Some of you may remember Tamarius Washington’s snack business that he ran from his car trunk and duffle bags last year, selling refreshments in the halls of C.H.S. to students while dodging administration. Tamarius, who graduated from C.H.S. in 2020, has since expanded his passion for entrepreneurship by creating Tamarius Talks Finance, a podcast focused on giving financial advice to people his age. Recently, he talked to KTR about his most recent achievements and the best lessons he’s learned so far. 

Q: Tell us about your popular snack business at C.H.S. that you had last year. 

A: I started small by having 2 people work for me. We started with just candy, then someone gave us the idea to add drinks and chips. Once we added those items, the business took off.  I fired the 2 people and hired 2 other friends: Adrian Anderson, a fellow senior, and a junior, Jaleom Adams-Mallory. We were selling candy, fruit snacks, chips, sodas, Gatorade, microwavable mac and cheese cups, and cup o’ ramen. We sold just about all day, just about every day, until March. During that time, we were making anywhere from $200 on a bad day up to our best day, $350. Once the day was over I’d take inventory, then go shopping for what we needed. Jaleom and Adrian made anywhere between $20-$40 daily depending on how much we made, and I was making $40-80 daily. I kept the drinks in my car overnight to stay cold, and I kept everything else in my house. We got caught a few times by the administration for carrying around duffle bags full of snacks, but that didn’t stop us. We made over $10,000 in 7 months with over $6,000 being net income.

Q: Where did you get the idea and motivation for that? 

A: I’ve always had a passion for making money. I saw others doing it on Youtube, so knowing my work ethic and the potential profit I could make, I gave it a shot.

Q: How did it help you get an idea of what you wanted to do with your future? 

A: It gave me a better understanding of being an entrepreneur. From previous experiences, I don’t like the idea of having a boss, or even the idea of working a 9-5 under a company.

Q: Where else did your financial interest come from? 

A: My family hasn’t been the best with money, so once quarantine started I took that as an opportunity to learn more about it. I started listening to Dave Ramsey and watching Graham Stephan to help educate myself on how money works and how to make the most of it.

Q: What inspired you to make the podcast? 

A: I wanted to help my peers and even other teens around the country understand that there is nothing wrong with saving your money and not wearing trendy clothing.  There is nothing wrong with not going to college as long as you have a plan. Lastly, there is nothing wrong with wanting to be financially free at a young age. That all starts with saving and sticking to a budget as soon as you can.

Q: What was your process for creating the podcast? 

A: I first researched the best free websites to upload and distribute them on. Then I purchased my mic and headset to get familiar with how it works. And lastly, I found topics teens were interested in and gave it a go.

Q: What has your experience with the podcast been like? 

A: It’s been great! I wasn’t expecting the results I have gotten. There are currently 6 episodes up with 620 total downloads. In that 622 I have listeners from all over the U.S. and even a few from the U.K., Austria, Ireland, Germany, and even Russia.

Q: What are you currently up to, other than the podcast? 

A: Other than the podcast I have been working. I drive for Doordash, Postmates, and also UberEats.  In my free time, I stream on Twitch and also make Youtube videos.

Q: What do you think the best choices you’ve made financially are? 

A: My best choices have been buying a car (in cash) and investing in the stock market.

Q: What are some financial choices that you learned the most from? 

A: I’ve learned that gambling is a huge risk. You shouldn’t gamble more than you can afford to lose.

Q: What’re your plans for the future? 

A: My plans for the future include owning a rental property by the age of 23. I also want to start my own business by at least 25. I’m not sure what type of business it’ll be. Other than that, save and invest as much money as I can so I can retire early.

Q: Your podcast has a lot of great advice, but what is the one tip that you would give to others? 

A: Be the best you can be and live out your dreams, not someone else’s.

Tamarius has fostered his success by remaining true to himself and continuing to learn and pass on his knowledge. To find out more about what Tamarius is up to and hear more of the wisdom he has, you can listen to Tamarius Talks Finance on most streaming platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also follow what Tamarius is up to on Instagram @makethatcheddar, @tamarius.w, and @tamarius_raffles.