How the hell did a guy selling sponges overseas end up making 7 figures?

I swear I’m still processing this. I was sitting at a cafe chatting with this older dude and he tells me he runs a cleaning supplies business. I’m thinking okay boring but respectable.

Then he casually drops that 90 percent of his revenue isn’t even local. It’s from selling sponges gloves and mops overseas. And not just a little. We’re talking 7 figures a year. Off cleaning supplies.

Meanwhile I’ve been breaking my back trying to compete in my crowded local market stressing over ads margins and standing out. And this guy’s over here quietly crushing it with something everyone overlooks.

It honestly flipped my perspective. Maybe the real opportunity isn’t grinding in the same oversaturated local market as everyone else but finding buyers in places that actually need what you’re selling.

So now I’m curious. Has anyone here actually broken into international markets early? Was it a nightmare or surprisingly doable once you figured out where to look?