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The Calum Johnson ShowHow a 24 Year Old DAD Built A $3.2M Business From His phone @_therealtez
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WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT
Teen Dad Turns Durags and Phone-Built Shopify Into Seven Figures
- Tez Akram describes becoming a father at 18, working factory, DirecTV and car sales jobs, and sleeping on couch cushions with his daughter before launching his durag business Snag A Rag.
- His turning point came when he stopped blaming others and took full responsibility for his life, which he says returned his power and led him to focus on changing daily habits, including the 75 Hard Challenge.
- He explains how a viral video with his daughter, paid Facebook ads and self-taught marketing led to a 7x return on ad spend and his first $10K month, and how he later found clothing more scalable than durags.
- Tez argues that people should learn to relearn, identify their unique edge, solve bigger problems for bigger-paying clients, and surround themselves with honest, supportive people.
- He also discusses how faith, gratitude, a 72-hour rule for anger, self-forgiveness and a supportive partner help him stay grounded and committed to impacting others.
IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING
5 ideasBlaming others gives away your power
Tez says his mindset shifted while watching a movie with his daughter, when he decided everything was his fault and felt he took power back from everyone else.
Your bank account reflects your last 90 days
He argues that results mirror recent decisions, so if you dislike the number you should change your daily habits, which is why he is doing the 75 Hard Challenge.
Early business failures are normal and often expensive lessons
Tez cites not knowing about fulfillment, shipping costs, setting aside 30% for taxes, and receiving a Louis Vuitton cease and desist, and says business comes in seasons where you must take punches.
Winning ads came from testing audiences and doubling down
After learning ads from YouTube and courses, Tez targeted audience pockets such as Love & Hip Hop viewers, spent more on what worked and less on what didn't, and says he earned $7 for every $1 spent on ads on his viral creative.
Know your edge and outsource your weaknesses
Tez says he only realized last year, after his content team told him, that making content and ads is his strength, and he outsources design; Calum adds Naval's idea of doing what feels like play to you but work to others.
WORDS WORTH SAVING
5 quotesEvery time I blame somebody, I'm giving somebody else power over me.
— Tez Akram
If I look at my bank account and I don't like the number that's in there, it's a reflection of what I've been doing over these last 90 days. So if I don't like it, then I should probably change.
— Tez Akram
You gotta relearn, you gotta reprogram your mind.
— Tez Akram
How can I plant so many seeds across so many minds that as time goes by they keep watering it themselves?
— Tez Akram
Bending, folding, falling and not getting up, it's not an option. It's just not. And when you tell yourself that, you just never fail.
— Tez Akram
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SPEAKERS
Tez Akram
guestEntrepreneur and e-commerce brand builder who scaled a Shopify business from his phone while sharing his story as a young dad from Cleveland.
Calum Johnson
hostPodcast host of The Calum Johnson Show who interviews entrepreneurs and reads sponsor/CTA segments.
High quality AI-generated summary created from speaker-labeled transcript.
