How Dreams Become Reality: Jimmy Sun - The Founder of Gleem Energy who Built a 7-Figure Business in Highschool

Hey, quick note before we get to the Q&A - I’ve launched a podcast!

Every Q&A (including this one) now comes with a podcast episode, where you can watch and listen to the guest yourself.

If you want to skip straight to the podcast, here’s the link: https://linktr.ee/ex.vicarious

Otherwise, back to the Q&A! (est. 3 minute read).

If you’re a hustler, entrepreneur or founder, I’m 90% sure you’ve thought to start an e-commerce business.

Jimmy Sun actually did at 14 years old, through dropshipping.

He sold anything from custom dog beds to camel milk. But it wasn't until he started a trading card platform during the Pokémon boom in 2020 that sales really took off.

Throughout COVID lockdowns, he had two monitors during school - one for class, and one for running the business.

So at just 17, he was doing 7-figures in sales through TCG Stadium .

This year, Jimmy has been building his new company, DrinkGleem, Inc. Ever wanted an energy drink that doesn’t make you crash 7 hours later? Well, that’s Gleem - plus it comes in flavours like Dragon Fruit Mango and Lychee.

Delicious Asian fruits aside, Jimmy explains in this episode how he:

??? used his parent's business licence to work directly with wholesalers as a teenager,

?? put on a surprise show with Grent Perez at UCSD, &

?? always dreamed of being his own boss, then made it a reality.

Enjoy.

Q&A

What’s a dream you had as a child that has stayed with you to this day?

“I think I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit. My parents immigrated to the States during the 80s—my mom from Korea, my dad from China. They met here in their 20s and started multiple businesses. They tried some clothing ventures and other things that didn’t really work out, but they eventually started a local international market in Nashville, Tennessee, where I was raised. Growing up in that environment, watching my parents grow the business, really inspired me to do my own thing one day.?

Ever since I was little, I remember one of those questions in elementary school: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I literally wrote down “a boss” or something like that.?

Watching my parents’ journey, being hands-on with the grocery market, really inspired me to set out on my own journey and follow their entrepreneurial footsteps.

A lot of my family is more traditional, like a hard working immigrant family. Seeing my parents come all the way across the world and start their own thing really inspired me at a young age.”

What were early barriers to pursuing your biggest dreams, internal or external? What mindsets, habits and strategies helped you overcome them?

“It’s funny because at the time, dropshipping was very common and relatively new. Once I built out the shop, I showed my friends, and I remember showing them a few hundred dollars in sales, just little hints. They were like, "Oh my goodness, bro, this is sick." But when it didn’t work out, they said they figured, and they were right. Building a sustainable business is very hard, and I realised that at a young age.

I also realised that once you tell people before it’s even started, it releases chemicals in your brain, making you feel like you’ve already done it. It’s weird because if I say it to everyone and it doesn’t happen, it discourages me more.

It's funny you mention it, because I also listened to Dr. Huberman's podcast. That’s why I don’t like to say things aloud too much. Once it's done, then I feel comfortable telling everyone.”

Do you remember the day you turned over the most card packs at TCG Stadium? And reaching the seven figures in sales - was that a goal from the start??

“Yeah, for sure. It literally started as a side hobby during COVID. I figured I could make some extra money, just a few bucks, nothing much. I was doing school at the time, and reaching that number never crossed my mind.?

I remember doing $5k in one month and thinking, "Oh my goodness, this is crazy." It went from 10 to 20 to 50 to $100k. I never had a threshold; it kept blowing my mind every time. Seven figures was never the goal.

My goal was purely to learn how to grow and scale a company sustainably. Once you get that big of an influx, some people want to blow it up even more, but my goal was to keep reinvesting into the company and focus on sustainable growth instead of taking a big step and falling into a huge pit. So that was my method. To answer your question, no, seven figures was never the goal.”

If you could capture the attention of every single person for thirty seconds, what would you say?

“I'd rather live a life where I tried my best. If I fail, it doesn’t matter, but at least I got the regret out of the way and knew I tried my best.?

I want to let everyone know, whatever’s on your mind—starting a business, going into a new venture, asking that girl out, sending that DM—just do it. Living a life without regret is something a lot of people should go for because you don’t know until you try. That’s what I realised in my business venture.?

If there’s something you’ve always wanted to try, go ahead and do it, regardless.”

Thanks for reading my Q&A with Jimmy Sun.

You can connect with Jimmy here:?

• https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/jimmy-sun-586947226/
• https://www.instagram.com/jsun_812/

You can check out Gleem Energy here:

• https://www.instagram.com/drinkgleem/
• https://drinkgleem.com/

If you enjoyed this Q&A, click subscribe to get a Q&A with a founder, creator or gamechanger sent to you each Wednesday (AEST)!

But if you want to experience the full podcast with Jimmy, listen here:?

• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20m9I3xRe_g&ab_channel=ex-vicariousbybraith
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/16vpXh7ZrhwWzn4qR4JSbW?si=f95cb75bd7874523

And as always,

Keep dreamaking.