The story of how Sanjeev Nachiappan built the fastest growing talent agency in the world, Exchange Media Ventures

Others regularly expressed their allegiance towards college in re-iterations as he got older. Stemming from a mother, who’s a revered attorney and a father, who’s a CEO. Each parent spent almost a decade of their life in college. However, truly understanding himself as a person led him to battle that belief. Sanjeev Nachiappan is a person who flourishes in activities that align with his genuine interests or offer a clear and tangible benefit. College, he realized, didn’t fit that criteria. Instinctively, when Sanjeev is faced with tasks that don’t fit his criteria, he resorts to the most quick and effortless solution. This was the mindset he used to navigate highschool, which meant cheating Sanjeev quickly realized the limited extent of his learning during his four years of high school which sparked a concern about risking another four years at college.The facts were obtaining a degree restricted 4 years of freedom and no guarantee of a job. Even with a high paying job, ADHD would always make it too difficult to enjoy. When the COVID-19 outbreak first arose, Sanjeev’s senior year was cut short which gave him 4 months alone at home before college started.

 

During this time, he immersed himself into the world of business, specifically the eCommerce sector. Learning how to operate a business was exciting for him. “For the first time in my life, ADHD’s serving as a financial advantage, allowing me to ‘hyperfocus’,” Sanjeev reflects. Hyperfocusing is the ability to focus so hard on something it causes you to lose track of everything around you, for an extended period of time. Elon Musk, Bill Gates and Micheal Jordan are where they are today, because of their ability to hyperfocus. Since business genuinely interests Sanjeev, hyperfocus comes naturally within. Although this sounds like a miracle, Sanjeev’s first month in business resulted in a loss of his entire savings to Facebook advertising, which was $2,350 that he’d saved from dog walking. However Sanjeev states, “My first month of learning how to dropship, gave me more knowledge on how to operate a business profitably, than 4 years of college would’ve.” In the second month of business, Sanjeev recognized the importance of learning directly from someone who’d already achieved his desired goal. He sought out a dropshipper from Morocco he found on a skill sharing website. Instead of using the conventional Facebook advertising method, the mentor taught Sanjeev influencer marketing. Carefully distributing their small marketing budget, while reinvesting all profits. By the time Sanjeev went to college, they made $35,000. Although it wasn’t enough to drop out, it was enough to understand his capabilities and fortify his confidence. Arriving at college, Sanjeev gave the “college experience” that everyone talked about, a try. He joined a fraternity, explored the dating scene and went to parties, yet he realized the drawbacks far outweigh the reward. Sanjeev instead decided to double down on his business within the confines of his dorm room, until he could afford to make it out. Sanjeev worked an average of 13 hours per day for 5 months straight. Flunking his college courses without even being able to muster the effort to cheat due to how pointless he saw it as. The only thing on Sanjeev’s mind, at all times, was money. It was his true obsession.

 

Students on his dormitory floor classify him as appearing “rushed and restless,” or having “messy hair and oversized clothing.” 13 hours every day for months focusing on a screen in a small room, changed Sanjeev Emotionally, physically and financially during this time. On month 6 of college, Sanjeev generated $1M from his college dorm room.The compound effect made reaching that number inevitable. Sanjeev wasn’t surprised by hitting the 7 figure milestone. However, He was surprised when a dropshipper he looked up to offered him a guest room in his mansion located atop west Hollywood hills, for a monthly fee. Sanjeev seized the perfect opportunity and officially dropped out of college. After taking a few weeks to cool off from the work grind, he booked a plane ticket to LA andmoved to the hollywood hills Doing so, immediately paid off. He began living with two roommates who were also entrepreneurs, made more money than him and dropped out of college as well. However the parties they threw proved to be the biggest asset. The lavish Hollywood Hills mansion attracted influencers of all kinds. During the parties, Sanjeev would meet these influencers in person as opposed to email, and ask them how they monetize themselves. After the influencer answered, he explained how he’d monetize them better. After partnering with his first influencer, the word spread throughout Hollywood that Sanjeev made $100,000 in 5 days from a dropshipping store. The influencer Sanjeev partnered with told his friends, who were also influencers.

 

Therefore, Sanjeev’s clientele grew from word of mouth like wildfire. At one point in late 2021, Sanjeev managed 28 different dropshipping stores by himself. As Sanjeev’s operations scaled, he evolved his business model. His company rebranded to Exchange Media Ventures and shifted its focus from short-term dropshipping stores to long Direct-to-Consumer brands for influencers. “DTC brands don’t dissolve like dropshipping stores do. High-quality products, faster shipping, higher valuations, retail distribution options, repeat buyers and a true brand identity.” Although his business was set up for scale, Sanjeev’s mind was not. LA became too “fake” for Sanjeev. He states “I was too young to surround myself with so many fake people in LA. If I didn’t take a break from that atmosphere, my brain, which is still developing, would be altered to match the random people I encountered on a daily basis.”

 

He decided to set out on a global voyage to the following countries. The romantic boulevards of France, The innovative landscapes of Sweden, The cultural hub of the United Kingdom, The precision of Switzerland, The colorful festivities of Mexico, The tropical paradises of Thailand, The untamed wilderness of Australia, The ancient history of Greece, The culinary delights of Italy, The artistic spirit of Spain, The bustling cities of Malaysia, The exotic beaches of Indonesia, The futuristic skylines of the United Arab Emirates, The vibrant rhythms of South Africa, The cultural tapestry of Africa, And the spiritual multiverse of India. Sanjeev states that each country gave him a different perspective on life, which strengthened his overall perspective on life.

 

Today, EMV exclusively manages influencers careers while creating the right business venture to fit within their online persona. The entire business is run by EMV including covering any start-up costs that are involved in exchange for the influencer to be the face and identity of the brand. With plans to secure private equity funding in September, EMV is set to continue its upward trajectory. Culminating the narrative, Sanjeev Nachiappan stands at the core, a relentless entrepreneur, perpetually propelled by a vision conceived in the humble beginnings of a freshman’s dorm room.