Detained in a back room of Noi Bai International Airport with an expired visa, no cash, a debit card that doesn't work, and three Vietnamese security officials yelling at me.
My flight to Australia had been canceled and rebooked. The rebooking pushed me two days past my visa's expiration. They needed 1,300,000 Dong (~$50 USD) to let me through. Cash only. I didn't have it. I had 30 minutes to figure it out.
I stepped away and stood in the middle of the terminal. Fluorescent lights. Announcements in Vietnamese I didn't understand. I ran through the options. No cash. Card doesn't work. Nobody to contact. I ran around the airport trying to find someone who could help. Nothing worked. It seemed hopeless.
Then I remembered: I had a crypto hot wallet with Bitcoin on my phone.
I ran up frantically to strangers. "Hey, I have Bitcoin and I need $50 cash. I'll send you $60 in Bitcoin right now." They stared blankly at me like I was running an obvious scam. Everyone brushed me away. I kept going.
Eventually, a taxi driver I spoke to referred me to another taxi driver who referred me to a shady guy sitting on a bench. He said yes. We did the transfer standing outside the terminal, motorcycles blaring and cigarette smoke everywhere. I walked back to the counter, paid the bribe, got through security, and made my flight.
What I remember most isn't the relief. It's that I wasn't scared. The whole time, my brain was just running. Options, angles, next moves. It felt familiar. Like a game I'd been playing since I was a kid. I enjoyed it.
That instinct appeared early.
In elementary school, I wanted the new Derrick Rose basketball shoes. My parents said no. I decided I was going to get them. I started reselling snacks to classmates. By the time I'd saved enough, I didn't buy the shoes. The game was far more interesting than the prize.
At 16, I noticed my cousin couldn't get exercise equipment. COVID had decimated supply chains. I did some research and found the same pattern everywhere—demand spiking, supply frozen. Starting with $2,500 I'd made from previous ventures, I scaled JHR Commodities to six figures in revenue within 6 months. I resold everything I could find: patio heaters, swimming pools, video game consoles, Nvidia GPUs, Pokémon cards, shoes, NFTs. After documenting my research and flips, a 1,500-member reseller community recruited me as a salaried consultant. I was 17.
Last summer, I founded Spartanconsulting.ai, an AI consultancy for small businesses. I'm not technical. I tried building solutions myself and quickly hit a wall. I pivoted, recruited a technical co-founder, and eventually scaled the team to seven. I sourced clients, diagnosed their problems, designed solutions with the technical team, and delivered. We're on track to generate $128K+ in client value this year.
Outside of work and school, I have solo-traveled through Vietnam, Taiwan, and South Korea with no itinerary or hotels. Just a backpack and a plane ticket. I scuba dive and freedive. I read and write a lot, and I co-host a podcast with a close friend where we talk about philosophy, self-improvement, books, and whatever else we're enjoying.
I like meeting people. If any of this is interesting, reach out.
jhrafiy@gmail.com