I'm a TikToker who founded a startup to help influencers file their taxes. I invested $500,000 I earned from brand deals into my business and it paid off.

I’m a TikToker who founded a startup to help influencers file their taxes. I invested $500,000 I earned from brand deals into my business and it paid off.

April 22, 2023

in Stocks

Reading Time: 3 mins read

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Duke Alexander Moore is a creator with almost 4 million followers on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.
He’s also a licensed tax expert who founded a startup helping creators organize and file taxes.
In 2021, he invested $500,000 he earned from brand deals into the company and has said it paid off.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Duke Alexander Moore, founder and CEO of creator startup Duke Tax. It has been edited for length and clarity. Insider verified Moore’s earnings through documentation he provided.

I was 15 when I filed taxes for the first time — I was living in Dallas, Texas, and had signed with a modeling agency to work with brands like JCPenney. I didn’t know at the time that people owed money to the government based on their income, so I hadn’t been withholding money from my paychecks while working as a freelance model. When tax season came around, I had to settle a balance of a couple thousand dollars.