30
under
30
62 BCBusiness april 2016 62 BCBusiness april 2016
adam assadkhan
co-founder and coo, vitasave.ca
(incorporated under nutraways)
age: 24
a d a M a s s a d k h a n
d a M o n r a M s e y
THE STORY: The son
of an Iranian immi-
grant who swapped
running a smoke shop
to operating a health
food supplement store,
Adam Assadkhan
didn't intend on fol-
lowing in his father's
footsteps.¥"I thought I
wanted to be an actor,"
he says. He enrolled in
a six-month acting pro-
gram after high school,
but his two older
brothers pulled him
back into the family
business.¥"I scrapped
the acting gig and I'm
really glad I did."¥
By 2009, as their
father started easing
into retirement, the
brothers launched a
website to take one-oŸ
orders for local clients.
The number of orders
began to boom, and
by 2012 online sales
through Vitasave.ca
had surpassed bricks-
and-mortar sales,
which now account
for less than 10 per
cent of total revenues.
Today, the three broth-
ers co-lead the com-
pany—with Ali, 29, in
charge of marketing,
Amir, 27, in charge of
nance and Adam, the
youngest, in charge
of operations (which
includes the website,
the North Vancouver
warehouse and cus-
tomer service).¥
"We let each other
pick our roles and
luckily there was no
overlap," says Adam—
whose responsibility
for Vistasave.ca sets
him as the family's
strategic decision-
maker. With its
renewed focus on
online sales, Vitasave
has grown from one
Lonsdale health food
store into a national
e-commerce business,
with 70 per cent of
sales now coming from
outside of B.C.
MARKERS OF
SUCCESS: When
Assadkhan and his
brothers launched
Vitasave.ca, it had
annual sales of $2.5
million. Since then,
revenues have grown
100 per cent year over
year, and Assadkhan
says he expects the
company to make $15
million this year. —J.P.
Worst advice
that you've
received?
"To not work so
hard and have
balance. While this
may be true for
other people,
I believe our
perception on life
creates our life;
if I'm able to
perceive 16-hour
workdays as
enjoyment then
I will enjoy it"
