Twenty years ago, a friend introduced Darik to the Medical Supply business (DME) affiliated with a pharmacy. He jumped in head first as the lead gen/purchaser and General Manager at the prime age of 23. He was newly married and driven by the desire for financial security as he was recently laid off. Very quickly, a job turned into a partnership. Five years later, as the recession loomed and bloomed, sales at the physical location started drying up. Darik realized that wholesale was the next frontier to conquer.

In 2008, Darik took the DME business online and built a website to expand the company’s sales goals. Within two years, it became evident that marketing expenses took the majority of profits. It was then that Darik learned to sell on Amazon.com, the world’s largest e-commerce marketplace.

The first year selling on Amazon, Darik yielded an extraordinary half a million dollars in sales and 10x the following year, hitting an impressive 5 million dollars in revenue. In the years after, the business grew 10 to 20% annually, reaching 20 million dollars in annual sales by 2018. Darik soon realized the next frontier to conquer was private label selling on Amazon and co-founded Peaceful Squirrel – a personalized/custom gift curation brand. Peaceful Squirrel reached 1 million in sales in its first year and skyrocketed to just over 4 million in 2020.

All was not smooth sailing as 2020 left a roller coaster of an impression on us all. During the pandemic, Darik used his sourcing skills to procure vital life-saving protective gear for hospitals, nursing facilities, and first responders. In April 2020, he co-founded Assure Distribution – A wholesale direct marketer of personal protection equipment, safety equipment, work zone safety, pedestrian safety, crew safety, healthcare worker safety, and many more.

In the first year, with supply chain constraints, transportation costs through the roof, and labor challenges, Darik managed a 10 million dollar year.
As the pandemic succumbed to medical advances and the need for PPE started dwindling, Darik saw countless wholesale operations impacted by the burden of complex logistics at an unprecedented time.

Post-global pandemic, the need for reliable distribution is obvious now more than ever. 1Sources helps wholesalers access in-demand products while streamlining distribution so you can build profitable businesses that stand the test of time.