Some inherit the throne, but Adeel Shams built the Coolkicks kingdom brick by brick and box by box. Like many self-made businessmen, Shams discovered his passion—and how to monetize it—early in a humble origin story.
“My mom never really worked growing up, and my dad was a cab driver, so they didn't have the money to afford $200 Jordans,” Shams recalls. “They would just buy my shoes from Payless or