Subsequently he was arrested by the Ottomans and sent into exile in Bodrum Castle in Asia Minor. After amnesty in 1903 Hadzhinikolov went to Sofia and was engaged in booktrade and commerce. During the Balkan Wars (1912-1913), Ivan Hadzinikolov was a volunteer in the Macedonian-Adrianopolitan Volunteer Corps in the Bulgarian army.
He was subsequently apprehended by the Ottomans and exiled to Bodrum Castle in Asia Minor, where he spent time under house arrest. Following his pardon in 1903, Hadzhinikolov returned to Sofia and became involved in book trading and commerce. During the Balkan Wars (1912-1913), Ivan Hadzinikolov served as a volunteer in the Macedonian-Adrianopolitan Volunteer Corps within the Bulgarian army.