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Mejire Arijaje - Founder of MinutemanPress & Synergy Home Care
- Gen-Achievers
- Jun 8, 2020
- 7 min read
Updated: Feb 19, 2021
There we have it..... another interview with an outstanding millennial! For this interview, we at Gen-Achievers wanted to learn more about being an entrepreneur in a family-owned business. After further consideration, we reached out to co-owner of MinutemanPress (Philadelphia & Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania) as well as owner of Synergy Homecare (Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania), Mejire Arijaje, to learn more about building two successful brands simultaneously.
Mejire's responses to each of our questions are simple, but provide a great amount of detail - a skill that all salesmen and owners of businesses should obtain early on in their careers. The hands-on learning and abilities to network are two contributions that have enabled Mejire to prosper as a young business owner.
We'd like to thank Mejire for his time in providing in-depth feedback to our interview questions as well as congratulate his commitment in not only having control over two businesses in the local area, but also creating a positive impact in his community. We hope that he continues to support others' through his expertise as an entrepreneur.
Give us what a typical day looks like in the shoes of Mejire Arijaje.
A typical day usually starts with me getting into the work place around 7:00 am - 9:00 am, and catching up with my co-workers for about an hour (regarding personal and professional matters). On some days, I'll stay at work with the rest of my team in order to fulfill the jobs we have in-house. I'll also use these certain days to check on our social media accounts in order to respond to questions and/or concerns as well as review initiatives that may or may not be working.
On other days, I'm usually doing some form of outreach such as; shopping around for potential business, catching up with any scheduled meetings, and/or dropping in on my current clients to catch up with them to see if there is anything else we can do for them. Whenever I have the opportunity, I'll volunteer at the public school in my local area, attend trade-shows to boost awareness about our brands, or remain involved in Philadelphia with other events that will support the growth of our business.
It seems like you've always had the entrepreneurial spirit - you're currently the owner of Synergy Home Care and co-owner of Minuteman Press. Could you go into detail about both businesses, and how & when you decided to pursue these opportunities? How can people learn more about your businesses (i.e. websites, social media pages, etc.)?
Our particular franchise was opened by my father in 2008 in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which we have be able to open another location in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. His inspiration to start the business came after he worked as a realtor, and noticed how much printing realtors constantly requested. After the housing market fell in the same year (2008), he decided to officially open our first location.
Since day one, I was always involved with the business in terms of doing door-to-door outreach in South Philadelphia to advertise the opening of our business as well as help with any other assignments. I joined the business full-time after graduating from my undergraduate studies in 2016 by handling the sales and marketing of both locations as well as also the day to day operations in Bala Cynwyd.
My decision to join the business came when I was working at Vanguard as a financial processor - I realized that it wasn't really something I enjoyed doing. At the time, I was hoping to get into the marketing industry, which was also the same time my family bought the new location in Bala Cynwyd. With this in mind, I saw this as an opportunity to work directly on all marketing procedures for my family business.
At the moment, we maintain a steady staff of eight - my father, Jude, and I are the main salesmen, while our other employees are in production. We also decided to open Synergy Homecare of Bala Cynwyd; another franchise that we established in April 2019. For this business, I am in charge of most of the operations. While doing this, I'm splitting my time still doing sales and operations for Minuteman. We decided to pursue Synergy Homecare because of my family's background in healthcare. My mom is a current nurse and also helps me with consulting in the business.
Minuteman Press | Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter: @Phillybalammp
Synergy Home Care | Instagram: @Synergyhomecarebalacynwyd
Becoming an entrepreneur has it's benefits unlike other career paths, but isn't made for everyone due to the commitment & sacrifices it takes to run a successful business. The fact that you are already active within two separate businesses is impressive enough on its own, and your experiences within both of them can help many of us who are in the early stages of growing our own companies. What are some quick tips you can provide to others about certain skills they should obtain if they want to grow their own businesses successfully (i.e. time management, communication, etc.)?
Time Management - For me, I divide my day in two ways. First, any initiatives that can only be accomplished between the normal business hours of 8:30 am - 5:00 pm is my main priority. After these hours, I do what I can to complete any other activities (i.e. working out, social life, etc.).
Networking - You need to constantly do this if you want to expand your circle of influence. This will help you gain essential knowledge, connect with like-minded individuals, develop your business effectively, and grow your personal brand overtime.
Sales - You need to become comfortable putting yourself in front of anyone in every situation in order to continue gaining business opportunities as well as strategically think about new methods to grow your business.
Like myself, you have your MBA; a reputable degree for business students especially in today's market. Could you shed some light on how graduate school has had an impact on your career as an entrepreneur as well as any suggestions you can provide for those considering to enroll in a master's degree program?
I completed my MBA program while learning the day-to-day operations of our business. This provided the capabilities to apply a lot of what I was reviewing in my coursework with real-world experiences. In this day-and-age, I believe that attaining a graduate degree is necessary to making yourself stand out from the crowd, take on additional responsibilities within the workplace (i.e. management positions), and potentially, receive more income within your field.
A lot of people believe that they need to "reinvent the wheel" if they want to build a successful company, but that isn't true at all. Instead, creating a niche in an industry or market will prove to be far more productive. Like your businesses, there are competitors out there that may have similar concepts, but the fact that yours have become a necessity for those in the communities that you serve is what separates yours from others. Could you explain more about how developing a brand overtime can have such a greater impact on a business instead of attempting to come up with something totally different?
Personally, I am a firm believer of not reinventing the wheel. Both of the businesses that we operate are franchises. The reason for this is that even though you are starting a business without generating any revenue, the brand that you decide to pursue may still be recognizable to your potential target audience. Thus, it makes things much easier to get some type of traction right away.
Most franchises have been around longer than most of our lives, and have encountered almost everything that allows them to know what works. Especially with corporations contributing a great amount of their time & effort to supporting the marketing of their brands, owning a franchise within a reputable organization can provide incredible support in-and-out of the organization as well as keeps things consistent (i.e. operations, brand recognition, etc.).
As always, we like to ask this question to see how others in our generations perceive our position in society. For some, they believe there is a shadow over millennials and younger generations in that we are "lazy" or "dependent" on others, and we are not striving to become tomorrow's leaders. What can you say to steer this perception into a positive picture for us all?
You can not be content in life, and need to put yourself in situations and positions where you feel valued and pushed. There will always be something or someone who will bring the best out of you. I don't believe we are "lazy" or "dependent" on others, but I we aren't placing ourselves among the best opportunities. We only remain stuck in positions because of the fear from not having a paycheck or security.
When it comes to our passions, you're likely not living up to them if you only have a job for the reasons mentioned before. I know a couple of people in our age groups who have expressed their desires to start a business, but have become so wrapped up in their 9-5 jobs to even attempt to try it. We need to bet on ourselves since we are all talented in one way, shape, or form!
When you're not at work, what are some other things you do to maintain that work-life balance? How important do you believe balance is when it comes to being an entrepreneur?
1.) Work Out; 2.) Read; and 3.) Spend time with family and friends.
Balance is very important, business is tough. Knowing that you need to hit certain metrics may make us feel pressured to work as much as possible - this will only make you burn out faster. You need to have a set schedule and know when it's time to call it quits for the day.
Who are some people & influencers that you look up to? Are there any books, podcasts, etc. that you believe would benefit other young entrepreneurs?
I consider my father as a role model. He taught me that consistency is the most important thing in anything you do, and to never say that you can’t get anything done! Here are some others that give me inspiration: Atomic Habits; James Clear Givers Gain; The BNI Story; and Gary Vaynerchuk.
Are there any upcoming events that you are excited to talk about with Synergy Home Care or Minuteman Press?
Currently, there are no events or anything else we have planned. However, you can follow our social media pages to remain updated with any upcoming events we'll be offering.
Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers (e.g. tips, advice, etc.)?
You are the company you keep, and you need to be around people that you can learn from!
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