If You Truly Believe in Something, Never Let Anyone Dissuade You from Chasing It — Kareem Hassan
Passion is one of the most important things you can have when trying to start a business and make a living for yourself. Without it, you’ll find every day to be a slog, constantly doing work that doesn’t make you happy. Kareem Hassan has built his empire on his love of comic books and collectibles, which most people would think impossible. However, he’s achieved great things in this career that he’s passionate about, and he’s never looked back.
Kareem Hassan went to his first comic convention in 2008 when he was 17 years old. At New York Comic Con, one of the biggest conventions in the world, he met vendors and bought some comic books and collectibles to take home. “I loved the worlds of these comic books, and I wanted to share them with the world,” Hassan said. “That’s when I saw the opportunity to break into the industry of selling rare comic books and collectibles.” He started by building connections within the industry with other professionals and vendors. “Creating relationships is so important if you want to break into a field. You aren’t an island, and other people can help you immensely in creating your business.” He began brokering deals from one vendor to another for a small commission fee, then moved on to selling these items on his own.
Kareem Hassan knows that he would never have gotten to where he is without breaking free from fear. “If you truly believe in something, never let anyone dissuade you from chasing it,” he said. “Your dreams are important, and you’ll never know until you try.” He believes that fear is normal, but you shouldn’t let it take over you. “Fear causes you not to live up to your potential and stop pursuing your dreams, simply because you’ve been rejected once or twice. Sometimes, people even give up just from the fear of getting rejected! Don’t let it get to you.”
Kareem Hassan knew he loved comics more than anything, but many people told him it wasn’t possible to make a career off of them. However, he didn’t listen to them and now has a vast empire. At 28, he’s single-handedly been able to retire his mother, which he’s incredibly proud of. “I didn’t have a perfect childhood, and she deserved to rest and enjoy her life,” he said. “It means so much to me that I was able to do that for her. He’s also bought a penthouse in New York City and has extra money to invest in the stock market and NFTs. One of his favorite parts of being successful is being able to give back to his community. “I was once someone who needed help, and now I’m so happy to be able to give help away.”
If you have a dream that you’ve always wanted to chase, Kareem Hassan thinks that you should stop listening to the critics and try. You never know whether you could end up as successful as he has been.
