This Dubai-based entrepreneur built a million-dirham brand after starting as a pizza delivery boy - here's his secret

Time of India

5 hours ago

Source: Gulf News
Dubai is full of tales of success, transformation, and survival but few are more universally inspiring than Jason Kwao's. From humble beginnings in the UK working as a pizza delivery boy to becoming a self-made business owner in the UAE, Jason's story exemplifies the strength of vision, the ability to adapt, and sheer grit.
With no business studies and having been a dropout at university, he constructed his achievement one product, one lesson, and one courageous choice at a time. A humble pandemic e-commerce venture turned into a million-dirham business and a booming consultancy. Synchronising personal struggles and professional development, Jason's tale is a true example of what can be achieved when purpose collides with opportunity in a city designed for doers and dreamers.
Jason Kwao turned pizza deliveries into a million-dirham venture in Dubai
During an interview with
Gulf news
, Jason Kwao's journey illustrates his origin as a pizza vendor, a second-hand moped, and an ambition to get away from averageness. As a UK university dropout, Jason frequently became frustrated and discontented. While others flaunted their glamorous businesses on social media, he did various odd jobs and questioned purpose and direction within himself.
The delivery of pizzas wasn't glamorous, but it provided him with something essential, discipline and savings.
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Each tip, each late-night delivery, was a stepping stone. Where most called the job low-skilled, Jason viewed it as a launchpad. It schooled him in customer service, time management, and more importantly, the significance of hard-earned money. One typical day, while mindlessly browsing Instagram, Jason had an epiphany.
He saw how much he and millions of others were spending on sites like Amazon. That one epiphany turned his thinking around: "Why be a consumer when I can be the seller?"
Without any business degree but great curiosity, he learned about product ideas and narrowed down on a niche: home baking accessories.
His first product? A sourdough breadbasket. Easy, practical, and opportune.
How COVID-19 fueled Jason Kwao's first big e-commerce breakthrough
The COVID-19 lockdown arrived, and suddenly home baking was all the rage. Families turned to sourdough starters and kneaded bread in the kitchen for comfort. Jason's product was catapulted into demand, according to the reports.
Orders started rolling in. What had begun as a small online ad became a viral hit. Jason learned to scale easily fielding customer calls, juggling logistics, and tracking inventory, all by himself.
He was making thousands a month by his early twenties. This spike, however, wasn't luck. Jason had spotted a microtrend and acted fast—a key characteristic for any entrepreneur.
Jason Kwao's Amazon business failed but he found a smarter way to succeed
Success, particularly when it arrives quickly, can promote arrogance. Jason's quick rise led him to overestimate demand and mismanage his inventory. Some miscalculations such as over-ordering inventory resulted in losses. His booming business soon began to implode almost overnight.
But Jason didn't walk away. Instead, he drew strength from a matter-of-fact phrase his wife had once spoken to him:
"Every setback brings an equal or greater comeback."
The quote became his emotional anchor. Written and taped to their living room wall, it was a daily reminder that failure is not the end—it's a reset. Instead of going back to 9-to-5 employment, Jason bet bigger on creativity. One of his most aggressive gambits was repurposing a surgical knife as a bread scoring knife—a specialty baking tool for creating designs on sourdough bread.
The product did well until Amazon ultimately suspended it for policy infringement.
Nevertheless, it generated a lot of money while it lasted.
He also dabbled in property commissioning potential, especially in student lettings, but soon discovered that consultancy wasn't scalable or rewarding for the long-term. He required greater control—over product sourcing, pricing, and supply chains. That realisation prompted him to source directly from Chinese manufacturers.
That action not only raised profit margins but provided him with complete visibility of production timelines and product quality.
From seller to strategic consultant: Helping others succeed
As his expertise in e-commerce grew, Jason moved from being a seller to becoming a proper Amazon brand consultant. He started assisting other companies in scaling their presence ranging from product listings to supply chain strategies. The effect was substantial. A few of his customers currently bring over £5 million in monthly revenue.
Jason's own business reached a valuation of over 1 million dirhams by January 2025, a point of triumph in his evolution from feisty entrepreneur to strategic consultant.
Jason is presently focused on storytelling and mentorship. He wants to pay it forward by sharing his story freely—failures, pivots, wins, and all. His goal is to motivate budding entrepreneurs and demonstrate what can be achieved with grit and clarity. His guidance for newcomers in Dubai:
"Stay focused. Don't get caught up in the lifestyle temptations. You didn't come here for the clubs—you came here to create something real."