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Sed ut perspiciatis unde.
SubscribeWe recently connected with Omar Jahwar II and have shared our conversation below.
Omar, appreciate you joining us today. Parents can play a significant role in affecting how our lives and careers turn out – and so we think it’s important to look back and have conversations about what our parents did that affected us positive (or negatively) so that we can learn from the billions of experiences in each generation. What’s something you feel your parents did right that impacted you positively.
This a special question for me. My parents Tanya and Omar Jahwar did a lot of things that propelled me into leadership at a young age. My father, Bishop Omar Jahwar is now deceased, but the one thing they did right was instill in me the passion and drive to know my purpose and share it with others. I am writing you today from the perspective of owning a successful financial services company, but it all started because my mother and father modeled their work ethic in front of me. As I carry out the legacy my parents instilled me, it is only right that I say thank you. The question asks what did your parents do right? My answer, everything!
Omar, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I started at the age of 16. Yes, you read that correctly. My mother Tanya Jahwar worked hard and received her financial services license in 1998. My mother would take me with her to her financial service meetings. This allowed me to see black men from all walks of life create a pathway to financial freedom. Also, I was able to watch my father carry himself in a professional manner while impacting lives in underserved communities. I love and miss my father so much. Everything I do today I do because of my father. He modeled an example for me to follow as a real man and I plan to carry his legacy to the best of my abilities. If I can be half the man my father that would be ok in my book. Before the age of ten, I knew I wanted to wear a suit, be successful, inspire people, and make some money. This helped me realize God did not place us here on this earth to work a 9-5 without following our own passions until we are 65. The most abundant place in the world is the cemetery ..because most of us will die with all of our dreams and ambitions buried with us. May this serve as a notion to parents that children learn in everything they see. By the age of 18, I was able to make full presentations from a financial services perspective. I would close an entire room. Getting a peak at success at an early age gave me an insight that hard work gives you the keys to whatever life you want as long you’re willing to do the work. This naturally created a goal for me to obtain my financial services license at the age of 18. Where the inspiration lies is that I failed my test 6 times. I passed on the 7th try. The inspiration that I would like to give to every business owner is that you must keep the goal in mind when failure is present. Being laser focused. Make sure that it is something that you really want to accomplish. You must do whatever it takes to complete the mission. Alot of times business owners start the business but they treat it like a hobby and not a job. I have been a victim of this. You can end up trapping yourself at your job and burning out. Draw a finished picture of a business that works and create the life you want.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
COVID-19 was an extreme moment that we had to pivot. Prior to COVID-19, we would do regular appointment bookings. The Dallas market has over 1M people licensed, which means the market was saturated. After working in the Dallas market, we expanded and went to different states. The cattle run would include 20 appoints a day all across the country. The best analogy I could give is it felt like my business model was the Titanic and I needed to retrain everyone in efforts to keep the ship afloat. During this time, I was also created partnerships with international partners to expand my company.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
The lesson I had to learn was to run a business like a business and not like a social club. I used to be so focused on everyone liking me and in result I was taken advantage of. I had to learn how to create boundaries and structures that were effective to my leadership style. Also, making sure I create safe cultures in my office because it is 70% women.
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Image credit to Texas Metro News Opal Lee- The mother of Juneteenth! Photo Credit: Raheem Clear Motion Films
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