Iman Gadzhi

Iman Gadzhi (born January 3, 2000) is a Russian-British entrepreneur, digital marketing educator, and social media influencer. He is best known as the founder of IAG Media, a digital marketing agency, and Educate, an online education platform focused on social media marketing agency (SMMA) training. Gadzhi dropped out of high school at age 17 to pursue entrepreneurship and claims to have built multiple seven-figure businesses before age 20.

Early Life

Iman Gadzhi was born on January 3, 2000, in Dagestan, Russia, and moved to London, England, with his mother at a young age. He has spoken publicly about growing up in difficult financial circumstances, with his single mother working multiple jobs to support them. These early experiences with financial struggle became a driving force behind his entrepreneurial ambitions.

As a teenager, Gadzhi became interested in digital marketing and online business. He started learning about social media advertising, website design, and client acquisition through free online resources and YouTube videos. At age 15, he began taking on small freelance projects, offering social media management services to local businesses.

Career

Early Ventures (2015-2017)

Gadzhi's first business ventures included a fitness YouTube channel and various e-commerce experiments. While these initial attempts didn't achieve significant success, they provided valuable lessons in marketing, content creation, and audience building.

At age 17, while still in high school, Gadzhi made the controversial decision to drop out and focus full-time on building his digital marketing agency. He has stated that this decision was driven by the belief that traditional education wouldn't provide the practical business skills he needed.

IAG Media (2017-present)

In 2017, Gadzhi founded IAG Media (Iman Ali Gadzhi Media), a digital marketing agency specializing in paid advertising for fitness and health brands. The agency focused on Facebook and Instagram advertising, helping clients generate leads and sales through targeted campaigns.

IAG Media reportedly grew rapidly, reaching six-figure monthly revenues within its first year. The agency worked with various clients in the fitness, coaching, and e-commerce spaces. Gadzhi has claimed that the agency achieved over $1 million in annual revenue by the time he was 18.

Educate and Agency Navigator (2018-present)

Building on his agency experience, Gadzhi launched Educate, an online education platform, in 2018. The platform's flagship course, "Agency Navigator," teaches students how to start and scale their own social media marketing agencies. The program includes training on client acquisition, service delivery, pricing strategies, and team building.

Agency Navigator quickly became popular among aspiring digital marketers and entrepreneurs, particularly younger individuals seeking alternatives to traditional career paths. The course reportedly generated millions in revenue, with thousands of students enrolled. Pricing has varied over the years, with the program typically costing between $1,000 and $2,000.

Educate has expanded to include additional courses and resources, including programs on personal branding, content creation, and business scaling. The platform operates on a combination of one-time payments and subscription models.

Content Creation and Personal Brand (2018-present)

Gadzhi has built a substantial social media following across multiple platforms. His YouTube channel, which features entrepreneurship advice, lifestyle content, and business tutorials, has accumulated over 4 million subscribers as of 2026. He also maintains active presence on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter, where he shares motivational content and business insights.

His content often emphasizes themes of financial freedom, rejecting traditional employment, and building location-independent businesses. Gadzhi frequently showcases a luxury lifestyle, including exotic travel, expensive cars, and high-end real estate, which he attributes to his business success.

Business Philosophy

Gadzhi's business philosophy centers on several core principles:

• Self-education: Emphasizes learning through experience and online resources rather than traditional education
• High-income skills: Advocates mastering profitable skills like sales, marketing, and copywriting
• Agency model: Promotes the SMMA business model as accessible to young entrepreneurs with limited capital
• Location independence: Encourages building businesses that can operate remotely
• Early action: Stresses starting young and taking risks in one's 20s

Controversies and Criticism

Like many high-profile business educators, Gadzhi has faced criticism and controversy:

Claims Verification

Critics have questioned the verifiability of Gadzhi's income claims and business success. While he regularly shares screenshots of earnings and client results, independent verification of these figures is limited. Some skeptics suggest that his primary income comes from selling courses rather than agency services.

Course Value Debates

The value proposition of Agency Navigator and similar courses has been debated. Supporters credit the program with helping them launch successful agencies, while critics argue that much of the information is available for free online and that the course oversimplifies the challenges of running an agency.

Lifestyle Marketing

Some critics argue that Gadzhi's content relies heavily on lifestyle marketing—showcasing wealth and luxury to sell educational products. This approach, common among business influencers, has been criticized as potentially misleading about the typical results students can expect.

Philanthropy

Gadzhi has discussed charitable activities, including building schools in developing countries and supporting his mother financially. He has documented some of these efforts on his YouTube channel, though specific details about donation amounts and ongoing commitments are limited.

Personal Life

Gadzhi maintains a relatively private personal life despite his public presence. He has mentioned living in various locations including London, Dubai, and Bali, consistent with his emphasis on location-independent business. He practices Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and has discussed the importance of physical fitness and mental discipline in his content.

Legacy and Impact

Regardless of controversies, Gadzhi has undeniably influenced a generation of young entrepreneurs interested in digital marketing. His story of dropping out of school and building businesses as a teenager resonates with those seeking alternatives to traditional career paths. Whether his model is sustainable and replicable at scale remains a subject of debate within the entrepreneurship community.

References

1. YouTube: Iman Gadzhi official channel (2018-2026)
2. Forbes: "Young Entrepreneurs Reshaping Digital Marketing" (2021)
3. Educate website: Course offerings and testimonials (2026)
4. Various podcast interviews and media appearances (2019-2026)