Hey, I’m Hos! I am real and not AI.
A brief biography of who I am and my journey.
I would like to start sharing some of my knowledge and experience on Medium and Substack soon and before doing that I’d like to take a bit of time to introduce myself! If you’re reading this, thank you, and welcome! I hope you find my content useful.
The following is really just a background of who I am and my life in the past 15 years or so. Theres really no technical lessons or advice in this particular article and its only about me, so if you’re interested in business advice, please go to my other works or reach out to me at Hos@veranorthgroup.com. All of this writing is my own, and as some of it dates back 15–20 years there will be inaccuracies.
I am writing this article on October 7th, 2025, I am currently sitting in a balcony in Colombo, Sri Lanka, holding my 4th coffee of the day, its about 30 degrees and the only reason I can sit outside at 5pm is the rolling clouds that have temporarily made outside habitable for someone used to the Canadian climate.
Today, I am 35 years old; to understand who I am, I’d like to share a little bit about my upbringing and work background; as I’ve had a highly unorthodox journey. I was born in Tehran, Iran — in 1990, a year before my parents moved to Canada in pursuit of higher education and a different life.
My parents never hesitate to tell me stories about the harsh Canadian winters and what an adjustment it was to move there from a country defined by deserts and heat. They also tell me stories about a post-war Iran, a country they assumed at the time would rapidly recover. My father moved to Canada in order to study Engineering and he hoped to eventually return to Iran to build his country back, and so from 1991 to 2001 my parents and I, spent most of our time in Canada. As students, they could only afford to travel back to Iran three times during these 10 years.
Most of my childhood and what I can remember of it, is shaped by growing up around the University of British Columbia, Vancouver Campus where my family resided. I visited the site of my childhood home a few years ago and was surprised to find that the University had since demolished that entire block and a green field replaces it today. I went to a school, appropriately named, University Hill Elementary (it still exists today, with some serious structural improvements). Growing up on a university campus; especially one as highly regarded and progressive as those in Vancouver, came with countless advantages. It was a safe, close-knit community, sheltered from many of the challenges of the wider world. The atmosphere was open-minded and inclusive; people of all ethnicities, religions, and nationalities felt genuinely welcome. Most of the friends I had were children of academics or students, and the diversity of ideas and backgrounds shaped how we saw the world. Looking back now, I realize what an incredible privilege it was to be raised in such an environment.
In 2001, after nearly a decade abroad, my parents decided to return to Iran with two children and a combined three university degrees. They had been offered opportunities to immigrate to Canada, but they chose instead to go back to their home country, hoping to contribute to its rebuilding. In hindsight, they often express regret over having turned down those opportunities. It’s important to understand that between 1991 and 2001, the internet barely existed amongst regular people in Canada, let alone Iran; and social media hadnt been invented yet. The only means of accessing information from Iran was mainstream news agencies, expensive phone calls, or people who had recently travelled or immigrated from Iran. Its hard even for me to understand what my parents thought about their home country from that distance, their entire childhood was shaped by the Iran — Iraq war, and they had moved to Canada only two years after it had stopped. I can only assume, they thought they would be going back to a healing and recovering country. This would prove to be false.
As an 11 year old, I was moved from an insulated liberal and academic bubble in a prosperous western country to a country deeply struggling in every measurable aspect. It is no secret to people who know me that I have very complicated feelings about Iran, on the one hand I feel deep sorrow for the country and its people, it’s an ancient country with some of the most incredible history, landscapes and environments — Today, I think of it as a dying corpse in a desert as vultures tear what dry skin it has left off its bones. I don’t consider myself Iranian, I feel about my ethnic background and birthplace listed in my passport like i would towards a distant relative I have nothing in common with and don’t like.
One day, I’ll find the time to share more about my childhood and teenage years in Iran.
(In an earlier version I had referenced something that had happened to a former business partner, I’ve been advised by legal to change it for privacy reasons, I will update it with the correct considerations when I get a chance, but in the meantime I’m sorry for the time jump!)
In late 2014, I decided it was time and I would move back to Canada.
I worked with international clients from 2014 to 2016, but I eventually stopped. Most of the companies I was partnered with were located in Dubai, The business environment in the Gulf became unstable after Donald Trump’s first term, as a series of rapid regulatory changes heavily disrupted many Dubai-based entities. Several of these businesses had ties with Iran under the JCPOA, and the repeal of the nuclear deal caused significant economic upheaval. Many of my clients were caught in the crossfire and filed for bankruptcy in 2016.
This was the first major shock of my life. My company, which had been highly successful up to that point, had hundreds of thousands of dollars in open accounts with little to no collateral. Within weeks, the prospect of recovering those funds dropped to zero. It was an incredibly difficult time for me. Not only did I lose thousands of dollars overnight, but I also had outstanding obligations to investors and clients in both Dubai and Canada. I did everything I could to recover what was left, and against my accountant’s advice, I sold my own assets, gave up my savings, and even sold my car to repay some of those clients. This became the defining moment of my journey as a man. At 26, I went from feeling on top of the world to wondering how I would pay my rent within a matter of months.
I hope to one day, in the near future, write about the events that followed — what happened to me, my clients, and my partners in that industry. For now, I digress and simply say that I am grateful to have left that chapter behind. I carry heavy battle scars, but I also gained invaluable lessons and witnessed both the best and worst in people.
In 2016, for the first time in my life, I found myself in a situation where I needed to find work and had almost no capital. I was shocked by how difficult the Canadian job market was. Employers seemed rigid in their hiring practices, and wages were lower than I had expected. The reality was that there were very few opportunities in Vancouver for someone like me. Job options for a 26-year-old without formal education and with a failed international trade venture were, to say the least, limited. I applied to hundreds of positions, constantly rewriting my résumé and trying every strategy I could find online, but the only doors that opened were for low-level sales jobs.
As difficult as it was, I knew I had to start somewhere. I licked my wounds, accepted what had happened, and focused on what was still within my control. I was no longer 18, and time was of the essence. I realized that to rebuild my future, I needed to pursue several goals at once. My objectives were:
Go to University and get a degree
Find work that can provide immediate income
Invest in a longterm career path
My educational journey began when I met with an advisor at UBC, the premier university in Western Canada and consistently ranked among the top 40 globally. To say they laughed me out of the office would be an understatement. My high school grades were terrible, and they placed little value on my work experience (something that still frustrates me to this day). But despite that setback, I was determined to move forward.
A close friend of mine, who was pursuing his PhD at UBC at the time, advised me to apply to other colleges and later transfer once I had strong grades. He explained that if I completed 24 to 30 credits, my application would be assessed based on my college performance rather than my high school record. Following his advice, I applied to BCIT, a technical college in Burnaby, for a program in Business Administration. I was accepted and able to start right away, so in September 2016, I enrolled and began my studies.
Attending university as a mature student was much harder than I had imagined. It was a nerve-racking experience because at 26, I was surrounded by 18-year-olds. I often felt embarrassed and tried to keep my head down while focusing on my studies as much as possible. However, things changed quickly. My real-world experience gave me a sense of confidence and a strong understanding of many subjects. I had already dealt with the legal system, financial institutions, accountants, the CRA (Canada’s tax authority), and various procedural and administrative bureaucracies. Still, I knew I could not afford to spend four years in university, either in time or money.
Simultaneously, to earn immediate income, I started working as a bartender in several bars and event centers. This job allowed me to support myself financially. I was quickly promoted to bar manager and supervisor because I was older than most of my colleagues and already had many of the leadership skills the role required.
I still couldn’t afford to focus only on work and school. I knew I had to tackle everything simultaneously. To build a new career path for myself, I joined a technology and media start-up called Paper Oni Productions, the brainchild of some VFX, Animators and Art Directors at top line organizations like ILM and Rainmaker, which operated under BC Tech and specialized in augmented and virtual reality video game and media development. I worked there as an operations manager and business developer. I plan to write more about this experience and everything that happened during that time in the near future.
In the summer of 2017, I was preparing to apply to UBC, with the goal of being accepted and starting in September 2018. However, I became frustrated with the slow pace of my studies. Even though I was taking five or sometimes six courses at a time, including summer sessions, it still didn’t feel fast enough. To accelerate my progress, I decided to enrol at another university, Capilano University, so I could simultaneously take additional courses. During the fall and winter terms of 2017 and 2018, I completed nine and seven courses respectively, maintaining a combined GPA of 85%.
I was rejected by UBC for the Fall 2018 intake because my English language waiver was denied. I was missing a few key English courses and had not taken the IELTS test. The situation was frustrating because I am a native English speaker who grew up in Canada and had already completed two years of college education by that point. I had naively assumed that UBC would recognize this and grant me the waiver.
Still, I was determined. In the fall of 2018, a UBC advisor told me that I had already taken too many courses and was too close to graduating. He suggested that I wait a year and apply for graduate school instead. However, I was already invested in my goal and did not want to waste a year, so I decided to apply to UBC again, this time for a Bachelor of Arts program. During my time at Capilano University, I had taken several courses in philosophy, economics, and politics, and I had completely fallen in love with those subjects.
In March 2019, after just two and a half years, I completed my Bachelor of Business Administration at Capilano University. Around the same time, I received my acceptance from the University of British Columbia and was hired by a California-based software consulting company as their Marketing Manager.
From September 2016 to March 2020 — I completed:
Bachelor of Business Administration in a double major of International Business and Human Resource Management — Capilano University
Bachelor of Arts, in Philosophy — University of British Columbia
While working (not all at the same time) as a:
Bartender at Earls Kitchen and Bar
Bartender at Cypress Ski Resort
General Manager Pacifico Italian Restaurant
Bartender Vancouver Convention Center
Volunteer at Immigrant Services Robert Lee YMCA
Volunteer at Capilano-U as Mature Student Liaison
Business Instructor at ILAC IC
Business Instructor at Blanche Macdonald
Business Instructor Cloud Nine College
Business Operations Manager Paper Oni Productions
Marketing Manager at Estrada Consulting Inc.
I also learned how to Surf and Snowboard!
In March 2020, as the world shifted under the weight of the COVID-19 pandemic, my life looked nothing like it had in 2016.
From 2020 to the present, my life has been calmer, to say the least. During the COVID years, for the first time in a decade, things slowed down, and I found myself with the time and space to build something new. Since then, I have established my own operation to help businesses around the world enter and operate in the North American market. I have partnered with highly skilled professionals and supported companies across various industries, including technology, construction, import/export, tourism, and education.
I’ve also had the time to travel again and attend conferences and technical events around the world. This year, I spent about six months traveling through Japan, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Spain, France, England, and El Salvador. My work today is almost entirely remote, and I encourage most of our clients to adopt remote operations whenever possible.
So I’m here now, and its in October 2025, I’m writing all this to introduce myself to you and hopefully use this platform to share some of my experiences and provide insight into the work that we do. I will try to update this page as frequently as possible over the next few months!
Thanks for reading, and I hope to share a lot more with you soon!
A quick note of gratitude: None of my accomplishments would have been possible had it not been for the opportunities provided to me by the country of Canada, the Professors and Instructors that supported me and the immeasurable love I was given by my parents, siblings, friends and partners that stood with me in the darkest moments of my life and paved the way for our success today.