Written by Elyza Rowen
What’s more challenging than starting from nothing? Try holding down three jobs, supporting a child recovering from surgery, and navigating a new country without a single connection.
For Ivan Terzi, that meant daily warehouse shifts, pizza runs by night, and Uber drives on the weekend. His only car kept the grind going until he sold it to fund a leap no investor would have backed.
No backup plan. Just grit. And zero tolerance for just surviving.
That decision was his alone. Today, Ivan’s companies serve Apple, Google, Harvard, and the U.S. Army. His story isn’t about hype. It’s about reputation over shortcuts, ownership over excuses, and values that scale — whether you’re shipping GPUs or building in blockchain.
If you’ve ever wondered whether the struggle is worth it, this is your answer.
Betting It All on Trust
While most founders built pitch decks, Ivan sold his last asset, a 10-year-old Corolla that had carried groceries, gear, and hope to fund his first company, TBR Trade Group. His idea was deceptively simple: source and supply high-performance GPUs. But execution? That came at the cost of sleep, certainty, and stability.
“The first year was brutal,” Ivan recalls. “No profit. Little sleep. A toddler at home. But it became the most educational chapter of my life.”
He taught himself U.S. business law, supply chain logistics, and customer service, knowing that in this market, responsiveness often outweighs marketing.
By consistently delivering on time and prioritizing service over speed, he built relationships with clients like Apple, Google, and Stanford, not through rapid growth, but through reliability. TBR had crossed $7 million in revenue within three years and served top-tier clients, including Apple, Google, Meta, Amazon, and universities like Stanford and Columbia.
His mindset of consistency and ownership made him a trusted vendor in a space where most suppliers are easily replaced. “In tech, things break,” he says. “What counts is how you show up when they do.”
Engineering Performance From the Ground Up
After establishing TBR, Ivan didn’t pause. In 2024, he co-founded Hyper Cyber, a brand that designs and assembles custom PCs for users who demand more from their machines.
Hyper Cyber systems are built in-house, from thermal management to component integration, a rare model today. Each build is designed for gamers, creatives, and businesses that rely on their gear to perform under pressure.
With strategic partnerships including NVIDIA, Intel, and Microsoft, Hyper Cyber prioritizes durability and performance over flashy specs.
For those frustrated with unreliable hardware vendors, Ivan offers a simple solution: maintain control of the product from start to finish. “We needed precision, so we built our process to guarantee it,” he says.
Brewing Something Different
While Hyper Cyber scaled, Ivan took a different path that didn’t involve code or components. A lifelong tea enthusiast, he saw a gap in the U.S. market: convenient tea options often lacked flavor and sustainability.
After a few missteps, including failed investments, he built something grounded in ritual, quality, and environmental care. That decision became TeaDeus.
Launched in early 2024, TeaDeus introduced Tea Cups To Go: biodegradable, single-serve cups filled with loose-leaf tea and fitted with a built-in corn fiber filter. No steepers, no plastic waste, just better tea for busy people.
The product has since been featured on national platforms like Pitch Your Way to the TOP with Kevin Harrington and Legacy Makers with Rudy Mawer. After showcasing the product at major U.S. trade shows, TeaDeus began securing entry into retail, hospitality, and government channels, including military and public-sector procurement.
For Ivan, TeaDeus isn’t just a brand. It reflects a feeling. “I wanted to make something that inspires gratitude, the same way I feel about the products I rely on daily,” he says.
Building With Purpose, Not Hype
Ivan doesn’t just talk about long-term thinking. He makes decisions that reflect it. That includes absorbing costs to resolve client issues or choosing to grow at a pace that protects quality over rapid expansion.
Now a member of the Forbes Business Council, Ivan contributes insights on sustainable growth, customer retention, and operations topics often overlooked in founder spotlights.
One quote guides his approach:
“First, you work for your reputation. Then your reputation works for you.”
That mindset resonates with other founders dealing with tight cash flow or scaling friction. Ivan’s story reminds us that reputation isn’t an accessory. It’s infrastructure.
The Energy Behind the Enterprises
Ivan finds clarity in movement outside of business through yoga, travel, and physical challenges. He sees health not as a bonus but as a baseline for consistent, high-effort output.
“I have endless energy to build things that support people, whether boosting performance with custom PCs or creating a tea ritual that brings calm. That’s the work that drives me,” Ivan says.
A Blueprint for Building with Meaning
Ivan Terzi’s career didn’t unfold overnight. He didn’t build a company on trend-chasing or viral appeal. He built trust, responded to real needs, and chose values over volume.
If you’re building something that reflects more than just ambition, something rooted in your gut, your grief, or your grit, bookmark this blueprint. Ivan Terzi’s journey proves that meaning scales.
Looking ahead, Ivan’s goal is simple: keep creating products that empower people, whether working harder, living better, or feeling more at peace. That’s the kind of impact he wants to scale.
