A self-made millionaire in his 20s has revealed how he taught himself invaluable skills by watching videos online.
Kasra Dash is just 26 years old but already has a net worth of £3 million, having built his fortune from digital marketing.
Growing up in Livingstone, Scotland, he struggled with school but adopted a “fake it until you make it” attitude to learn new skills.
Part of the YouTube generation, the then-teenager watched endless tutorials and inspiring talks from people talking about how to make money from SEO.
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And then replicated their success.
“Education was not my strong suit, I always struggled – but I’d still get things done,” said Kasra (@kasra_d_), who lives in Manchester but emigrated to the UK from Iran when he was three years old.
“Growing up, my family weren’t rich, we didn’t have a lot of money and I was taught to work hard for the things I wanted.
“When I started getting into graphic design as a teenager and wanted a good computer, my parents told me I’d need to earn the money for it.
“So I started buying very cheap cars on Gumtree auctions for £400-500 and my dad would loan me the money.
“I’d fix them up on my parent’s driveway and then sell them on for a profit.
“That was my first take on digital marketing; I’d market the cars online and earn good money from it.
“I bought my first computer with the cash and then started doing web design.
“I blagged that I had experience and then taught myself how to do everything on YouTube.
“I just learned on the internet and taught myself the job.”
Kasra continued his side hustle while studying interactive media marketing at Edinburgh Napier University but realised that he’d already covered much of the course content.
After graduating in 2018, he decided to start investing some of the money he’d saved up from his lucrative ventures.
He said: “I made most of my money by sharing knowledge – people would hire me as a consultant.
“I was studying interactive digital marketing but I felt I’d already learnt a lot of it years earlier because I’d been self-taught through YouTube.
“I was clued up on it all from my years of learning myself online.
“I initially made money from doing web design.
“I then saved a lot of that money up and bought into a link-building agency, and invested into a software business – which recently got valued at £4.6 million.”
Since his very first taste of entrepreneurship, flogging old cars, Kasra has gone on to make millions and now enjoys a globe-trotting lifestyle.
He now travels the world speaking at events and conferences.
Kasra said: “I’d watch people online and learn from them – now I’m doing the same thing, speaking at the same events, including Affiliate World Dubai and Chiang Mai SEO Conference.
“The crowd is often older than me.
“Sometimes I’m one of the youngest guys in the room, teaching all these people who have been in the industry for years how to do a new job [digital marketing].
“I’m travelling a lot, too; last month I was in Dubai, in April I’ll be in Vietnam, and in June I have events in Estonia and Germany.
“My mum and dad have always been super supportive – my dad’s a grafter and he’s taught me that if I want something I need to work for it.
“So he’s just proud now seeing that I’ve been able to travel the world and go to all these events.
“I bought my mum an expensive Louis Vuitton bag.
“I’m not into brands but I knew it would make her happy, and I always get a buzz seeing her use it.”
To keep a balanced lifestyle, Kasra prioritises his health and well-being, starting his day at 5 am with gym sessions, before heading into the office to work on multiple companies – including a link-building agency, Searcharoo, and a marketing agency, PromoSEO.
He added: “If you want to earn a lot of money, you need to have a high tolerance for stress.
“A lot of people wouldn’t want my lifestyle because it’s a lot of stress – but it’s what makes me tick.
“I’m a firm believer that stress levels are a direct correlation of how successful you’re going to be, so if you can only handle 1 out of 10 on the stress scale, then you’re not going to be very successful.
“If I wasn’t doing this, I’d be bored. I need to keep my brain engaged.
“I don’t feel like I’m missing out on the traditional 20-something experience.
“I work really hard but I party hard, too.
“But I’d rather a massive blow-out with friends every three months than party every weekend.
“I set myself goals, like going to the gym every day for two months, and then I’ll reward myself by going on holiday.
“Being self-made and self-taught has definitely helped shape my work ethic.”
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