1 – Kindly give our readers an introduction to your business. Please include what your business is all about, in which city you are located and if you have offices in multiple locations/ cities.
Ans: Charm City Property Solutions is a real estate investment company that specializes in providing sellers with a unique one on one consultation service for our clients in unusual circumstances. We help home owners in all types of situations like when someone is facing foreclosure, divorce, behind on their mortgage, have bad tenants, and just about anything else! Currently we are buying houses for cash in the greater Baltimore, Maryland area and are expanding into Washington, D.C. and Virginia!
2 – Kindly give us a brief description about yourself (it should include your brief educational or entrepreneurial background and list some of your major achievements).
Ans: Jahmai Nicome is a real estate pro and a community outreach advocate in Baltimore, MD. Jahmai has earned his Bachelors of Science from Morgan State University and received an Masters of Business Administration from the University of Baltimore. After working in the Federal Government for 5 years he decided to set his on path and follow his entrepreneurial spirits by founding Charm City Property Solutions with the hopes of restoring vacant houses throughout Baltimore back to it’s original charm. He believes the most important way to provide service is by offering value and treating people fairly with honesty and integrity. He has worked with tons of homeowners over the past few years to provide win-win solutions to help homeowners get out of their unique situations. Jahmai has been a licensed real estate agent and investor for many years and has the knowledge and ability to help you, regardless of your situation.
3 – What inspired you to (start a new business venture) or (to make significant changes in an existing business)? How did the idea for your business come about?
Ans: I’ve always had a passion for Real Estate in some form or fashion but was always occupied with my salary job and I was scared to give it my all. It all changed when my 1st daughter was born in January 2012 and day in-day out I would have to leave the house at 5am while my family was asleep and then finally return home at 6pm. I slowly began to realize I was spending most of my day at a job that I did not like while being away from the people I love the most. I knew at that time I needed to make a change.
4 – What three pieces of advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs?
Ans: 3 pieces of advice I would give to budding entrepreneurs is to follow you’re passion over profits, master you’re current job, and be intentional. The hardest part of creating any business is to get it up and running. It’s like a train because you have to work really hard to get the wheels going in the beginning and get some Momentum but when you finally do, I assure you it will be off to the races. The 2nd thing would be to master you’re current job. It’s interesting the way life works that you might use the exact same skills that you’re currently using or at a minimum you will have to delegate. The only way to effectively delegate is to master the task at hand first so you can learn the pros and cons then you can steer you’re partner/employee in the right direction. Last but not least, whichever decision you chose, please spend time to focus and develop the why and the purpose behind why you want to start a business. This might seem cliche but there will be times when you have to be self disciplined and working for money will leave you burned out. Only when you find a purpose bigger than self is when you truly begin to experience consistent success.
5 – What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
Ans: In my opinion, the three skills needed to be successful is 1)discipline, 2) communication, and 3) accountability. I believe discipline is a skill that can be learned through daily habits which will eventually become permanently apart of you. There’s a saying that goes practice makes permanent. The 2nd skill would have to be communication because regardless of what sector you’re in, you will have to communicate you’re mission, vision, product to investors, stakeholders, customers, employees, etc. A good way to help with communication would be to study the different personality types and how best to craft the message to each recepient. We all have different personality types and likes to receive information in our own unique way. The third skill is having the ability to hold people, including yourself accountable. As an entrepreneur and a business owner, all the attention comes at you’re doorstep and you have to be ready and willing to accept the accolades along with the critiques.
6 – How many hours do you work a day on average?
Ans: It really varies due to my inconsistency but I try to work for a minimum of 4 hours a day. If you ask my family it might be closer to 10 hours with answering phone calls, emails, etc. but I’m not sure who’s right.
7 – To what do you most attribute your success?
Ans: I most attribute my success to my work ethic. I get my work ethic from my mom who is the hardest working person I know.
8 – How do you go about marketing your business? What has been your most successful form of marketing?
Ans: Marketing and sales is really the lifeline to any business, especially in Real Estate. We use a variety of different tools which can change from quarter to quarter but the most effective marketing channel for us has been massive outreach via cold calling, sms, etc.
9 – Where did your organizations funding/capital come from and how did you go about getting it? How did you obtain investors for your venture?
Ans: When it comes to funding, the beauty about wholesaling real estate is that you need little to no capital to get started. When I got started all I need was my phone, the internet, a list of leads to call, which was all less than $500. On rare occasion, I may keep a deal for myself and use the services of a hard money lender which I met during a real estate meetup. The reason why he entertained a conversation with me is because I had a great deal which I knew everyone can make money on. The key to networking and obtaining funding/investors is to provide value.
10 – What is the best way to achieve long-term success?
Ans: The best way to achieve long-term success is by developing and mastering short-term habits. Long-term success is just a bi-product of you’re daily routine so once you have a daily routine and you master it then the results will come naturally.
11 – Where you see yourself and your business in 5 – 10 years?
Ans: In 5-10 years I see myself shifting my focus to making a bigger impact in my community by focusing on commercial spaces and providing platforms and safe spaces for the youth to develop and cultivate innovation.
12 – Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most?
Ans: There aren’t many companies that I admire but I would say founders and innovators have more of an impact on me. With that being said the most would have to be Tesla and Elon Musk. In general, I just love people who are able to think outside the box, dare to dream, prove everyone wrong allwhile providing value and making the world a better place to live with the use of their products.
13 – What motivates you?
Ans: The ability to know that if I’m NOT available, then there will be a seller that’s in distress that desperately needs help and does not know where to turn. Having a house can sometimes be a burden, and my goal is to alleviate as much stress as possible.
14 – How do you define success?
Ans: I define Success by how much time you spend with you’re family. The main reason why I chose to become an entrepreneur was to get the time, freedom, and flexibility to spend with the people that I love the most.
15 – What has been your most satisfying moment in business?
Ans: The most satisfying moment in business has been when a seller by the name of Robert reached out to me after 2 investment companies failed to close on his property. He called me and it sounded like he was in distress and very frustrated so I immediately went to go meet him at the property the same day. When I arrived we sat on his porch for over an hour talking about life and I almost forgot the reason I came there to meet him in the first place. I don’t think I negotiated on the price because I really just wanted to help him get the deal done. After successfully closing on the property, he gladly gave me a testimony and is still a good friend till this very day.
16 – What type of culture exists in your business/company?
Ans: I would describe the company culture as leading with Value, choosing people over profits, and being the change we seek in our community.
17 – In one word, how would you characterize your business life?
Ans:Gratifying
18 – If you had the chance to start your career over again, what would you do differently?
Ans:If I had the chance to start my career over again I would’ve taken my first job more seriously. As a big picture thinker, I was constantly focused on how much impact my day to day tasks would have on the company instead of effectively crafting those discipline skills by consistently completing those minute tasks.
19 – What is your greatest fear, and how do you manage fear?
Ans: My greatest fear is not reaching my ultimate potential. I manage fear by controlling the things that only I can control and make progress toward my goals everyday.
20 – If you could talk to one person from history, who would it be and why?
Ans: If I could go back in time I would like to talk to Michael Jackson and try to understand what his work ethic was like to be the king of pop.
21 – What book has inspired you the most? (OR what is your favorite book?)
Ans: Most favorite book has to be The Go Giver. It completely shatters the notion
22 – What are some of the biggest mistakes you’ve made?
Ans: Some of the biggest mistakes I’ve made was failing to discuss difficult topics with employees upfront. Eventually the problem will arise and it will be harder to find solutions when you develop great relationships with you’re employees and would hate to see them go.
23 – What are your hobbies? What do you do in your non-work time?
Ans: I like to play basketball, travel, and visit nature trails and parks.
24 – What makes you happy?
Ans: I used to think happy meant that you’re content and not striving for perfection. As of the date of this interview(11/16/2020) my opinion has changed due to the pandemic and I’m happy every moment I wake up alive.
25 – If you were conducting this interview, what question would you ask?
Ans:How much time should you spend learning versus doing?
26 – What would be your answer to question 25?
Ans: Both are equally important and you should be constantly learning and doing everyday.
Company Detail:
Company : Charm City Property Solutions
Address : 1512 Round hill Rd
City : Baltimore
State : Maryland
Country: United States
Zip : 21218
Phone : +1 443-732-5240
Email : charmcitypropertysolutions@gmail.com.