Omair Shad · Classic view
Shad Get the checklist

The bridge between China and emerging markets

  • Guangzhou
  • Lahore
  • Manila

OmairShad

I sit between Chinese factories and the world's brands, and I make both sides money.

Over a decade in China turning factories into brands. I run Lightspeed International, sourcing and distributing across Pakistan, the Philippines, Bangladesh and the Gulf.

Get the China sourcing checklist See the ventures
Portrait · 4:5
Portrait to come from the Lahore studio.
  • 12Years in ChinaOn the ground since 2014
  • 04Markets operatingPakistan, the Philippines, Bangladesh, the Gulf
  • 06Ventures builtFounder and operator
  • 05Languages spokenMandarin on the factory side

About

Over a decade in China turning factories into brands.

I run Lightspeed International, sourcing and distributing across Pakistan, the Philippines, Bangladesh and the Gulf. I help manufacturers and founders on both ends of that chain build something worth owning.

The short version

  1. 2014

    Arrived in China.

  2. 2020

    Civil Engineering at Wuhan University of Technology, funded by flipping iPhones.

  3. Built a VPN and shut it down.

  4. Built Lightspeed.

  5. Opened Lahore.

  6. Went back to China.

Mandarin fluency plus twelve years on the ground gives the factory side. Four operating markets give the demand side.

  • Source

    Factory identification, vetting, negotiation and QC. Inside the plants, in Mandarin, before money moves.

  • Build

    Identity, packaging, positioning and launch. A unit becomes a brand or it stays a 4% margin.

  • Bridge

    Chinese supply on one side, emerging-market demand on the other. I'm the trust layer between them.

Founder / operator

The ventures

  1. 01Find
  2. 02Brand
  3. 03Ship
  4. 04Sell
  5. 05Run

Proof that I operate rather than advise. One chain from the factory floor to the customer, and each company does one job in it.

Sourcing

Sourcing, end to end.

Everything between your product idea and the goods on your shelf. One process, one person accountable, inside the factories and in Mandarin.

  • Supplier discovery

    I find and vet the factories that match your quality, capacity and compliance needs.

  • Quality control

    Factory audits, checks on the line and pre-shipment inspection, run by my team on the ground in China.

  • Negotiation & pricing

    In Mandarin, directly with the factory. The price you pay reflects what it really costs to make.

  • Logistics & freight

    Air or sea, consolidated from several suppliers and delivered to your door.

    Moved by LightspeedGO

  • Private label

    OEM and ODM builds with your branding and packaging, and the compliance work handled.

    Part of Build

  • Trade risk

    Payment terms and contracts that keep your money safe before, during and after production.

How it runs

Four steps, the same every time, so you always know where your order stands.

  1. 01

    Brief

    I learn your business, product, target price and timeline, then write the sourcing plan.

  2. 02

    Find

    I shortlist the factories that fit your quality bar and budget, and I visit them.

  3. 03

    Lock in

    Price, quality benchmarks, samples and contract are agreed before production starts.

  4. 04

    Deliver

    I watch production, inspect before it ships and move the goods to your door.

Why me

Most sourcing agents email suppliers. I walk the factory floor.

  • Clear fees

    A flat fee or a simple percentage. No hidden markup and no surprise charges.

  • On the ground

    I work from Guangzhou, next to the factories of Guangdong, and I meet suppliers in person.

  • Relationships built

    Twelve years of factory relationships, so work starts the day your brief arrives.

  • One contact

    You deal with me from brief to delivery. No hand-offs.

What I source

The categories I work in most. Anything else, ask.

Work with me

Work
with me.

I operate my own brands and I connect other people's.

The conflict ruleI don't enter a category where I'm actively representing a client. If I hold a position in something I introduce you to, you'll know before you spend a rupee.

  • 01

    The Bridge network

    Vetted factories, vetted buyers.

    Invite
  • 02

    Sourcing advisory

    Factory ID, vetting, negotiation, QC.

  • 03

    Brand build

    Identity, packaging, positioning, launch.

  • 04

    Distribution / equity

    Deal-dependent.

    Selective

Engagements start with an application, not a calendar link.

Send your product brief. Tell me what you need, how many and for which market.

At least 20 characters.0 / 20

Preview only. Applications connect when the site launches.

شاد

Shād, Urdu and Persian for joyful.

Legacy

Before it was my surname, Shad was my father's name.

My father: a decorated Urdu and Punjabi poet and professor. Shad is the name on the cover of his books and at the end of his couplets. Everything I build carries it.

حرف وہی رہتا ہے جو دل سے لکھا جائے

Only the word written from the heart remains.

Verified couplet and translation to be placed here before launch.

His books

Titles, years and cover photos to come.

شادBook I

Title to add

Poetry · Urdu or Punjabi · Year

شادBook II

Title to add

Poetry · Urdu or Punjabi · Year

شادBook III

Title to add

Poetry · Urdu or Punjabi · Year

شادBook IV

Title to add

Poetry · Urdu or Punjabi · Year

Order his books Read an excerpt

Shad Supply · Drop 01

Wear the name.

Four pieces for the first drop, and every one carries the name. The date is still to be announced.

Drop 01 Son of Shad

Son of Shad tee

Heavyweight cotton, black

Drop 01 Source. Build. Bridge.

Source Build Bridge hoodie

Brushed fleece, cream

Drop 01 شاد

Shad cap

Navy twill, brass embroidery

Drop 01 Numbers beat adjectives.

Numbers tote

Heavy canvas, natural

Drop 01 lands soon. Everyone on the market-notes list gets the date first.

Get first access

Writing

Latest thinking.

China market notes, sourcing playbooks, brand building, emerging markets.

Market notes PK + Gulf This quarter

What's actually moving in Pakistan and the Gulf

The categories buyers are asking for this quarter, and the ones quietly dying.

Read the note
Factory floor 200 Factory floors in Guangdong

Two hundred factory floors in Guangdong

Most of them lied to me at least once. Here is how the lie usually shows up.

Read the note
Sourcing playbook FOB → Unit Landed cost, line by line

Real landed cost, line by line

FOB in, true per-unit out. Freight, duty, QC failure rate and financing included.

Read the playbook

Get the
checklist.

The China Sourcing Due Diligence Checklist

The checklist I use before wiring money to any factory. Sent once, then two market notes a month.

Preview only. Sign-ups connect when the site launches.