The term “entrepreneur,” has no age limit for 16-year-old social media marketer Umar Cassim.
“No one taught me social media marketing,” said Cassim. “I closely studied the winners in the industry and used their tactics to help me learn.”
At 14, Cassim started reselling popular sneakers in his Californian highschool for cash. The “Sneaker Head,” community took notice of Cassim’s rare and desirable stock and his social media presence skyrocketed.
Sneaker Heads, are a group of people who collect expensive and rare shoes like retro Air Jordans, Off-White collaborations, and Yeezys.
“I amassed a big fan base on Instagram in the fashion niche,” said Cassim. “It was only uphill from there.”
Now 16, Cassim no longer resells shoes — he owns a six-figure business.
After gaining enough revenue from reselling sneakers, Cassim invested in creating effective social media campaigns for clients Instagram accounts.
Cassim uses weekly giveaways of expensive shoes and designer clothing to gain active followers for clients. He includes a mandatory follow of clients accounts in order to be eligible to win the giveaway. Clients receive thousands of active followers and in return Cassim receives a base payment.
His method, “gain groups,” as he calls them, averages anywhere from 1,500 to 3,000 active followers in one week.
“My reputation and consistency are what set me apart from others,” says Cassim.
His social media campaigns were a success, as his clients gained thousands of followers quickly all through one platform — Instagram.
Cassim’s first client was himself, as he grew his Instagram (@itsumarc7) following to over 115,000.
“I feel like I did not choose this industry, the industry chose me,” says Cassim.
Cassim has proven he is capable of growing his following across platforms, growing his TikTok account to over 62,000 followers. One of his videos, “Making hypebeasts mad part 2.” reached over 2.9 million views.
Even though Cassim has left the reselling business, his love for sneakers and fashion intertwines with new and future projects.
“I’m working on starting my own clothing brand,” says Cassim.
Cassim is part of the “hypebeast,” community, where; much like SneakerHeads, they seek expensive and rare clothing from exclusive brands like Supreme, Givenchy, and Gucci.
A native of California, Cassim lives a luxurious lifestyle.
He’s worked with celebrities, has access to the newest and most exclusive shoes in fashion and, at 16-years-old, makes an annual six-figure salary.
He credits others who lived this way before him as inspirations.
“Look at people who are successful in what you are trying to do, and use them as inspiration to recreate their steps to success,” says Cassim.
Cassim’s page has been featured on the echelon of SneakerHead accounts and Instagram pages. Complex Sneakers, Daquan, and BR Kicks have all reposted his famous TikToks and Instagram profile.
Cassim plans to step outside the world of fashion and pursue business ventures in eCommerce, and real estate.
“I want others to see my success and implement it into their own lives,” says Cassim.
Follow Cassim on Instagram, TikTok and subscribe to his Youtube channel.
