From the age of 17, Daniel Aghachi was introduced to the world of startups and businesses. During his first year as a transfer student studying business at USC, Aghachi was heavily focused on networking with the student body. He joined Sigma Eta Pi—an entrepreneurship fraternity and the TAMID Group. This further exceeded his knowledge of the industry by exposing him to the experiences these opportunities provided him. During the time, Aghachi was heavily interested in the blockchain space which led him to founding the Trojan Blockchain Society, a centralized hub on campus for all things blockchain-related. His knowledge and passion for the sector landed him an opportunity with industry experts and USC officials to structure a blockchain curriculum.
After his third year of university, Aghachi realized that the majority of what he learned came from the opportunities and experiences he set up for himself through networking and research. He decided that his time was better spent working closely with early-stage startups and took a leave of abscesses from university that year. He then joined Dandy Inc, a venture -backed startup focused on transforming online dating, as a consultant where he advised and implemented growth marketing strategies on college campuses nationwide. He took it a step further when he began working closely with founder and CEO of Marble Technologies, Matthew DiMarcantonio, in selling self-order kiosks to restaurants. After attending the Y-Combinator S19 Demo Day, Aghachi gained more knowledge about the entrepreneurship world and was apart of an experience that he will never take for granted.
These experience shook Aghachi—comparing his work experiences with what University taught him made him realize that the current educational system was flawed and outdated. He took it upon himself to take what he has learned and stepped foot into the TikTok world, educating his followers about the cons of the current educational system. He found there was a lack of educational content on the worldwide platform, which gave him the idea of tailoring educational content to the younger audience at the time. Through his videos, Aghachi was able to reach the younger generation through videos about creative ways to make money. Soon enough, within a month of posting, Aghachi received 25,000+ followers on TikTok. Currently he has over 400,000.
Through his experience on TikTok, this inspired Aghachi to write a book about what helped him find success on the platform. Aghachi found himself networking with other TikTok creators in the educational niche that fast forward 7 months later—he has connected with many founders, entrepreneurs, and businesses that helped him expand his network even further. This includes Taylor Price (@pricelesstay), founder and CEO of TAPIntuit & TeamTap, who he advised to join TikTok where she found major success. The birth of Team Tap allowed him to advise other creators that he has connected & worked with (Aaron Grushow and Eric Patel) to join the them and its mission to democratize online education.
To all aspiring entrepreneurs like Aghachi, he advise that networking and research is the epitome of finding your passion that will eventually become monetizable. “Always ask questions and provide value,” he says. Take it upon yourself to engage with the vast amount of resources available that is one search away on Google. Free online classes, YouTube, TikTok, and so much more is only the beginning, but the correct first step for those reaching their goal in becoming an expert in any field.
“When you find interest or success on something you begin working on, first ask yourself if you are enjoying the process, learning and if you can see yourself doing it long-term,” Aghachi states. “If the answer is yes, then double down your efforts on it.”