In the beginning the company gave little impression compared to the vast trading in the East Indies with the Dutch, who almost dominated the spice trading with the East Indies or Indonesia. The company's primary objective, at this time, was to find a good that would allow them to trade with the East Indies and dominate the spice trade market. The good that they were looking for was cotton, and the company received it from India. In 1615 Sir Thomas Roe was an emissary of King James 1st spoke in the royal courts of the Mughal Emperor, Jahangir. Thomas Roe had a humble demeanor and great confidence in himself, which helped him during his time speaking to the emperor. At this time the emperor allowed the company to build a factory on the port of Surat. The alcoholic emperor took a liking to the hard drinking of Captain William Hawkins, who was an ambassador of the company, and made Hawkins the commander of the Indian cavalry. This was the begging of a chain of events that allowed the company to come into power and reach its peak.
The company began prospering, by establishing trading posts all over in such places as Madras, Machipatanam, Surat, and in Calcutta. It was at this time that they were rising in their influence and power of the trade of the East Indies. The company and Britain were finding themselves fighting with several countries rivaling for the monopoly of the trade. Portugal, The Netherlands and France were the primary countries that rivaled for the trade market. It was at this time that the trade picked up with the cotton. This was the product that allowed them to open up all these trading posts, because of the incredible want for cotton. This also allowed them to think of other products that they could trade to other countries. Once they had multiple products such as cotton, spices, coffee, silks, porcelain, and tea, the companies trade services increased, because different countries wanted different products and the company offered those products for trade.
