Jason Kwao and how the humble sour dough bread basket set his millionaire journey going
He failed at baking but rose to rule online retail, here's Jason’s unlikely UAE story
Dubai: “My first job was delivering pizzas on a moped. Now I’m worth a million pounds — and no, it didn’t happen overnight,” says Jason Kwao with a grin that suggests there’s a wild story behind that leap.
But don’t expect the usual millionaire tropes. Kwao doesn’t toss around jargon or flash a Rolex — unless you count the £3,000 (Dh13,000) Louis Vuitton backpack he now uses as a glorified nappy bag.
“I always wanted one,” he shrugs. “But let’s be honest, it’s basically my kids’ mobile diaper station now.”
That’s the kind of self-aware, cheeky charm Jason brings to the table — and the kind of hustle that saw him go from delivering pizzas on a rainy UK street to building a million-dirham e-commerce business in Dubai. His story? It’s part grit, part luck, and a whole lot of sourdough.
Jason’s entrepreneurial story began not in a boardroom but mid-scroll on Instagram during university. Watching people his age rake in money online while he juggled lectures and an empty bank account felt absurd. So he dropped out.
Back home, with no clear direction but a strong desire to earn, he taught himself to ride a moped and joined Pizza Hut. He saved every penny from his deliveries and started experimenting with small investments.
He quickly noticed how much he was spending on Amazon and had a spark of insight: if he could buy so easily, why not sell? His first product? A simple sourdough basket.
When COVID hit, his timing couldn’t have been better. With the world suddenly obsessed with baking, Jason’s sourdough kits flew off the virtual shelves. He was making thousands a month — a dizzying sum for someone in his early 20s. He couldn’t believe it. Sales pinged on his phone like clockwork while he coordinated shipments with suppliers.
But like most fast wins, this one came with a lesson.
Jason admits he got carried away. Poor stock management and overconfidence led to a steep downfall. He lost nearly everything.
But instead of retreating, he clung to a quote his wife gave him: “Every setback brings with it an equal or greater comeback.” She even printed it and taped it to their wall. That single phrase — and her belief in him — kept him from quitting.
He documented the date he lost it all and the date it turned around. It’s a photo he still keeps close.
Jason’s product choices haven’t always been conventional. One of his biggest hits was a rebranded surgical knife he marketed as a bread scoring tool. “People loved it,” he laughs. “But Amazon wasn’t too thrilled and kept taking it down.” Still, the bizarre idea generated strong profits while it lasted.
Not all of his ventures were sustainable. He once quit a cashier job to chase a student property rental commission — only to realise that once the units were filled, the money stopped too. That’s when it hit him: he needed a business that could scale. He pivoted to sourcing stock from China, ensuring consistency and control.
These days, Jason does a lot more than sell sourdough kits. He helps brands scale on Amazon, offering end-to-end support — from listing optimisation and advertising strategy to managing global supply chains.
His clients generate serious numbers, with some earning up to £5 million a month. In January 2025, his own company hit its first million-dirham valuation. “That was the moment,” he says, the calm in his voice belying the grind that got him there.
The decision to move to Dubai wasn’t just a career move — it was deeply personal. His daughter Sophia, who has autism, wasn’t speaking much in London. Jason and his wife decided they needed a reset. Within a month, they’d left the UK.
They arrived with a healthy bank balance, but life in Dubai quickly proved expensive — visas, business registration, and medical expenses (his wife was pregnant at the time) burned through savings at lightning speed. “That money was going down really quick,” he says. They even had to dip into their investments to keep going.
The first year was relentless — all work, no downtime. “We didn’t even go on date nights. Everything we earned went straight back into the business.”
Eventually, their work started gaining visibility. Clients took notice. And slowly, the balance tipped back in their favour.
Jason’s relationship with money has shifted dramatically. He no longer sees it as something to hoard or chase — but as a byproduct of value. “When you bring joy or solve a problem, money comes. When you dread how you earn, you hold on too tightly to it.”
He now earns from multiple streams — even YouTube content creation — and finds joy in both making and spending money (although he’s the first to admit that the LV bag wasn’t the wisest investment).
He may have dropped out of university, but Jason is a voracious learner. “Just because I didn’t get a degree doesn’t mean I don’t study,” he insists. He’s read over 300 books and constantly works on self-improvement — from business to communication skills.
Jason is sold on Dubai’s pace, infrastructure, and energy. “It feels like the future,” he says. “Same-day delivery, tech everywhere, and things just move.” He even prefers Amazon’s local service here to the more manual processes back in the UK.
His current obsession? Media. He wants to tell stories, make videos, and expose more people to entrepreneurship. “When I discovered this world, my mind couldn’t shrink back.”
He’s also a big believer in the power of giving — not just in business, but in life. “The more you give, the more people want to give back,” he says. “It’s just a natural law.”
“Keep going,” he says simply. “A lot of people won’t see your vision — even your friends and family. They might think you’re crazy. But you’ve got to stay focused.”
“Don’t get distracted by partying, girls, or any of those other things. Just stay focused on your goal… and you will get there eventually.”
Network Links
GN StoreDownload our app
© Al Nisr Publishing LLC 2025. All rights reserved.