Today we’d like to introduce you to Oguzhan Karlidag.
Hi Oguzhan, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
If I’m being honest, Lotus Linen didn’t start from some perfect business plan it started from my need for freedom.
I grew up never having a job, never earning a money until I was 27. That’s still a little embarrassing to say but it’s part of my truth. I came to the U.S. for language school, then did my MBA. My background is in civil engineering, but I knew deep down I didn’t want that life. I had no work experience, no clear path, and no idea how to build a future just a desire to create something on my own terms.
My first attempt was selling VR in the early days when nobody even knew what VR was. My friend and I opened stores in the mall. It was exciting… until it wasn’t. The business failed.
It was my first real taste of entrepreneurship. It stung. But it woke me up.
I decided to stay in the U.S. even when my family wanted me to go back to Turkey. When I chose to stay, I lost their support. I had to start from zero. I got a warehouse job my first real job in my entire life. It was one of the hardest seasons I’ve ever lived through. I hated life some days… but weirdly, I also enjoyed the process. Because I knew I was growing.
I became obsessed with self-education. While other people slept, I was learning e-commerce, marketing, Amazon, mindset, everything I could. That hunger helped me move from warehouse worker to e-commerce manager. Then I joined another company, and within a few months I became a partner.
We did really well. But the environment was toxic. The energy wasn’t right. I realized making money means nothing if your soul isn’t free.
So I walked away and started over from scratch again.
No safety net. No investors. Just a vision.
And that’s how Lotus Linen was born.
Not from towels. From a decision:
To create a happy work environment
To build a culture of growth, respect, and heart
To create products with soul and quality
To build a brand where people feel something
Lotus doesn’t just mean a flower. It means rising from the mud, untouched, blooming anyway.
That’s my story. And that’s what this brand represents.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Smooth road? Not even close.
But honestly, the struggle is what built me.
I grew up going to private schools my whole life. I lived comfortably. I never had to work or earn money. And then suddenly, I’m in the U.S., 27 years old, working in a warehouse my first job ever sweating, lifting boxes, questioning everything.
I remember thinking:
“I went to private school my whole life… and now I’m here? What am I doing?”
That was a huge identity crisis.
The hardest part wasn’t the work it was swallowing my ego, facing myself, and rebuilding from zero.
When I decided to stay in the U.S., my family didn’t support me. I felt completely alone. My first business (VR stores in the mall) failed. I had no safety net, no connections, no experience. Just a desire for freedom and a belief that I could build something meaningful.
After the warehouse, I educated myself like crazy. Moved up to e-commerce manager. Joined another company and became a partner. But the environment was toxic. I realized:
I would rather start over from nothing than stay in a place that kills my soul.
So I walked away and rebuilt again this time creating Lotus Linen with the vision of a healthy culture, meaningful work, and products made with care.
But even Lotus wasn’t smooth:
Cash flow issues
Manufacturing problems
High Shipping Cost during Covid
Losing money on inventory
Working 16-hour days and some days I stayed over on my office didn’t go home in order to fulfill orders.
Mental stress and loneliness
There were nights I hated life… but I also loved the growth.
Because every breakdown forced me to evolve.
What helped me survive?
Mindset work.
If I grow, my business grows.
If I shrink, everything shrinks.
So no the road was not smooth.
But the struggle didn’t destroy me… it forged me.
And it turned me into the person who could not only build a business but build one with purpose, culture, and heart.
We’ve been impressed with Lotus Linen, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Lotus Linen started with a simple question:
“Why do the big luxury brands charge so much… and is it really because of quality?”
I bought every major high-end towel and robe brand you can think of $200 towels, $250 robes. And yes, they felt good… but not that good. Not “10x the price” good. That’s when I realized something important:
A lot of luxury is just marketing.
I’m not saying their quality is bad some are great.
But I saw a huge gap:
What if I could create the same (or better) quality… but at a price everyone can afford?
That became my mission:
Serve the highest quality
Obsess over every detail
Cut out middlemen and unnecessary markups
Build a brand with integrity, not hype
I specialize in embroidery and customization because I believe luxury should feel personal. Anyone can sell a towel but making it meaningful? That’s different. That’s where we stand out.
The Towel Journey (the crazy part):
It took me 2 years to develop our signature towel.
Why? Because NO factory believed in what I was trying to do.
I said:
I want high density.
Unique way to process the cotton.
Spa-level softness… but still absorbent.
Different look than traditional towels..
Every factory told me:
“This is impossible,”
“Nobody does this,”
“Too expensive,”
“Customers won’t care,”
“Just do what everyone else does.”
But I refused to settle. I kept pushing. Testing. Tearing samples apart. Rebuilding. Wasting money. Losing sleep. Starting over.
Finally… I got it. The PERFECT towel.
And when people try it, they say: “This is better than the expensive brands.”
That’s what I’m most proud of.
We didn’t copy the industry we challenged it. You can use highest quality cotton but if you dont know how to process you can not get great result.
What I want people to know about Lotus Linen:
We’re not just selling products. We’re solving a problem:
✨ True quality + fair pricing
✨ High performance + beautiful design
✨ Personalization + emotional connection
Lotus means rising from the mud and blooming beautifully and that’s exactly what this brand represents. I built this from nothing, with purpose, with heart, and with the belief that everyday life deserves to feel special.
Luxury shouldn’t be for the few.
It should be experienced by everyone.
What does success mean to you?
Success used to mean money to me.
Freedom, nice things, status… all of that.
But after everything I’ve been through,I realized something deeper:
Success to me is alignment. Success is not what you HAVE. Success is who you BECOME
Waking up excited, Living the life with my own term, Constantly evolving mentally, spiritually, emotionally, financially.
When my work, my energy, my purpose, my lifestyle all match who I truly am.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.shoplotuslinen.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shoplotuslinen/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shoplotuslinen/
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/oguzhan-karlidag-746355141
