Fam Mirza is a multi-faceted entrepreneur who not only has great ideas, but commits them to action. His multiple ventures include a watch company, a jersey and apparel company, a costume company, and most recently a shoe company. In the beginning of the interview, Kaivan gets Fam to open up about the entrepreneurial journey and Fam shares how he started his most recent venture. 

Fam saw a shoe store in Miami where they were selling unique, handmade shoes. He liked the shoes so much that he asked to speak to the owner, about how to help him scale his business. The owner of the shop lived in Istanbul, and asked Fam to fly there with him in two weeks to show him their tiny operation. After several mishaps, the first trial run went poorly, the shoe quality was low and scaling wasn’t an option. 

He ran into a friend he spoke Farci, and he contacted a new shop on their behalf, but the challenge was that the villagers were leaving the factory, to become shepherds and tend to sheep. Fam relates the struggles of scaling in foreign countries, 

Based on a viral video, Fam created a Halloween costume for the “Bed Intruder” viral sensation that led to nearly a million dollars in sales. Fam didn’t sleep for three days while they tried to source the correct pieces for the costume from several countries around the world. However, they quickly became a viral media piece, after being awarded best costume by the likes of CNN, and being featured on several major media networks. 

Despite Fam’s ability to figure out products and be the conceptual mastermind behind multiple launches, his life wasn’t always easy. He grew up in the slums, and recalls on the episode his first time seeing water come out of the wall (or what we in Western countries call a shower). It was the first time he hadn’t used a bucket to bathe. Additionally, he shares about his purpose in life and how he has always been conscious of giving back. He started One Face, a watch company that was able to give back to major charities. 

Fam shares how as an entrepreneur you are never comfortable, each day you have to face the reality of uncertainty. His parents passed away when he was a teenager living in the US. Working a 9-5 was never really an option for him, because he wanted to be able to fully support himself, and be financially stable while chasing his dreams. He’s learned so much just from failing, and trying new things. 

Fam shares that if you don’t have a why and a purpose behind your ideas, then you aren’t going to figure it out. You have to learn the knowledge, and you have to continue to keep going. 

Some Questions Kaivan Asks In this Episode:

• What are you working on right now?
• What made you connect with the shoes?
• What are the challenges of scaling in foreign countries?
• How did you create jerseys for the Superbowl?
• How did you create the famous Bed Intruder Costume?
• What was it like growing up in the slums, and then moving to America?
• What was the most uncomfortable thing that you ever had to do?
• What do you do for fun and to relax?
• How do you feel when you go back to your home country?
• What’s the one message you want to give the audience?

In This Episode You Will Learn:   

• How to continue to pivot, among multiple projects. 
• Why Kaivan started this show.
• Why Fam started his shoe company.
• How he learned to work, after facing hardships.
• Why Fam wants to leave a legacy for his son.
• What Fam does to recharge.

Bio:

Fam Mirza (born 26 June 1987) is a Serial Entrepreneur, investor, american marketer, and philanthropist. He is best known for creating and marketing consumer retail brands. Founder of the 1Face watch movement. A watch brand that partnered with NGOs to fund greenhouses, water wells, and treatment projects around the world. Mirza expressed his entrepreneur passion at an early age selling his old toys around the neighborhood at the age of ten. Since then he has gone on to create eight brands that have generated over 10MM in revenue.