In this episode of the Business Blast Podcast, host Tyler Wagner interviews Jihad the Guide, a photographer and traveler who captures cultural experiences to inspire millennials. Jihad shares a pivotal personal story about relocating from New Jersey to Georgia, highlighting how adapting to new environments sharpened his resilience and opened business opportunities. He emphasizes that everyone possesses a unique perspective that can be expressed through art, fostering empathy and understanding. His core business advice is to maintain multiple plans and become a master problem solver, echoing Charles R. Swindoll’s quote about reaction versus events. He advises his younger self to act immediately, warning against procrastination. Jihad identifies self‑awareness as a key to happiness, describing the importance of recognizing one’s emotions and preferences. He recommends Gary Zukav’s The Seat of the Soul, noting its lesson about the “seed of the soul” and trusting intuition. His favorite quote, John C. Maxwell’s “It is better to prepare than to repair,” underscores the value of preparation. Finally, he provides his online handles (@iamjahadswan, @jahadtheguide) and website (www.jahaswan.com) for listeners to connect.
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Alright everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Business Blast Podcast. I'm your host Tyler Wagner as always. Today's sponsor is Authors Unite, and if you want to become a successful author, Authors Unite is the place to go. So head on over to authorsunite.com to check out a free case study that will teach you how to do exactly that, and now let's jump into the episode.
Awesome. Okay, so, um, Jahad the Guide, do you have any questions, uh, before we really kick it off?
Nope, I'm all set. I'm ready.
All right, man. Well, it's already recorded, so that's good. Here we go. I'm gonna introduce you and then we'll dive into the questions. So everybody that's listening, welcome to another episode of the Business Blast Podcast. I'm your host, Tyler Wagner. Today we have Jihad the Guide. He is a photographer and traveler who explores different places to capture cultural experiences, including food, art, and history to inspire millennials to explore the Earth's beauty while also offering his work through printed frames. So welcome to the show.
Thank you so much for having me, Tyler. I appreciate the opportunity.
Of course, grateful to have you on. So the first one I got for you is, what is the best story from your life that has an underlying valuable message?
I would say the best story from my life that has an underlying valuable message is the story of me moving from my hometown 2 years ago I relocated from New Jersey to Georgia, and it's been the most challenging yet rewarding experience I've had so far. When you move to a new place, there are many things you learn about yourself and you learn about the world. You realize that not everyone has the same experience of what life is. So, you know, you have to adapt to a new environment by utilizing, you know, past ways of living as well as new ways of living. And this essentially sharpened my ability to adjust to my surroundings and has led to many opportunities, great business connections, and overall new outlook on, you know, life.
And then, excuse me, what is the most valuable piece of information we should know that's within your expertise or industry?
That everyone has a unique perspective and everyone has the ability to share that unique perspective through art, literature, or even simple conversations. Showing others the world through your optics has the power to alter reality, actually. By giving someone a point of view that they never considered before, it creates an experience that leads to understanding compassion and empathy, ultimately making this world a lot better. I believe that creating an image that depicts your life experience can be transformative because images help us learn, they help us communicate, they help us educate, and they also inspire. So yeah, that would be the most piece of valuable information that, you know, I've learned from this industry.
And then what is your best piece of overall business advice?
So not necessarily industry-specific, My best piece of overall business advice would have to be to have multiple plans. In other words, you know, there are a million ways to skin a cat, so you should exhaust all options. Sometimes we face roadblocks and, you know, we're instantly discouraged. Instead, we need to shift our mindset and look at all roadblocks as, you know, opportunities to strengthen our entrepreneurial tenacity. It is actually a quote by Charles R. Swindoll that says, "Life is only 10% of what happens to us, and the other 90% is how we react." So how will we overcome this adversity? You know, are we going to go through it? Are we going to go over it? Are we going to go around it? That should be our immediate mindset whenever we hit that wall and feel like this is it. So to sum it up, I would just say, be a master problem solver.
And then if you— I couldn't agree more. And if you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would that be?
If I could give my younger self a piece of advice, it would be to do it right away. I've learned that the longer you wait, the more painful the task becomes. Growing up, there were many opportunities that I missed out on just because I wasn't fully prepared. And I believe that procrastination was my biggest struggle. So that would be the advice to my younger self, would be to do it right away, whatever it is.
And then kind of going a little bit down a different path, in your opinion, what is the key to happiness?
The key to happiness. I believe there are many keys to happiness, but one of the most important keys I believe is knowledge of self. In self-awareness, being aware of what you like, what you dislike, what makes you smile, what makes you laugh, what makes you uneasy, what makes you angry, and being able to recognize what you're feeling in those moments will increase your awareness, and that's where the magic happens.
And then what is the best book that you've read, and what was the number one thing you learned from that?
The best book I've read was called The Seed of the Soul by Gary Zukav. And the number one thing I learned from this book is what drives us every day to get up and be great or to get up and be average. And that is the seed of your soul. I've learned that, you know, we are multiple, multisensory beings and that these senses that we ignore or try to silence are actually our spirit guides that connect us deeper into nature and into the universe, basically listening to that. That, that voice, that believing in that gut feeling and trusting your intuition that is guiding you in the right direction. So, um, the book is called The Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukav. I would definitely recommend you guys check that out.
And then what is your favorite quote and why?
My favorite quote is, "It is better to prepare than to repair" by John C. Maxwell. And this quote gives me a full-screen visual on the importance of being prepared on the front end versus spending time and trying to repair something on the back end, prolonging your success. So in other words, proper preparation prevents piss-poor performance. Just, you know, be ready for what it is that you say that you want.
Absolutely, man. Well, dude, thanks so much for coming on. The last one I got for you before I let you go is, where can our audience best find and connect with you online?
You guys can find me at @iamjahadswan on social media. That is I-A-M-J-I-H-A-D-S-W-A-N. We're on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook. For travel photography and suggestions, art and culture, you guys can also check out my second Instagram, which is @jahadtheguide, J-I-H-A-D-T-H-E-G-U-I-D-E. T-H-E-G-U-I-D-E, or you guys can also visit the website at www.jahaswan.com. Feel free to reach out to me if you guys would like to connect or collaborate, and I look forward to growing with everyone on this entrepreneurial journey. And also, Tyler Wagner Wagner, I want to say thank you for creating this platform that allows us to tap in and learn from each other. You know, it makes the ride a little bit more smoother. So I just want to say thank you again for having me on.
Of course, man. Dude, thank you for coming on. I really appreciate that.
No problem. You have a great day. Thank you.
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