Starting with a modest $236 in birthday money savings and a pair of rare Marvel-themed Vans, Canton teenager Arnav Nikamturned an appreciation for basketball sneakers into a side hobbythat generatedmore than $200,000 in sales last year.
And the 17-year-old Salem High School junior is proving to be a budding philanthropist as well as a skyrocketing entrepreneur.
"Starting in middle school, I developed an interest in basketball sneakers because I was really interested in basketball," Nikam said. "I started noticing what basketball stars were wearing on their feet, on the court and off. I also noticed in the aftermarket that premium shoes were selling for quite a bit of a price hike, so I decided to take a closer look at it."
During a trip to India in 2019, Nikam spent $98 (of his birthday savings) ona pair of Vans decorated with images from the ultra-popular "Black Panther" movie. He nettedapproximately $50 after selling the shoes online through the site StockX.
The transactions convinced him to dive into the business world, um, feet first.
"Once I learnedit was doable, I started buying limited shoes from different brands in bulk amounts and selling them online (using StockX,eBay and GOAT,among other third-party websites) for whatever people were willing to pay for them," he explained. "I stopped once COVID hit, but I picked it up again in late 2020 and early 2021."
Nikamwas so immersed in the everyday grind of running a business— all the whilemaintaining a 4.0 grade-point average, volunteering for two local organizations and participating in four after-school clubs— he wasn't aware of how well he was doing financially until his 1099-K tax statement arrived in the mail recently.
"When I saw how much I had made ($213,199, to be exact), I thought to myself, 'Oh my gosh! This is really what I did?'," he recounted. "I definitely surprised myself."
Nikam said the most iconic products he has bought and sold are a pair of black-and-red Air Jordan basketball sneakers.
"Of all the items I've sold, those are the ones that I was most temptedto keep for myself," he said, smiling. "The artistry in some of these sneakers is what draws me tothem."
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Nikam, who won't turn 18 until September, admitted his success hasn't come easily. He monitors daily sales and prices between classes at Salem— like stocks, the cost of an item could rise or fall as much as $40 in a few hours, so it's something that needs careful attention, he revealed— and prepares items for distribution soon after returning home from school on weekdays.
"Our basem*nt is like a mine field of boxes and other stuff," Nikam said, chuckling. "I'd describe it as organized chaos.
"The biggest thing I've bought to help me out is a tape gun. When you have to ship out 20 pair of shoes in an afternoon, tape guns help speed up the process."
Nikam said he takes great care in keeping his customers updated on the progress of their purchases and packaging the products he sells. Of the 1,500 items he distributed in 2021, not one went to an incorrect address, and his collection of reviews has more stars than a cloudless night.
"I'm very meticulous because I want the people I'm working with to be happy," he said. "My online reviews are very good to this point and I want to keep it that way."
Explaining he garners more satisfaction from giving than receiving, Nikam admitted he hasn't splurged and bought himself anything extravagant yet— except the tape gun.
Inspired by his late grandfather, who he says used hard work and education to help his family relocate from a rural farming town in India to the United States, Nikam has used a portion of his earnings to establisha scholarship program for teenagers in rural India. The young philanthropist distributed nine scholarships in 2021 alone and plans to build on that number in the coming years.
"I honestly get more joy out of helping kids abroad get an education than spending the money I make on myself," he said. "I love buying things for my sister, who is a freshman at Salem."
Once he turns 18, Nikam plans to turn his venture into a limited liability company and give it an official name: Flying Emu.
"Emus have always been my favorite birds; I like how they're fast and majestic," he said. "Obviously, they can't fly, but I think that word helps represent the type of service I give people."
Judging by his early success, the sky is the limit for this big-hearted business prodigy.
Contact reporter Ed Wright at eawright@hometownlife.com or 517-375-1113.
