The Importance of Social Impact When Building Your Empire with Fam Mirza

Fam Mirza has used his creative genius to build an empire than spans multiple verticals with 6, 7, and 8-figure businesses while changing millions of lives.

By 26 he had helped change more than 4 million lives with his company 1Face, a social enterprise where giving back is incorporated into the business model similar to Toms. In less than two years the brand became the largest charity watch brand in the world. His mission is to grow the geniuses of the next generation and give them the platform to solve some of the world’s most meaningful challenges.

His sights are now set to inspire the world by sharing all of the knowledge he’s acquired over the years.

I recently interviewed Fam to find out more about his rise to success at a young age.

Teenage Entrepreneur

Fam started his entrepreneurial career at the age of 15 selling split jerseys. I don’t know if you were like me, but do you remember when EVERYONE was wearing NFL jerseys back in the early 2000s ?

Fam was involved in starting that trend by capitalizing on a market opportunity he saw because of hip-hop culture.

Fam is great at guerilla marketing tactics and his intuition told him to leverage the local Chicago Dj’s to help with his influencer marketing campaigns.

He would provide free gear to the radio personalities in hopes of celebrity talent passing through and liking his merchandise.

Low on a budget, Fam took risks and continued giving away free gear despite the reservations from his partner who told him that they did not have the funds to keep this tactic going.

Fam trusted his intuition regardless because he knew the right person would walk into the radio station and wear his jersey

And of course, that’s exactly what happened.

One day 15-year-old Fam received a call from someone claiming that he was a part of Nelly’s management team and that Nelly wanted to wear one of his jerseys for his 2001 Super Bowl performance.

Connections are key.

Follow your intuition and also if you have a dope product then believe in it 100%

After the Super Bowl, Fam and his partner were busy men producing thousands of jerseys worldwide. This was their first taste of success.

Fam has always had a passion for fashion, and his array of clothing and shoe brands proves it.

Next was a business venture selling Air Force 1’s. This ended up getting him into a $10 million lawsuit with Nike. He had noticed that Young Jeezy’s snowman logo was spreading like wildfire across social media. Naturally, he saw a massive opportunity to manufacture the sneakers himself and capitalize on the trend within the hip-hop community.

Due to trademark infringement, the 21-year-old millionaire received a summons from one of the world’s largest companies. This was an incredible learning experience for Fam and after paying back the funds he made from the business everything was wiped away. The rest of the details cannot be disclosed due to a non-disclosure.

Ask forgiveness, not permission. Take action now and BE BOLD

After this he launched his own agency called Mirza Minds which is a marketing and consulting agency that helps artists and entrepreneurs market and build their brands and products. His slogan “From Mind to Market” is inspired by his ability to rapidly think of viral ideas and execute on them in the market.

I have never met another entrepreneur who has seen so many viral trends on social media months before they come to fruition. Fam is the definition of an opportunist who acts fast and without question.

Do you guys remember Antoine Dodson? He was notorious for the viral video “Hide Your Kids, Hide Your Wife.”

There was a spoof song made called Bed Intruder that received more than 1 billion combines views on Youtube. Fam saw a brilliant opportunity to utilize all this traffic for the upcoming Halloween season.

After flying to meet Antoine Dodson personally and filling him in on his incredible idea, Fam leveraged the virality of the social media videos Fam created a “Bed Intruder” hHalloweencostume that came equipped with your very own Antoine Dodson afro, bandana, t-shirt, and newspaper.

These things started FLYING off the shelves like never before seen. They sold over 38.924  units of this costume for a massive 7-figure launch in less than 24 days! 7-figures within 24 days just like that all from an idea and timed execution.

Timing is everything.

When the time is right, act now. Follow the market and be innovative. Sometimes the most lucrative business opportunities are hiding right beneath your nose.

He rolled his momentum to launching 1Face watches after seeing an opportunity to intertwine giving back into his business model. Fam was one of the first to move towards the social enterprise business model.

1Face netted over $10 million and each sale went to a charity that was associated with the watch. They were color coordinated and depending on the color a different charity would receive a donation for example – black for cancer, white for hunger, blue for the environment, pink for breast cancer, etc.

Through this company Fam was able to change 4 million lives around the world through company donations. He traveled to developing areas of the Middle East to work hand in hand with the people there despite dangerous neighborhoods stricken with poverty.

Incorporate giving back as a value add in your business.

If your business is centered around purpose, then you will find it much easier to gain traction and momentum.

And he still is working on three more projects …

He now has a brand called Chuck Offs which is his shoe wipe brand that he intends to hit 7-figures through his expertise at launching viral product marketing campaigns. Viral video coming soon.

And is simultaneously creating a shoe line called Azaan shoes, hand embroidered custom shoes made in an artesian village in Istanbul Turkey.  Azaan shoes is named after his son.  

He did that for his son because his family background is from Azerbaijan and he wanted his son to know about his culture. Also his son, 7, was the one who picked the final logo.

He made such a decisive decision on the logo and has never budged from that decision “Logo 3 out of 7 he shouted.”

Find business opportunities that hit close to home.

Often entrepreneurs are looking for their next big idea at a distance and neglect finding inspiration within immediate circle.

Now he is taking it to the next level with Fam Speaks, his brand as a thought leader spreading all his knowledge and expertise that he has gained after building eight successful brands.

“This is to inspiring the next generation” he says.

“Regardless of how much money you have or what one has accomplished we all eat three meals and sleep in one bed. We all die one day but how many of us leave a legacy which will inspire the next generation of ideas which will change the world? 

That’s what Fam Speaks is about, if I can motivate the next generation to take tangible action upon the ideas in their head I have done my job!

My mom always used to say to me anyone can light the candle in their house but it’s not about that, it’s about how many other houses you can fill with Roshi.  Roshi translated from Arabic to English is “Light.”