Exploring Life & Business with Jahad Zenith of Ummah Tax Solutions

Today we would like to introduce you to Jahad Zenith.

Hi Jahad, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
First and foremost, I must give honor to God for His grace and mercy, then Voyage Raleigh, thanks for having me, this is an amazing opportunity, I’m truly humbled. Well, where do I start? I grew up poor with a big, but disconnected family. Everyone around me seemed to be faced with some difficult challenges or attached to someone challenged in some way or another. My Grandfather had 16 children with my mom being the oldest. All her siblings had children except 2, so I’m sure you can imagine how big my family is. As for my mom and her children, we lived many years in poverty, you know, welfare, W.I.C., food stamps, Medicaid, the whole government package. Several years without lights, gas and even water. Many days we borrowed water from our neighbors to heat on kerosene heaters to take baths. It was so tough for my mom that my brother and I spent just as many nights away from home as we did at home, mainly with my granny. My granny was a devout Jehovah Witness and had a strong faith that I inherited. She was the most forgiven person I ever met. Despite being strong, family was her weakness and this too I inherited from her. She dedicated her entire life to family so much so that she didn’t work, nor learned to drive. I really miss her; she meant the world to me. My father introduced me to Islam when I met him at the age of 14, so I studied it with the same enthusiasm I seen my granny study the faith of her choice. Speaking of my dad, I was sent to Boston to stay with him at the age of 14. While with him, I learned how to be a son. Sounds weird right? I learned to bond. Although he didn’t have much, on disability with only a Social Security check, he did everything with me and made sure I was comfortable and felt his love. In a way I learned to also be a father, I guess. Because I too have a son name Jermaine, that I had no idea I had. We met when he was 9 years old. Out of nowhere his mom found me on social media and sent me a picture saying, “Your son like just like you”. Almost a complete repeat of my situation. We did a blood test and he been by my side ever since. He is my Accountability Buddy. I also have a beautiful daughter that I am in the works of gaining custody of. Life is so mysterious, its art within itself. It’s like every day you get up to add more to your portrait and when your times up, those you left have something to appreciate. 

Well, let me talk a bit about business. I always wanted to be a business owner. As a child I did almost everything to make money, from collecting pop bottles, cutting grass, shoveling snow, carrying groceries for ladies at the market, you name it. Fast-forward, in 2008 I started a print magazine, media outlet covering entrepreneurs in the Metro Detroit area called Nyte Lyfe Magazine. The magazine was free to the public, It provided a street team that covered 3 counties for local businesses spreading their flyers and poster as well as putting the free magazines out that had 52 pages of advertisement. Nyte Lyfe got the attention of many organizations that hired us exclusively to handle all their marketing. An accounting firm had us doing so much work that I found interest in joining the organization and worked as an intern doing Data Entry. Within a few years I found myself managing an entire office and asked if I could franchise with them and have my own location. I got approved and in 2016 moved to Winston Salem, find a location in Old Town Shopping Center, and open my own accounting firm. In 2021 I dropped the franchise and branded Ummah Tax Solutions. Ummah Tax Solutions empowers the preparer, our goal is to help others earn more revenue and gain more notoriety. We want to reinvent the industry to give the tax professionals more control over their work. They have an entire back office, all the resource they need, work at their leisure, and make their own money. We take pride in our service and strongly believe we are the best in the business, we guarantee More Money or it FREE!   

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road to success is not an easy one for anyone. The biggest struggle is first building your team, having the support it takes to get jobs done. When your successful, everyone wants in. Nobody wants to be a part of the grind, sleepless nights, long days, pushing through every ailment that comes to reach the next level. So having the support system needed to be a success story is the biggest challenge and secondly introducing your service to potential clients, convincing them why your service is better than your competitors. This at times is tiresome.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Ummah Tax Solutions?
Ummah Tax Solutions is a corporation that specializes in computerized Income Tax Preparation, Online and Electronic tax filing for individuals, non-profits and businesses who want their taxes done accurately! Through our corporation, individuals are trained on the most advanced, efficient, and reliable technology, tax preparation methodology and are provided with the most advanced cloud computing software. We are staffed with talented and experienced tax, marketing, technical and legal business professionals. Ummah Tax Solutions is a business organization that consist of a nationwide network of financial professionals working together with a powerful back-office support including a comprehensive knowledge base.
Ummah means “Community”. Communities are Protectors, Maintainers and Supporters of each other. Ummah Tax Solutions is committed to be just that. A great percentage of every service fee is donated to the development of our community. We work closely with non-profits to feed the homeless, reentry programs for ex-offenders, recreation programs for the youth, education assistance programs and helping families behind on bills. Utilizing the services of Ummah Tax Solutions is essentially contributing to these causes. The change we seek in our community begins with Self, each member has an obligation to play his or her role and be an example to everyone around them. We at Ummah Tax Solutions refuse to let our neighbors down. In a very unusual way, we are all family.

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Absolutely! Your Network determines your NET WORTH. Ever heard the cliche “You are the company you keep!”? Or “Birds of a feather flock together!”? I cannot stress this enough, find people that will pour into you, in oppose to drain you. Becoming successful is very ugly, tough, and exhausting. Reaching it is the complete opposite. It is so rewarding, beautiful and full of vigor. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it, so never give up. As for mentorship, mentorship is key, finding individuals you can trust to give you the best advice, guidance, and direction. Someone that believes in you and courageous enough to tell you the truth no matter how it makes you feel. I personally have 2 strong mentors that I want to shoutout, Imam Khalid Griggs and Dave Bishop, they mentor different areas of my life. I love these men with all my heart. And in closing I would like to shoutout my photographers at 2AM Photography. Austin & Meika Imes, y’all did it. Special thanks to my brother Day Day, my partner Celeste, and the whole Ummah Tax Solutions team, including Mike and Christine: owners of all three check cashing locations Ummah Tax Solutions operate out of, please check them out. And to my children Jahara and Jermaine, I love you both so very much, little do you know that just the thought of you gives me strength to get through my toughest days. And none of it is possible without God, trust me, anything good we have come from Him!

Pricing:

• $49 College Student special for simple returns
• $65 single filer special with simple returns

Contact Info:

• Website: UmmahTaxSolutions.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ummahtaxsolutions/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UmmahTaxSolutions