✍️ Why I Still Handle Orders Personally — And Why It Matters

Some people who know me well are familiar with this habit of mine: every year, I personally follow through on 5–8 orders, from start to finish. From sample development to bulk production, from PI, CI applications to CO requests, customs clearance, and even container loading — I stay hands-on at every step.

A lot of people say to me: “Jimmy, you’re the CEO now. You’re leading the company. You should delegate these routine, time-consuming jobs and focus on ‘more valuable’ things.”

I understand where they’re coming from. In most people’s eyes, when you reach a certain position, you’re expected to step away from the frontlines and manage through others.

But here’s what many overlook: The moment you detach from the frontline, your judgment weakens, your market awareness blurs, and eventually, your entire operation risks losing control.

First-Hand Information Is Priceless

When I’m on the ground liaising with our sample development team, it’s not just about tracking progress. When I check in on bulk production or fill out a container manifest, it’s not about copy-pasting product details. Even verifying packing lists before shipment isn’t a routine chore.

These actions keep me deeply connected to our clients’ designers, our factory teams, and our freight forwarders — giving me a direct pulse on both the luxury and fashion bags market and the freight and logistics scene in real time.

And you’d be surprised what you learn:

• Which product categories or ports are suddenly under stricter customs scrutiny
• Which shipping routes are about to hike or drop their rates
• Which clearing agents had issues holding up a client’s goods
• Which freight forwarders are being blacklisted — and what’s really happening behind the scenes

These insights don’t live in an Excel sheet. No one volunteers them. You only gain them by being present, building long-term trust with clients, suppliers, and partners. That’s how you stay ahead of the curve.

The Reality of International Trade: A Constantly Shifting Game

Trade processes aren’t static. They respond to a dynamic mix of policy shifts, logistics volatility, and evolving market trends.

On the surface, paperwork like CI, PL, and customs declarations looks repetitive. But it’s within these so-called “low-value” tasks where I often catch the earliest signs of change:

• A customs region quietly tightening risk controls
• A new requirement slipping in for more precise product classifications
• Certain packaging materials suddenly categorized as “restricted”

Most of these changes don’t come with an official announcement. They quietly show up — buried inside a routine workflow one random day. And if you’ve been off the frontline for too long, you won’t even notice how much the rules have shifted.

Stay detached for a year, and you’ll be operating on yesterday’s assumptions while the market’s already three versions ahead.

Real-World Information Lives in the Details

Some of the most valuable resources in this industry aren’t found in reports or dashboards — they exist in the details of daily operations and trusted relationships built over years.

It’s the kind of operational intelligence you can only gather through real, hands-on practice.

We’ve seen it happen time and again:

• Big corporations, out of touch with the market, launch products no one buys
• Fast-growing teams rely solely on PPT decks and models, only to collapse when reality hits

When you lose touch with reality, no amount of “strategic foresight” will save you.

Why I Keep Doing This

I’m always cautious — afraid that if I stop learning for even a single day, I might miss something crucial. And that’s exactly why I’ve kept sharing, reflecting, and outputting insights for over a decade. Not for vanity — but as a way to force myself to stay sharp, stay curious, and keep refining my instincts.

A true leader isn’t measured by grand strategies or inspiring speeches. You measure a leader when the system is under pressure — by whether they can personally step in and hold every part of it together.

That’s why I insist on handling those few orders each year. Not because they’re the biggest or most profitable — but because they keep me clear-headed, connected, and deeply in touch with what’s real.

And in today’s world, reality is far more scarce than strategy.

To my fellow founders, operators, and brand leaders — stay connected. Stay hands-on. Stay on the frontline. That’s where the real advantage lies.

Your bags, our promise. Delivered beautifully, reliably, and sustainably.