(upbeat music) - [Narrator] This program was made possible by contributions to your PBS station from viewers like you.

Thank you.

(upbeat music) - [Narrator] "It's Your Business" with Michael Aikens is brought to you by WCTE, PBS, and the Tennessee Tech Center for Rural Innovation.

With funding provided by the Rural Reimagined Grand Challenge and the Tennessee Rural Development Fund.

- There's a popular saying that small business is the backbone of our economy.

Well, it's a popular saying because it's true.

Small businesses bring money into their local economies and provide jobs to local people.

And that is why it's so important for anyone who has a dream of owning their own business to seriously consider taking that leap and making it happen.

And for those willing to take the chance, we wanna show you that you don't have to do it alone.

There are many resources at your fingertips that can help you achieve your goals.

And there are many entrepreneurs out there with valuable advice that they have learned throughout their own successes and failures.

(upbeat music) While the idea of starting your own business may seem scary to some, there's another breed of person who dreams big and jumps right in.

Our first guest, Tahir Rajab fits into the latter category.

Tahir not only started his own business, he began to see opportunities everywhere for more businesses.

With the goal of bettering the world around him, Tahir took seven businesses to the next level in an effort to achieve that goal.

And now to hear has scaled down and turned his focus into five of those businesses that are having an impact reaching far beyond the Upper Cumberland.

(upbeat music) We're here in Sparta, Tennessee, talking with Tahir Rajab, entrepreneur extraordinaire, owner of many businesses, Tahir, I'm so happy to have you on the show, welcome.

- Thank you.

- We got so much to talk about today.

You own five businesses, is that correct?

- That's correct, yes, sir.

- So, very briefly, just tell us a little bit about each of those five businesses and then we're gonna learn more.

- Sure.

So the first one is, RH Care stands for Retire at Home Senior Care, which is not a medical home health company, basically providing caregivers to seniors and disabled members of our community.

The second company I have is called Pro Air Medical.

It is a home medical equipment company that sort of provides CPAP machines, BiPAP machines, oxygen hospital beds, things like that.

The third company that I have is a property management company.

It's called One Heart Cleaning in Nashville, Tennessee.

The fourth company that I have is here in Sparta.

It's called TLT, which stands for The Lord's Table.

It's been around here for 42 years.

And the main product that we do here is custom furniture.

And within that industry it's directer chairs, tabletops, and other chairs for restaurant seatings.

And the fifth company that I own is One Heart Apparel, which is here in Sparta, in Dayton, and in McMinnville, those three locations that we have.

And primarily what we do there is contract decoration for apparel, which is embroidery and screen printing.

- Well, you know, most people that we have on the show, they've got one, maybe two businesses at most.

You've got five.

And when we were talking previously, you actually had seven.

What led you to be able to, or more importantly, why did you decide to open five businesses?

- Yeah, that's an interesting question.

So I'm very passionate about creating a better world through businesses, okay?

So when I was young, when I was in college, I was involved in a lot of non-profits and trying to improve the world that we live in.

And I figured out that it's very difficult to do through nonprofits and it's very a lot more efficient to do it through some industry that I'm in.

So I would watch some kind of documentary, that's how it led to these businesses.

And I'll get passionate about particular issue the documentary was talking about.

And then I would go and find a company that was within that industry and buy that company out.

And they changed that company in order to have positive impact on the society.

- So we're sitting here today at The Lord's Table and you know, it's a very active factory here.

I mean, just sitting here right now, you can hear things going on.

- Yeah.

- [Michael] So tell us a little bit about what you're doing.

You know, you said director's chairs?

- Yep.

So at The Lord's Table, the primary product is the director chairs.

It's been around since 1892, so they've been producing these chairs for over a hundred years.

So it changed hands several times.

And just recently, I bought the brand and the company here about a year and a half ago from previous owners here.

And so, yeah, the director chairs is the main product that we do here.

But, you know, we do other things as well.

And the director chairs I use in film industry, and makeup industry, and trade shows as a gift item, 'cause it's personalized.

You can put your name, you can put your logo on it.

It's been around for so long.

It is kind of embedded in the American fabric.

Yeah.

- And you're doing this for Hollywood?

- Yeah.

- You're doing this for other places.

I mean, I think you're even doing what?

Christian Dior?

- Yeah.

So we have a contract with Louis Vuitton.

So Louis Vuitton owns several brands.

One of the brands that own is Dior.

So we do pretty much, if you go to any Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy's stores, Nordstrom, you go there to the makeup section, you're gonna see our chairs there sitting with Dior on it, or Chanel.

And we do a lot of actors as well.

So Keanu Reeves, Selena Gomez, we haven't done Taylor Swift yet but (laughs) Arnold Schwarzenegger, I mean, you name it, we've done it.

And these chairs are just used in so many places.

- And it's being done right here in Sparta, Tennessee.

- Right here in Sparta, Tennessee.

You would not know that it's done here.

And a different changing factor between us and somebody else is that it is still made in America.

It is still made here by ourselves from beginning to end.

It's not outsourced to China, Vietnam, Mexico, anywhere else.

It's done right here.

And people love that.

So turnaround time is fast.

We buy all our wood from a sustainable forestry places, which means, you know, whatever they cut, they have to replant at least five more trees.

We are moving towards, you know, upgrading our finishing line from being oil based to eco-friendly water base and changing our canvases from regular cotton to a hundred percent organic cotton.

So just people love that kind of stuff here.

- Well, and how cool is that?

And not only do you have this widely recognized brand, it's made here, - Yes, sir.

by people right here in Sparta.

Right here in the Southern US.

Now what I'm curious about, you own all these businesses.

- Yeah.

- You went to college.

- Yeah.

- What did you study in college?

How did you learn how to do this?

- Yeah, interesting.

So my first semester actually was marketing, okay?

And the teacher said, in order to be a great marketer, you have to learn how to swim with sharks.

Well, I didn't want to be a shark at that time.

I just wanted do good for the world.

That was my passion for a long time and still is.

And so I decided to switch my major to become a doctor.

Okay, so my mother's side, the all doctors and lawyers, my father's side, they're all business people, they're all entrepreneurs.

All right, so I did a semester to please my dad.

And I switched to become a doctor and then went to pre-med actually at JSU.

And while I was studying, I realized that it's gonna take a lot longer.

I was getting married right after graduation, so I switched my majors from pre-med to nursing, and I finished my bachelor's degree in nursing.

- So you've got a nursing degree.

- Yep.

- But you're owning all these businesses.

- Yeah.

- You know, some people may think that those don't align, but I'm willing to bet that there's probably things that you've learned as a nurse, - Yeah.

- that you've been able to apply in your business.

Would you agree with that?

- A hundred percent, definitely.

I mean, I believe every experience that a human being has within their lifespan, whether it is studying, or just a life experience, if they're able to connect the dots, they should be able to utilize that past experience, to move them forward in the future in any avenue they want to take.

But obviously every experience is different.

And the best experience I've seen is the ones that have the most emotional charge behind it.

And it's not just the books that you're learning, but since actual on the ground, it's somehow emotionally impacting you where it is ingraining in your brain.

- What I have always found about nurses is a couple things.

And first and foremost, they are compassionate and they're passionate about what they do.

And I see a lot of that resonating with you.

How you operate your businesses, how you are with your employees.

And you know, even to that logo that's on there, right there, One Heart you keep mentioning One Heart that resonates a lot.

Tell us a little bit about what does that actually mean?

- Everything I do has some kind of background behind it.

It's not just haphazard.

You just wake up and decide something.

So same with One Heart.

I was trying to figure out how do I condense all my beliefs about creating a better world through the industries, through the companies that I own and engaging with the community to make it a better place.

I wanna leave this world in a lot better shape and place to be for my children and other children than what I inherited, all right?

So how do I put all that into one?

Every action is by its own intention.

So before anybody starts doing anything, they intend to do it.

And I believe that intentions generate in the heart.

And the heart is a seed of love.

And the reason that I came out with a name One Heart is to indicate that we as human beings are collectively just one body.

And my success is your success and my suffering is your suffering.

And I feel you, you should feel me.

And therefore we should try to, you know, do good to each other.

And so to encompass all these ideas into one thing, I came up with One Heart.

So we're all together as one.

And that's where it came up.

- And you're making that dream and passion alive every day.

I love it.

- Oh yeah.

Trying to.

- Tahir, thank you so much for this.

I have really thoroughly enjoyed this conversation.

- Yeah, thank you for having me.

(upbeat music) - Passion is a powerful tool in the world of entrepreneurship.

It can help motivate a person to take bold chances.

And Matthew Belcher is the perfect example of that.

He grew up as an off-road enthusiast, climbing hills with dirt bikes and other off-road vehicles with a passion to build even bigger and better machines to get him up those hills.

With a small start in his garage, people begin to see the amazing machines, his skills and expertise brought to life.

And now Matt owns his own business creating off-road vehicles and parts for people all over the world.

(upbeat music) We're here in Cookeville, Tennessee talking with Matthew Belcher, owner of APE Built, that's Appalachian Performance Engineering.

Matthew, thank you so much for being on the show.

- For sure.

Thanks for having me.

- So let's talk all about APE Built.

What is it?

Tell us about your business.

- We're a manufacturing company.

We do a lot of Jeeps and we build axles from scratch.

We also build full tube chassis, but also general manufacturing and fabrication.

So whether it's CNC work, welding, tube bending, we're kind of unique with some of the tools that we have being the bending capabilities.

And, you know, outside of the normal manufacturing being press breaks, we also, you know, have some unique CNC tube equipment and CNC benders.

- And so you're working on a lot of Jeeps, right?

So these big performance Jeeps.

You've got some Toyotas too.

What kind of clientele do you have?

Why do people want a Jeep like this?

- I tell you, 'cause I mean, we get out there, it's really the adrenaline rush, you know, the side-by-side market being Polaris RAZORs.

A lot of guys are into the side-by-side market, but we're kind of more into the full size market being Jeeps and rock buggies, and rock bouncers, rock crawlers.

But I'd say it's kind of the adrenaline rush and also being out there in the outdoors world, you know, it's good to get away, shut off all the electronics these days.

I mean, a lot of people are involved in electronics nonstop, but it's good to go out in the wilderness, shut that stuff down and go four-wheeling with your buddies and have a good time.

So we build the rigs that basically can get you up the hill reliably.

Yeah.

- Yeah.

So this is not something that you can just go to the dealership and buy.

This is something that, you know, I've got a Jeep, I bring it to you.

- Yeah.

- And you're really gonna take care of it.

- Yeah, for sure.

And that's kind of one of the things that makes us unique over other companies is, we don't just do the bolt on parts.

We are a manufacturing company.

So when we're building a Jeep, we can build our own trusses.

We can do, you know, kind of our own suspension systems.

We can make it more capable with what we've found that works.

We're a manufacturing company mixed with performance motorsport.

So should we need to change something, or should we need to redesign it, we can do that and we can spit it out and we can weld it together.

And yeah, so I think that's one of the things that really separates us.

- Now how long have you been in this Jeep and rock crawler ecosystem?

- It's been my whole life.

It's been a passion of mine.

I've had a couple more businesses, but you know, this has always been my passion.

So running myself, ragged, you know, entrepreneurs, it's nonstop work.

You know, you quit a 40 hour work week to go work 70 hours for yourself and not make as much money, but it's the enjoyment, it's the freedom.

I'll never go back to working for somebody else because I love the extra work that it takes.

You know, you're building something, you're building something and you're passionate about it.

But yeah, I've been in the Jeep market basically my whole life.

And growing up I was riding dirt bikes and then when I got to the age where I could drive, I bought a Jeep and then I started building it, and then, yeah, I just kept building and building and building.

You see what works and you see what doesn't, and you fix it and you go back and do it again.

- Now, when did you start APE Built?

- I opened kind of outta my garage in the year 2015.

And by 2018 it got to the point where I opened to the public.

So I was doing outta my garage two door garage is where we started.

And then I got so busy everybody coming in and wanting me to do work, that I sold some other businesses and bought more tools and basically went full bore on it.

So 2018 would be the official date when I opened to the public.

- Now you said you sold some businesses before this.

What were you doing prior?

- I was in the Navy for a while and then I got out and, you know, my stepdad was an entrepreneur, he had a construction company, he had a trim company.

So he kinda, my stepdad kind of opened my mind to that, to see the possibilities of owning your own business.

So I learned a lot from him.

But then, so when I got outta the Navy, I started a landscaping company, an insurance agency.

And the reason I started an insurance agency, which is really not me, I've grown up in the construction industry and four-wheeling industry and dirt bikes.

But I wanted to learn how to sell and I figured if I wanna learn to sell, let me open an insurance agency.

I opened an insurance agency, I had that for a few years and then I sold the book of business basically.

And then I sold a landscaping company that I had, and then I sold a rental property and took all my money and put it into this business, 'cause manufacturing is not a cheap one to get into.

- How are you getting your name out there?

- So we do some Google, we've got a website, which is APEBuilt.com.

And then we also do a Google business page.

We've got Facebook, Instagram, I've tried to do a little bit on LinkedIn as well.

But yeah, a lot of our clients aren't local clients.

We're based outta Cookeville, Tennessee.

But I would say probably 60% to 70% of our business is not local.

But a good 30 to 40% is here with local companies and also there's a Jeep Club, Cobalt Offroad Jeeps, and then there's also Middle Tennessee Jeeps.

We do a lot of things for the Jeep community.

So regears, I'd say that's kind of our local work, but building vehicles, we shipped an axle set to China, we've shipped them to Texas, we've shipped them to Canada.

So we shipped stuff kind of all over the United States as well as internationally.

- You talked about being an entrepreneur earlier and you gotta roll with the punches.

Tell me if you don't mind, - Yeah.

- what are some of the biggest challenges that you faced and how did you overcome those?

- Cash.

Cash is always one of the hardest parts.

Payroll wear you out.

It's one of the hardest things.

You always gotta make payroll, you always gotta take care of your employees, but at the same time, you're trying to grow a business.

So there's a lot of times I've gone months without taking a paycheck, you know, and then you take a little bit of a paycheck, you pay your bills.

In my entrepreneurship days, I've, you know, bought off dollar menus and, you know, down to my last negative in all my accounts, you know, your negative across the board and your personal accounts, your business accounts, but you just keep going, you know?

And keep going, then it comes back and then you've got this, but you've gotta float payroll, you've gotta take care of guys.

So cash is always king in a business.

So if you're trying to start a business, save your cash, watch your cash very closely.

Even at this stage in my business, we're on a rollercoaster, you know, we get a lot of jobs and then we're paying out and it's always ups and downs, but that's what makes it enjoyable at the same time.

- So are you also the head accountant here?

- No, but I log into my bank account every day.

I tell you that, I gotta see where the money's going and yeah, that's not my kind of forte.

I know how to read numbers, and I know how to watch stuff, and I know where the spending's going, but a lot of the market and a lot of the money flows through is parts because we're in the high performance motor sports industry and motors, axles, all these parts are very expensive.

So yes, I have to know where the cash is going.

- You know, you are a leader as the entrepreneur, you know, you have your employees, but it's much more than that to you.

What would you say your approach to leadership and management is?

- Show 'em that you care.

I mean, show 'em that you care.

There's also a book I read called "Lincoln on Leadership," about Abraham Lincoln.

And the difference between him and a lot of other leaders is, he went out there and he talked to his guys in the field.

Each person, people are always the hardest part, whether it's payroll, making payroll every week, but also taking care of your people and every person, I learned this in the Navy, 'cause I was running the engineering department by the time I got out, but every person has something going on in their life.

And you have to listen to that person.

You have to try to work with that person because if that person's not happy, or if they have something that's bothering them, they're not gonna work and they're not gonna put out.

You have to be a leader by guiding them and helping them.

And then they will in turn help you that much more because they see that you care.

- So this show we've been on for four seasons, we got over 1.3 million people in our viewing area, WCTE.

Some of them watching this show are thinking, I might start a business, but they just haven't crossed that fence yet.

What would you tell them?

- You just gotta do it.

I mean, you can figure out and do it, or you're gonna have regrets later.

You know, I've got some guys that I've talked to before and, you know, they've seen how we've grown over the years and they come in, they're like, man, you guys are really doing it.

Ans then they say, hey, I'm in the same spot that I was in two years ago.

And it's, you just have to take that action, you know, whether you know how to do it or not, you figure it out along the way and kind of like rolling with the punches.

You just gotta one step at a time.

You just suck it up and keep going.

Yeah.

- Well, last question for you.

It's always my favorite to ask.

- Yeah.

- Thinking about when this all began, 2015, you're in your garage, 2018, you open it up to the public.

What do you know right now that you wish you knew then?

- I wish I had more experience CAD back then, you know, so I taught myself how to draw on CAD.

All the stuff that I did on the front end was all on graph paper.

And if I would've just opened the computer and taught myself CAD back then I would have a lot more files.

I would've been a lot more ahead of the game.

But I mean, everything else is a lesson, you know?

So there's definitely been failures in my journey.

There's definitely been successes, but you learn more from the failures, I will tell you that.

And the failures teach you a lesson and they make you pay attention better.

So as an entrepreneur, you have to keep rolling with the punches.

And if you don't pay, if you don't take a minute and step back and, you know, kind of think about the things that have happened, why they happened, what led up to that happening, that's the lesson and the lessons you have to pay attention to.

- It's such important advice.

Matthew, thank you so much for being on the show.

- Yeah, I appreciate it.

Thank you guys for having me.

(upbeat music) - The Business Resource Collective is a partnership of organizations, including the BIZ Foundry, the Tennessee Small Business Development Center at Upper Cumberland Development District, Tennessee Tech Center for Rural Innovation, and WCTE, the Central Tennessee PBS affiliate.

These organizations understand that the journey to becoming entrepreneur is different for everyone and can seem scary and overwhelming in the beginning stages.

To take those first baby steps, the Biz Foundry is an excellent resource.

They're an entrepreneurship center that is dedicated to helping you turn your business ideas into a reality and aid non-profit organizations as well.

The Biz Foundry is a non-profit themselves, so they understand the need for free and affordable small business help, and they can provide just that.

Most known for their free workshops, start up your startup and test it before you invest it.

The Biz Foundry will give you the tools to build a strong foundation as you begin your small business.

The Biz Foundry isn't only a place for startup businesses who are looking for supportive connections within an entrepreneurial ecosystem, but they also offer rentable coworking spaces.

If you prefer not to work from home, or if you need a space that is affordable and provides everything you need to be successful, a coworking space is perfect for you.

These spaces provide colored printing, a private phone booth for important conference calls, room to host your business events, or your basic conference rooms to meet with your customers or colleagues.

Connecting with the Biz Foundry is a great place to start if you're not sure where to begin and they also have multiple locations depending on where you are located here in the Upper Cumberland.

Check out their website and find them on social media to connect with the Biz Foundry today.

Being an entrepreneur can bring on so many rewards, but also comes with its own challenges.

You don't have to face these challenges alone, due to the small business resources available right here in the Upper Cumberland.

Another great organization is the Small Business Development Center at the Upper Cumberland Development District in Cookeville, Tennessee.

The TSBDC for short, offers free business coaching for any phase of business.

Your personal advisor focuses on helping your small business overcome all the challenges and roadblocks you may face during your journey as a new or a seasoned entrepreneur.

Your personal advisor can help you redefine your business idea, give you the tools to create a business plan, help with assessing your finances, and even give you important funding information, or assist in the loan application process.

If you have successfully sustained your business and are ready for retirement, the TSBDC can also assist with your legacy planning as you prepare for a new life of retirement.

Whether you're looking to grow, scale, maintain, or transition out of your business, connecting with the TSBDC is a fantastic free resource to take advantage of.

Are you ready to connect?

Visit their website now to find and schedule an appointment with your own personal advisor.

The Upper Cumberland region is a great place for entrepreneurs to start or expand their business due to the tremendous growth in tourism, economic development, and overall prosperity.

And that's where the Center for Rural Innovation comes in.

They offer free technical assistance available for local entrepreneurs and organizations in our rural region that can assist with a variety of business needs.

So you may be thinking exactly what is technical assistance?

Well, technical assistance is providing support to an organization or small business with a development need or issue.

Our community has benefited from the help and technical assistance that's provided by Tennessee Tech University.

Tennessee Tech developed the Center for Rural Innovation Program, whose goal is to create companies and build economic development by providing technical assistance to Main Street businesses and entrepreneurs within the tourism, technology, innovation, retail, agriculture, and more sectors.

The Center for Rural Innovation has been able to provide interns to small businesses and different chambers of commerce in the Upper Cumberland.

The Center for Rural Innovation interns have created tourism branding packages, logos, marketing materials, and have even built one page websites at no cost for small businesses.

If you're a small business, or a nonprofit that's focused on saving money, especially when it comes to needing these types of services, but you can't afford to pay a big company price, the Center for Rural Innovation is a perfect fit and at no cost to you or your business.

In closing, we've had a fantastic season four of "It's Your Business," and I want to thank all of our viewers, our guests, and the organizations who continue to provide amazing resources for our Upper Cumberland community.

A big special thanks to WCTE, the Central Tennessee PBS affiliate, who gives us a voice and supportive platform to continue inspiring education, fostering innovation, and assist in strengthening the vitality of our region.

For more information on today's topics, please visit the WCTE website.

And to learn more about free small business resources and expert assistance, visit the Business Resource Collective website.

Until next time, I'm Michael Aikens.

Including the organiza- (mumbling).

I'm gonna make them (indistinct) Craig (indistinct).

Going off the rails Craig.

Train has left the depot.

(imitating a train) Puff, puff, puff, puff, puff.

(logo chimes) - [Narrator] "It's Your Business" with Michael Aikens is brought to you by WCTE, PBS, and the Tennessee Tech Center for Rural Innovation with funding provided by the Rural Reimagined Grand Challenge and the Tennessee Rural Development Fund.

(upbeat music) - [Narrator] This program was made possible by contributions to your PBS station from viewers like you.

Thank you.

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