To support his venture, Jack started peddling goods on the streets of Hangzhou, including some he sourced from Yiwu. His translation company also became a trading company. Hope Translation Agency started to sell gifts, flowers, books, and even plastic carpet, a range of items that foreshadows Taobao. Jack recalled, “We did everything. This income supported the translation agency for three years until we started to make ends meet. We believed that as long as we kept doing it, we would definitely have a future.”
