From Selling CDs to TikTok Stardom, Duke Alexander Moore's Rise to a 7-Figure Business

A 28-year-old TikToker and entrepreneur has created a seven-figure business while helping fellow creators. Duke Alexander Moore's company Duke Tax offers a membership-based tax service for creators, influencers, and entrepreneurs, and he also shares his knowledge through videos on his TikTok account @dukelovestaxes. He shares critical tax tips with his 3.4 million followers. Here’s a look at how he created this empire.

Finding the path to success

After selling CDs, complete with graphics and labels, while completing elementary school, Moore found himself at a difficult crossroads after college. "I got in trouble because I was selling things I was not supposed to be selling," he told Entrepreneur in an interview.

Then in 2014, Moore got a job at a warehouse as a forklift driver at the age of 24. However, he wasn’t happy with his work, and four years later, after an altercation with his boss, Moore quit.

He realised that he needed to be an expert at something if he was going to succeed. So he decided to build a career in taxes since he loved numbers and understood the taxation system very well. With this, he trained with QuickBooks, the accounting software developed by Intuit, to become a pro advisor.

He set up his venture and he was soon listed in QuickBooks' directory. Further, when one of his first clients requested help with her taxes, he decided to become an enrolled agent.

Going from zero to seven figures

According to Moore, it was social media, especially TikTok that helped his business take off. In the Entrepreneur interview, he said that he saw one tax video on TikTok and thought he could do it too. He started by posting a tax series, replicating some of what he'd seen on the app. Initially, his content didn’t work, but after taking a closer look at his content, he chose the format where he put a towel on his head and talked about taxes. He worked on making his content more entertaining to reach a wider audience.

The unconventional move was successful and soon Moore’s account ballooned, amassing three million followers in just a year and a half. This also benefited his business as it also reached seven figures.

Expanding with a Unique Business Proposition

As Moore continued to expand, it was soon clear to him that many CPA firms don't fully understand content creator taxes. He observed that creators don't realize they're running a business and owe money to the IRS, which is ultimately eligible for deductions. Thus, Moore set out to fill the tax-service gap for creators. Today, his company focuses on helping creators and entrepreneurs with their taxes.

He says that the company’s goal is to be the client’s protector and have them pay the least amount of tax possible. Moore creators behave like a business, like an LLC, and maintain their books. Moore further helps creators to reinvest their earnings.

Moore’s Motto

Since Moore understands that entrepreneurial endeavors come with uncertainty and challenges, he says the willingness to keep going — no matter what — is what’s needed to find success. "My No. 1 lesson I preach at all times is progress, not perfection," Moore says in the Entrepreneur report. He explained that while striving for perfection, people often delay things from getting done. Thus, it is better to go out there and make mistakes and learn something new every day.