Meet Milan Patel | High-End Pokemon Card Business

We had the good fortune of connecting with Milan Patel and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Milan, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
I firmly believe that my Golden Retriever, Mushu, has been the sole reason my business exponentially grew over the last year. He was my first dog and he meant the absolute world to me. Unfortunately, we lost him to a long battle with cancer a few years ago and it was genuinely the worst moment of my life. As time passed, I continued to work a day-job and explored many different avenues to continue his legacy. Ultimately, I decided to combine my lifelong love for Pokemon with his memory and, thus, Mushu’s Collectibles was born. I envisioned a world where I could connect collectors with their favorite Pokemon cards all while letting everyone fall in love with Mushu the same way I did. After all, who doesn’t love Pokemon and dogs?

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Mushu’s Collectibles is a Pokemon card business that I started last March. The idea was simple: source and connect high-value Pokemon cards to collectors worldwide, all while sharing the story of Mushu, my beloved Golden Retriever. What sets me apart from others is my emphasis on hospitality. I’ve always been a big proponent of the fact that clients/customers are buying into you, not your products. Having worked in the client service side of financial services, I’ve learned the important of genuinely caring for the best interests of others both personally and professionally. While other companies may greatly emphasize numbers over everything else, I have prioritized building relationships so I can create a large customer base that trusts me with their business. In addition, I created a YouTube channel where I could showcase myself negotiating and closing deals at the various card shows I travel to across the US. It has been very exciting meeting people across the country that have followed me on social media and have seen the immense growth over the past year!

I bootstrapped my business with $1,000 last March and continuously bought and sold cards as fast as I could to build a strategically-curated inventory of cards from various sets in Pokemon history. It was not an easy feat but, with a little bit of luck and a lot of perseverance, Mushu’s Collectibles successfully grew to a six-figure business in January of this year. I left my day-job two months ago to pursue this business full-time, which turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life. I learned just how rewarding freedom is. The freedom to grab lunch with my wife on any given day, the freedom to spend time with our two Goldendoodles, and the freedom to spend time with my parents across town. Life changed drastically and I truly feel like I’m living the American Dream.

Reflecting back on the years I had with Mushu, I learned a valuable lesson that I wish to share with the world: Life is short. So, be present and enjoy the smaller things in life.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’ve lived in Dallas my entire life and can say that I have explored just about every part of what the city has to offer. As a vegetarian, finding good food used to be tough but now all the restaurants have been very accommodating! I’m a sucker for Tex-Mex, so if you have a friend visiting town then you HAVE to take them to Chuy’s! Their Boom Boom sauce is so addicting, and their enchiladas/burritos are some of the best in town! In addition, one of the best places to eat a large variety of amazing food has to be Legacy Hall up in North Plano! It’s an indoor food hall, so my wife and I have found ourselves there late-nights rain or shine! My favorite is Velvet Taco!

In terms of things to do, I think the Dallas Arboretum is absolutely beautiful. In fact, that’s where I proposed to my wife! Whenever we visit, there’s always cool events going on and, if you’re lucky, you might be able to see a wedding! Another place that was a staple in my childhood was Nickelrama in Garland! All the games you want to play… and they only cost a few nickels! Even now in my 30s, I always go back because it makes me feel like a kid again!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to sincerely thank three people that have sacrificed greatly to help me obtain the success I have in life, both personally and professionally. My parents, who immigrated from India in the 1980s, with empty pockets and big dreams. They both pursued higher education here in the US and then proceeded to work full-time while my grandparents helped take care of me while we lived altogether in a small motel room in Terrell, TX. When I was maybe 8 or 9 years old, my mom started taking me every week to Pokémon Leagues held at Garden Ridge and Toys R Us, not knowing the magnitude of how Pokémon would change my life in the future. In fact, I was a pretty big Pokémon Snap player (on the Nintendo 64) and I made it into the Dallas Morning News for snapping one of the highest-scoring pictures at a local event! But this was all just the beginning. My parents took me to Pokémon tournaments across the US through my teenage years, and they actually drove me to compete in the 2008 Pokémon World Championships in Orlando, Florida. Of course, I didn’t place high at that event but I also proceeded to compete at Worlds the next few consecutive years with a 14th-place best finish! I am forever grateful for my parents for giving me such an amazing childhood, as I balanced Pokémon with my studies as I lived the best of both worlds.

I firmly believe that behind every successful man, there is a loving, supportive, and amazing woman. And for that reason, I am forever grateful for my wife, Aarti. She has been my rock ever since I met her back in 2016. I told her all about my Pokémon adventures growing up and, although I stopped competing in tournaments after college, she continued to be supportive and told me to keep enjoying that part of life as much as possible. In 2023, we embarked on the ultimate trip every Pokémon enthusiast dreams of: Japan. We saw cherry blossoms, the amazing Japanese culture, and Pokémon EVERYWHERE. It was literally a dream come true and a trip I never thought I’d ever get to take. But it didn’t stop there, because the 2023 Pokémon World Championships were announced and the location? Yokohama, Japan. My wife immediately told me, “You HAVE to go. You’ve competed in so many World Championships, but when will you ever get the chance to experience spectating Worlds in the same country where Pokémon was created?” Next thing I knew, I was in Yokohama having the time of my life enjoying my childhood all over again at the age of 29.

In present-day America, stability is often considered to be the single-most important part of life. I worked a full-time day job at a wealth management firm in Plano right out of college for 6 long years, and the stability that brought was an absolute blessing (especially through COVID). Last year, while still working my day job, I started up Mushu’s Collectibles and devoted a large chunk of my time and energy to the business outside of the 9-5 work hours. Over the course of those several months balancing both jobs, my wife continued to provide immense love and support while she continued working her own full-time job. As a result, within a year’s time, Mushu’s Collectibles evolved from a startup dream to a full-fledged, full-time successful business. About two months ago, I took the leap of faith and left my full-time job to pursue the business with all my time and energy. Since then, I’ve traveled back to Japan, flew to multiple card shows across the US, and sold high-end cards to NFL players/celebrities. Life has truly been amazing, and it all starts with the support system I’ve been blessed with.
Lastly, I want to thank my best friend, Mushu. To this day, I still cannot put into words how much he meant to me and how much he changed my life. There’s something about his smile that made life so much more enjoyable, and he was truly happy even up until the very last day we had with him. The logo I created for the business embodies everything he was: an angel that always chose happiness and never stopped smiling. Every time I wear my hoodie with the logo, I am reminded just how close I am to him every single day. Mushu is truly the reason why this business has been so successful and I will continue to tell his story for the rest of my life.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mushuscollectibles?igsh=Z2hjcmdzaGk0bDhk&utm_source=qr

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@mushuscollectibles?si=zAv7F_jUbggext3g