Bohan’s office space. And he's now on another floor, wearing headphones and staring intently at a monitoring screen in a broadcasting studio.
Bohan (Kamyab Azizi), an entrepreneur from the Islamic Republic of Iran, is making remarkable strides on the dynamic circuit of cross-border e-commerce in Hangzhou.
Bohan came to China at the age of only sixteen, and during his university years, entrepreneurship propelled him to form the Innovative Corporation Association (ICA Team), a collective of 120 talented individuals comprising both Chinese and international students.
Their team won the gold medal in the 4th Zhejiang University Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition. In the summer of 2018, they embarked on an enlightening journey to Yiwu, delving into diverse industries and gaining invaluable insights into the entrepreneurial landscape. “If you want to start a business in China, you must know enough about China and make more friends,” Bohan says.
In the same year, the influential weekend training for their team in Keqiao, Shaoxing proved to be a turning point for Bohan, opening his eyes to the thriving entrepreneurial environment in Hangzhou’s Xiasha, where his school Zhejiang Gongshang University is located. Reflecting on the supportive entrepreneurial environment of Xiasha, Bohan says, “The entrepreneurial ecosystem here is truly remarkable. We know each other and we know what everyone’s doing. Sometimes our projects can't be finished on time, and our friends here can help us to edit a video or shoot a commercial.”
After the live streaming, Bohan returned to his office and started making tea with saffron from the Islamic Republic of Iran. As he does so, he starts to describe his team's award-winning commercial project at university, which aimed to promote Iranian “stevia” in China.
Today, Bohan still looks forward to the different collaborations between China and his home country. He says, “If someone’s gonna be the bridge, it will be us.” The distance from the Islamic Republic of Iran to China is 5,600km, but Bohan’s effort has made the communication between the two countries no barrier.
With this belief in mind, Bohan started his own live-streaming company last August, which seeks to promote all kinds of superior Chinese products- perfumes, home appliances, beauty products, clothes, etc. - to a global audience. The company serves different brands and factories to promote their products and provide great customer service, which generates more marketing and sales opportunities.
It wasn't all smooth sailing for him. Their team had the “Hit the Bottom” stage, which happened after they faced so many difficulties that were too much to handle.
However, Bohan got lots of help from a number of amazing people. The biggest mentor he mentioned is Hu Yu, the CEO of WotoKOL. Before starting his own business, Bohan used to be a live streamer for WotoKOL. After Bohan left, Hu Yu invested in Bohan with a 25% stake to demonstrate his appreciation and to support Bohan’s business. “Mr. Hu always provides me with management tips and teaches me how to think like a CEO,” says Bohan.
From his formative years at the university to his current position as a leading figure in Xiasha's thriving startup scene, Bohan's journey is a testament to his unwavering determination, resolute commitment to his mission, and Hangzhou’s encouragement and support for international entrepreneurs.
Bohan's charismatic personality and exceptional leadership skills have earned him admiration from teachers and peers. “Bohan’s remarkable personality and infectious smile have left a lasting impression on those around him,” says Kevin (Yuanxun) Zhang, the Head of the International Student Management Office at Zhejiang Gongshang University. “During competitions or entrepreneurship, he maintains an exceptional attitude, adjusting quickly to challenges such as personnel changes, and always exuding boundless energy,” Zhang added.
Guided by his unwavering passion, Bohan's journey continues to shape the cross-border e-commerce industry. “The live-streaming industry is changing so fast that you might wake up to wake up to find that there’s always something new which you don’t even know about,” says Bohan. So, he has always paid close attention to the changes in this industry and trying to keep pace with the times.
The latest example is the emergence of the trend of artificial Intelligence live streaming, which has made him plan to work with technology companies to explore this area.
When talking about students who also want to work in the e-commerce industry in the future, he suggested that they should start a business while they are still at school because it can help them to become self-supporting. He also encouraged these students to follow this path because it is the fastest-growing market now.
When night falls, he finally takes a short break from his busy schedule to eat a few bites of dinner. There seems to be no end in sight to this night and day job, but Bohan feels no regret. "If I went back to eight years ago, I would still have made that same choice to do this job."
