William Lee is an 80-years-old Taiwanese immigrant who arrived in the U.S. in 1984. After obtaining a Master’s degree in Banking Law from Boston University, he decided to work for an immigration law firm. There, he found himself unsuitable to the repetitive work and low pay of the firm. Inspired by street vendors in Washington, D.C., he sold off his house in Taiwan to fund and establish Lee Company, a wholesale distribution business.

William poured his blood, sweat, and tears into this business, typically operating 12 hours a day from 7:30 in the morning to 7:30 in the night. Throughout 35 years as a wholesale business owner, William Lee faced many challenges. He rarely ate his meal in one sitting, putting customer service first. He had to switch to cash-only after facing difficulties with bounced checks. He failed to match his supply to the customer’s demand, often leading to either too much or too little supply. He had to constantly guess what the customers would want, when they wanted it, and where they wanted it. One time, he received a massive shipment of T-shirts, valued at over 10,000 dollars, and all the sizes were wrong. He ended up donating this batch to the Tzu-Chi charity. As the years went on, online retail grew explosively, giving birth to titans like Amazon and Temu. The competition from online retail, compounded by the rapid development of supermarket chains like Walmart, made it more and more difficult to stay afloat.

By 2019, William Lee decided that it was time for him to step back and retire. He rented out his store and moved to California for its good weather. There, authored a series of TOEFL study guides to sharpen his mind and assist foreign students in studying English. Nowadays, he tends to his garden, growing sweet potatoes, eggplands, garlic, and onions, enjoying his well-deserved retirement with his daughter’s family.

Looking back on his life, William hopes people remember him as someone unafraid of hard work. When asked for advice on starting a business, William advocates this: Be ready to sweat, go to the trade shows to learn your trade, and pick a location where the customers are already walking by.

Author： Valen Miao