Alex Hsu grew tired of friends and family asking him to buy shoes for them as he travelled frequently between the United States and Australia. He saw that popular shoes could be purchased overseas for a fraction of the cost than at home, and a business idea came to him.

Two years later, he is the founder of successful e-retailer The Next Pair, which sells globally recognized brands such as Nike, Asics, Converse, Vans and many more.

“I already had an IT business that I owned with a group of school friends,” says Hsu.

“When I was travelling, I had a lightbulb moment. Why not create an online shoe website that mirrored the IT business in terms of structure and model?

“I realised we could leverage our existing contacts and experience to build a business selling a commodity that is highly sought after and importantly that I had a real passion for.”