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The Calum Johnson Show

How a 24 Year Old DAD Built A $3.2M Business From His phone @_therealtez

I Was Homeless...Then I Built A $3.2 million Business Empire. We have Tez Akram on the podcast.

Tez AkramguestCalum Johnsonhost

Nov 6, 20231h 7mWatch on YouTube

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CHAPTERS

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Chapter summaries

Becoming a Teen Dad in Cleveland
Calum asks Tez to describe his life at 18 when he had a daughter. Tez explains his high school struggles, the fear of becoming a father, working a factory job, and sleeping on the floor at his daughter's mom's mother's house.
- •Tez was doubted from freshman year and graduated with a 2.7 GPA
- •Learning he was having a daughter after prom was frightening
- •He worked a $10/hour temp factory job where his trainer got cancer
- •His family slept on couch cushions on the floor for about nine months
- •He retreated into Call of Duty before realizing his daughter needed more
From Sales Jobs to Selling Durags
Tez describes moving into commission-only sales at Sam's Club and then cars, learning psychology and self-awareness along the way. He started selling durags on the side and built Snag A Rag while fulfilling orders with his daughter nearby.
- •Sold DirecTV at Sam's Club in the same three suits for months
- •Sales taught him persuasion and human psychology
- •Reached $6,000–$7,000 a month selling cars
- •Began selling durags and learned manufacturing, referrals and reviews
- •His daughter grew up alongside the business
The Mindset Shift: Taking Full Responsibility
Calum asks what caused the shift from gaming to going all in. Tez says it came while catching mice at his daughter's mom's house, when he stopped blaming others and took ownership of everything. He ties this to daily habits, the 90-day bank account reflection, and his 75 Hard Challenge.
- •Catching mice while sleeping on the floor was the breaking point
- •He realized blaming others gave them power over him
- •Saying everything was his fault let him take his power back
- •Your bank account reflects your last 90 days of decisions
- •He is doing 75 Hard to over-discipline himself
The Viral Video That Proved the Business
Calum shares his own entrepreneur mindset and asks about Tez's first win. Tez recalls filming a 60-second velvet durag video with his daughter that went viral, then running Facebook ads at a 7x return and hitting his first $10K month.
- •Entrepreneurs can take many losses before one big win
- •Shot the video with a cardboard box, black drape and his daughter
- •The organic virality led him to run ads
- •Facebook ads returned about $7 per $1 spent
- •The first $10K month convinced him Snag A Rag could be big
What Didn't Work: Early Business Struggles
Calum notes that entrepreneurs often romanticize their stories and asks what wasn't working. Tez describes building a Shopify store from his phone, shipping mistakes, taxes, and a Louis Vuitton cease and desist, and says doubt and seasons of difficulty persist even now.
- •Built his Shopify store on a phone because he couldn't afford a computer
- •Mistakes included shipping costs and not setting aside 30% for taxes
- •His mom reframed the cease and desist as being seen as competition
- •He still doubts himself and relies on his girlfriend to confide in
- •Gratitude and faith are the foundation, drawing on his time in Egypt
Learning Ads and Making Viral Content
Calum observes that gamers make good entrepreneurs and asks how Tez learned repeatable marketing. Tez describes learning Facebook ads from YouTube while selling cars, targeting audience pockets, iterating on winning creatives, and drawing on self-awareness to craft viral content.
- •Learned ads from YouTube and courses while working at the dealership
- •Targeted audience pockets like Love & Hip Hop and tested sub-segments
- •Spent more on ads that work and less on ones that don't
- •Viral content comes from knowing himself and being honest with intentions
- •Outfits, verbal pauses and a clear 60-second structure shape his videos
The 80/20 Principle and Where to Focus for Your First 10K
Calum introduces the 80/20 principle and asks where someone should focus to reach a first 10K month. Tez answers that people should learn how to relearn, pick a lane, learn marketing, ads or operations, and solve bigger problems for bigger clients.
- •20% of inputs drive 80% of outputs, but beginners don't know which 20%
- •Tez says to relearn and reprogram your mind
- •First businesses are hard; pivoting from durags to clothing paid off more
- •Every company needs ads, marketing and operations
- •Solving bigger problems lets you charge more than serving small clients
Knowing Your Edge and Surrounding Yourself Well
Calum says successful entrepreneurs know their edge, and Tez explains his own was pointed out by his content team. They discuss doing what feels like play to you but work to others, outsourcing weaknesses, and keeping honest people around you.
- •Tez realized only last year that content and ads were his edge
- •Outsource weaknesses like design to people strong in them
- •Naval's idea: do what feels like play to you but work to others
- •Edges are hard to see until someone points them out
- •Cut out people who won't praise you or be honest with you
Growing Up in Cleveland and Choosing Your Circle
Calum asks when Tez became intentional about his circle. Tez describes growing up in a rough Cleveland with family in the streets, how his religion kept him balanced, and how he shifted friends and learned from a diverse high school.
- •Cleveland is among the most dangerous US cities, with street involvement in his family
- •His religion kept him balanced and accountable
- •Distinguishes associates from real friends who are like family
- •Getting in trouble with friends pushed him toward self-awareness
- •A diverse high school showed him he could change his circle
Faith Tested and Living Authentically
Calum asks whether Tez's faith was ever tested. Tez describes growing up Muslim and missing birthdays and Christmas, then questioning and shaping his own beliefs. They discuss principles, temptation, and living with yourself.
- •Tez grew up Muslim and couldn't have birthday parties or Christmas presents
- •He remains Muslim but decides which parts of his religion he agrees with
- •He researches choices rather than following what others do
- •Calum says you have to live with yourself 100% of the time
- •Tez says he has skeletons and bad decisions in his past
Self-Forgiveness, Legacy and Planting Seeds
Tez reflects on forgiving himself, learning from mistakes, and wanting his content to plant seeds for others. After Calum raises beliefs and childhood fault, Tez describes praying, his 72-hour rule, and meditation.
- •Mistakes are part of being human and teach what success is
- •He wants his podcasts to plant seeds, and his 22 students have made six figures
- •Calum cites Hormozi: skills or belief, with belief underrated
- •Praying, meditating and a 72-hour rule help him handle regret and anger
- •Changing one life changes the lives of that person's children
The Power of the Tongue and Keeping Promises to Yourself
Tez discusses The Four Agreements, manifestation and not self-sabotaging with your words, including visualizing a Lamborghini from his Impala. Calum adds Kobe Bryant's refusal to negotiate with himself and the importance of keeping promises to yourself.
- •The Four Agreements taught him the power of the tongue
- •He visualized a Lamborghini from his Impala but now buys things because he loves them
- •Quitting is not an option, even if you take Ls
- •Calum cites Kobe waking at 3 AM and not negotiating with himself
- •Keeping promises to yourself is the core lesson
Finding the Right Partner
Calum asks how Tez found a supportive partner, given content that portrays women as a liability to ambitious men. Tez says she complements his weaknesses, believes in his dreams, prayed over him when he cried, and supported him through Ramadan.
- •Tez calls his partner an asset whose strengths are his weaknesses
- •He looks for a partner who is a dreamer and judges them by actions
- •She prayed over him when he cried in the bathroom
- •She cooked for him during 30 days of Ramadan fasting
- •He says she fell into his lap and he thanks God for her

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