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EVP/Executive Publisher Steve Levine

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Contributing Writers Scott Blossom Frederick Crosby Barbara Davis Angela Fernandez Katy Kvalvik Hank Moore Caroline Peterson Gail Stolzenburg Mayor Sylvester Turner Mary J. West

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Publisher’s Advisory Board Denise Adjei Sonia Clayton Donna Cole John Cruise April Day Dr. John Demartini Maya Durnovo Kathie Edwards Mila Golovine Dory Gordon Richard Huebner Darryl King Wea Lee Bertrand McHenry Hank Moore Lisa M. Morton Leisa Holland Nelson Ingrid Robinson Maria Rios Rita Santamaria William Sherrill Gail Stolzenburg Mayor Sylvester Turner Jack Warkenthien

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CELEBRATING OUR 8 TH ANNIVERSARY

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO US! E ight years of publishing this iconic and powerful magazine with 8 years of successful entrepreneurs who share their words of wisdom with you, our readers. Is your business where you thought it would be? If it’s not, maybe you need to change up what you are doing to move forward. Giving You The “Best Of The Best” Advice From Our Cover Honorees

Here are a few words of advice from our past cover honorees to get back on track to reach and/or exceed your business goals:

1. If you are trying to please everyone and anyone, stop, because you cannot. 2. If you want to change your life and your business, you need to change something about your life or business to improve it. 3. Stop focusing on what was and start focusing on what is ahead. There is a reason that your vehicle’s windshield is much larger than the rear view mirror. Focus on where you are going and not where you have been. 4. We tend to overthink an idea or solution. Just do it! Even the worst idea executed is far better than the one you only think about or talk about. 5. Be different. You are not like your competitors. Your business is unique and has its own U.M.P. (Unique Marketing Position). Think Pepsi versus Coca-Cola. 6. Rediscover your “Why”. Why did you start your business and why is it different than your competitors? 7. Don’t listen to naysayers. Their opinions of you and your business are none of their business. 8. Expect some setbacks. Failing does not mean you are a failure. 9. Set your goals high and don’t give up! 10. Ask for help from those who want you to succeed.

You have only just begun 2020. The best has yet to come and your success is always in proportion to your efforts!

Success to You, Steve Levine Executive Publisher SMALL BUSINESS TODAY MAGAZINE

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YOUR GUIDE TO “BIG” BUSINESS ACHIEVEMENT MARCH I APRIL 2020 / HOUSTON Business today SMALL

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Ahmad Optima Global Holdings Alyasin

Friends and Loyalty Programs

5 Tips to Recession Proof Your Business

Finding Hidden Business Referrals

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FEATURES

Publisher’s Column

Hire Houston Youth (HHY)

Friends and Loyalty Programs

How to Adopt a Growth Mindset and Sell More Products

YOUR GUIDE TO “BIG” BUSINESS ACHIEVEMENT HOUSTON Business today SMALL

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HOUSTON Business Center MBDA

11 HCC/MBDA

ON THE COVER AHMAD ALYASIN — OPTIMA GLOBAL HOLDINGS

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5 Tips to Recession Proof Your Business

Finding Hidden Business Referrals

Show Your Sales Team How to Be Successful

Centrell Reed, President and owner of CReed Global Media, embodies the meaning of her name, which, according to her mother, means beautiful sunflower. Just as a sunflower spreads seeds, she also spreads seeds - seeds of knowledge for a pathway to success. Her lifelong propensity for coaching and mentoring others has led to her improving the confidence and healthy habits of young girls and enhancing the success of business owners. Not only has her knowledge and life skills touched the lives of many people, it has led her to develop and grow a thriving global media company.

After launching in 2018, CReed Global Media (CGM) has grown to garnering clients from all over the world including Germany, China, and Australia. CGM’s impressive network of collaborators offers a range of services to help aspiring entrepreneurs that include video production, consulting, and television distribution. Even though Reed’s role as President has been a labor of love, it has also been an intense one. “Being an entrepreneur has

17 CREED GLOBAL MEDIA

Centrell Reed of CReed Global Media (CGM) loves sharing the business of entertainment and helping business owners build their global media presence in television and beyond!

Ahmad Alyasin –Optima Global Holdings

From Rags-to-Riches with the Divine Help of His Mother’s Blessings

BY MARY J. WEST F or more than two centuries, people from all parts of the world have flocked to the U.S. in pursuit of the American Dream. These emigrants have left their families behind and all that they hold dear to come to a place where they have a chance to escape abject poverty and achieve a better life. They often arrive at our fair shores with little or no money in their pockets. For some, their hopes of financial prosperity are eventually realized. One shining example is Ahmad Alyasin, CEO of Optima Global Holdings and entrepreneur extraordinaire. He attributes his remarkable rags-to-riches story to a rather singular factor — his Jordanian mother’s divine blessings.

Ahmad’s family is always at the center of his life and heart! With him in this photo is his daughter Angel, his wife Enaam, his son Annas, his brother Hussein, and his son Allen.

Alyasin, CEO of Optima Global Holdings, has enjoyed extraordinary success. The journey from his humble beginnings to becoming a mega billionaire has been a wild ride and full of bold moves. This amazing entrepreneur’s life today contrasts starkly with his childhood and teen years in Jordan, the country of his birth. In Jordan, Ahmad and his family of 13 earned a meager subsistence through farming, specifically from selling the milk from their cows. They used a donkey for transportation and had none of the things that Americans take for granted such as electricity and television. In addition, instead of having indoor plumbing or an outdoor well, they got their water by collecting raindrops.

When Alyasin was 18 and studying for his high school diploma, his mother became gravely ill. During this time, he would visit her daily in the hospital. One day, upon his arrival at her room, he found an empty bed. The nurse gave him the devastating news of his mother’s passing but she also relayed a message of his mother’s final words that would be forever indelibly imprinted in his mind. It was the following: “I have prayed for Ahmad to go to the United States and succeed. Wherever he goes, may God open a window and make a way for him.” As Ahmad relates this tragic memory, he becomes visibly emotional. It’s evident that he believes the Almighty has watched over him each step of the way in response to his beloved mother’s divine plea. He also acknowledges that all the good things that have come to him were gifts from God’s bountiful hand.

Ahmad’s story of his metamorphosis from pauper to billionaire began in Jordan in 1977 when he applied for a visa at the U.S. Embassy in Jordan to go to America. Although he didn’t have the necessary requirements including a bank statement, means of financial support, and other necessary documents, he somehow managed to get the visa. Ahmad knew it had to be a divine influence orchestrating the circumstances because procuring the visa should have been far more difficult. “God was listening and watching,” stated Ahmad. After acquiring his visa, he still faced the obstacle of the lack of money

Upon His Arrival In Houston, Alyasin Had Only $300 In His Pocket.

to buy airfare to the United States. Nonetheless, since he was encouraged by seeing the Almighty’s intervening hand in acquiring his visa, he knew his family would somehow get the funds for the plane ticket. Eventually, his family managed to borrow enough money for his airfare plus an additional small amount of cash.

Upon his arrival in Houston, Alyasin had only $300 in his pocket but he believed everything would work out. He had a fervent desire to make something of himself, even though he wasn’t sure where to start. He didn’t know anyone in Houston, and even though he had the address of a school he desired to attend, he didn’t have a clue how to get there. In addition, he didn’t speak any English so he was unable to ask anyone for directions to the school. He had just begun walking when he encountered the first in a series of kind strangers who happened to be in the right place at the right time to help him in various ways. As he walked, he passed a gas station where, to his great joy and relief, he heard a man speaking in Arabic. Alyasin considered this chance meeting nothing less than a miracle. He approached the man and asked, “Can you please help me.”

Happy to be of service, his new acquaintance drove him to the school. Ahmad took the school’s exam and was told the tuition would be $220. After he paid the fee, he was left with only $80 to his name. He had heard that American schools had dormitories where students could get meals and have a place to stay, so he had assumed the $220 would also include food and lodging. Needless to say, he was quite dismayed to find out that the tuition he had just paid didn’t include these necessities. After the school closed for the day, Ahmad was sitting outside and wondering what to do next. Things looked quite bleak. He had no apartment, no car, and not even a blanket to keep him warm on that cold December evening. However, he wasn’t alone. Another student was waiting outside for his brother to pick him up who was running an hour late. While they waited, the two students started talking, Alyasin in Arabic and the Photo by Gwen Juarez

Photo by Gwen Juarez no money for clothes, but once again, a kind acquaintance stepped in to help.

Ahmad and his brother Hussein maintain a very close relationship.

classmate in English. This providential event turned out to be the second encounter with a kind stranger.

The new friend was from Jordan, so Alyasin shared his plight, telling him that he didn’t know anyone in the city. “Are you serious? Where are you going to sleep?” the classmate asked. “I don’t know. I only have 80 dollars,” replied Ahmad. In response, the new friend and his brother took him to the home of a Lebanese acquaintance who allowed him to sleep on the couch for a month. As God’s provision unfolded, the aspiring entrepreneur was reminded of his mother’s blessing and was awash in wonder. Ahmad’s new accommodations of a couch to sleep on in the apartment of a stranger didn’t come with meals, so he tried to subsist on eggs and white bread. Sometimes, he saved his pennies to buy a dozen eggs. It was clear that he badly needed to find a job, especially if he was going to eat!

Ahmad’s new friend had written on a piece of paper the English words he needed to say to ask for employment, so he set out on his quest. He passed a Church’s Fried Chicken restaurant and approached the owner about a job. The encounter turned out to be another remarkable coincidence as the owner was from Jordan and immediately agreed to hire him. After working for a time here, Alyasin secured employment in another restaurant as a busboy. At first, his position was in jeopardy because he was required to wear black pants and a white shirt which he couldn’t afford to buy. He picked up the items from Goodwill but they were so ill fitting that the manager wouldn’t allow him to work until he could get clothes in a more suitable size. He had The acquaintance was a bartender from the restaurant. He gave Ahmad the required attire that looked presentable enough and agreed to be reimbursed when Ahmad got his first paycheck. Although Alyasin’s job as a busboy had a shaky start, it eventually led to a better position. One day, the manager said, “You’re doing a great job. I want you to be a waiter.” In this role, he was able to make between $300 to $500 per night in tips which was big money in comparison to his income as a busboy or an employee in the fried chicken fast food business. Things were definitely looking up.

After learning English, Alyasin continued working but enrolled at the University of Houston where he majored in flight engineering. The trajectory of his life changed when one door of opportunity after another started knocking. In 1979, after amassing $12,000 in savings from his job as a waiter, he met a man who offered him a partnership in a business. In a bold, courageous move, Alyasin agreed to buy into the partnership. It turned out to be a wise decision because, four months later, he was able to sell the partnership at a $12,000 profit. This was quite exhilarating at the time, but it was only a small taste of bigger and better yields to come from business ventures in the future.

By 1980, Alyasin had his own game room business and $36,000 in his bank account. From this point on, he never worked for anyone else again. His next venture involved buying a limousine company for $80,000 which made a profit of $107,000 at the end of its first year. From there, Ahmad went on to own many other businesses including gas stations, convenience stores, check cashing enterprises, shopping centers, and resale shops. He even had an African and Middle East import-export business. Even though he was successful in his business endeavors, he seemed to be always working with little time for himself.

Ahmad is extremely generous with his time and business advice.

In 1994, Ahmad made a decision to take an entire month’s break from his work to study the business market and determine what kind of enterprises were the most profitable. He was particularly interested in finding options that would not require working twelve hours a day, seven days a week. His research revealed two big money makers: medical and financial businesses. Consequently, Ahmad opened a mental health community center outpatient clinic. Although it was profitable, he decided to sell it and concentrate on the type of business he considered even more lucrative, the financial arena.

Alyasin’s foray into the world of finance involved venture capital and initial public offerings (IPOs). While he had no knowledge, experience, or education in these areas, he refused to allow anything to deter him from going forward. He invested $4 million to hire an ex-CEO of a large financial company and others to partner with him in the venture, which he named Optima Global Financial. It proved to be one of his most successful undertakings. Today, Alyasin continues the IPO business and only deals with companies that earn mega profits each month. His business now has offices in various parts of the world. It assists clients with large-scale buyouts, recapitalizations, reverse mergers, and private equity funding. The company, Optima Global Financial, is aptly named because it has offices in London, Zurich, Hong Kong, Dubai, Jordan, and Brazil.

Extolling the profitability of IPO companies, Ahmad stated, “If you look at every billionaire in America and find

Ahmad hosts many events for important people and organizations at his own facility.

out how they made their money, it’s because of the market. Instead of buying and selling stock, the big money-machine involves IPOs”. He elaborated, “It’s the most profitable type of business in the world. Within the last few years, some of my best IPO portfolios have made a 400 percent increase, while the least profitable portfolios have made a 40 percent increase. In comparison, currently, the highest portfolios in real estate make a 6 to 8 percent profit.”

Photo by Gwen Juarez Photo by Gwen Juarez

The Optima Vitamin Company was inspired when Ahmad told his doctor that he had been feeling tired. In response, the physician prescribed Ahmad vitamins that gave him energy and made him feel relaxed. The positive results were the catalyst in the creation of Optima Vitamins, a company that makes supplements using all-natural ingredients. Pictured here, Ahmad’s lovely wife Enaam.

Most people would have stopped at this point in their entrepreneurial accomplishments but Ahmad is like the Energizer Bunny - he keeps going, and going, and going! Further ventures under the umbrella of Optima Global Holdings include real estate investments, Halfer Watches that are manufactured in Switzerland, Alyasin Car Dealership in the Jordan Free Zone, Luxor Manufacturing in Dubai that makes skincare products, detergents, shampoos, and hand sanitizers, Optima Skincare, Optima CBD (the first CBD being manufactured in Texas), Delaware Import and Export, Bluebonnet Apothecary Service and Compound Pharmacy, and Optima Vitamins.

The Optima Vitamins company was inspired when Ahmad told his doctor that he had been feeling tired. In response, the physician prescribed him vitamins that gave him energy and made him feel more relaxed. The positive results were the catalyst in creating Optima Vitamins, a company that makes supplements using all-natural ingredients. Today, it ships and distributes health products all over the world. As Ahmad reflects back over his life, he is filled with appreciation for his blessings. One of the foremost is his family. When speaking of his parents, his esteem and love for them is evident. “Always listen to your parents and never say “no” to them.” Even after all these years since their passing, Ahmad still sees them in his dreams. He is also thankful for his adopted hometown of Houston. “It’s an ethnically diverse city, so the residents know the stereotypes associated with Muslim Americans aren’t based on reality. In all the 42 years that I’ve lived here, I’ve never encountered discrimination. This is a gift from God.”

Most of all, Alyasin is grateful for the One who answered his mother’s divine prayer. “My journey to success has been beautiful, and I wish everyone could experience similar outcomes. All the things that have happened, the help from kind strangers and opportunities, have come from God’s hand,” he reflects. His mother’s final blessings and divine request for God to make a way for him was answered far beyond his hopes and dreams.

Ahmad’s Best Words of Wisdom

1. Have guts. What does it take to make money? It’s not necessarily the type of business, nor is it location, credit, or money that is critical. No, the key factor is to have guts. Many people have the funds to start a business, but they’re afraid to take the plunge. They worry about losing a large sum of money. The secret to success is guts.

2. Secure the right manager and marketing strategy. Next to guts, these are the most important ingredients to increase the likelihood of profitability.

3. Do your business the right way. This encompasses many things. Examples include having a good relationship with your employees, keeping your books accurate, and paying your taxes on time. Give attention to every aspect.

4. Help others. If you help those in need, God will always find a way to help you when you’re in trouble. I’ve always had a big heart. I’m there for a lot of people and do whatever I can for them. My assistance has included sending twelve family members to school as well as providing homes and setting up businesses for my brothers.

5. Give back to the community. I care for the less fortunate and help with community events and fundraisers. I also help by hosting these events in my private ballroom than can seat up to 200 people. The month of Ramadan is a month of giving but I try to be generous throughout the year. I contribute to a multitude of charitable and municipal organizations including the City of Houston Police and Fire Departments, Night of Superstars for special needs children and young adults, the Arab American Language Foundation, the Jewish Community Center, the Arab Community Center, the Turkish Center, and many more.

6. Value your experience. The path to profitability will surely vary with different people, but experience can play a key role. In my life, I’ve found that success is due more to experience than education. I went to college but never did anything with my degree. I had no mentor and no one to show me the ropes. I kind of learned as I went along.

7. Stay humble after you amass wealth. Don’t let having money make you think you’re better than other people. This can cause you to become obnoxious. Moreover, showing off will get you nowhere.

8. Don’t overwork. It’s good to strike the right balance between work and leisure time. Avoid doing business after 5 pm, and every three months, take a long weekend off and go on a trip with your spouse. Every six months, take a week off and every year, take two or three weeks off. I follow these steps and it’s been marvelous.

9. Take care of your health. I exercise and eat nutritious food.

10. Enjoy the fruits of your labors. Enjoy your life and don’t be cheap. I love my life. I eat well, travel well, and live the good life. I will never be cheap in regard to myself or my family and friends. Photo by Gwen Juarez