#communityovereverything: Jarret Willey

At CityCentral, we have all kinds of companies that call our centers home. From larger companies to those just starting out, we strive to create an environment for all businesses to thrive. As a product of that goal, our centers are home to a lot of entrepreneurs. One of those great entrepreneurial minds is Jarret Willey. Jarret’s passion for business and gaining knowledge has led him down many different avenues to discovering multiple aspects of all kinds of businesses. Jarret was kind enough to take some time to sit down with us and talk about his life, career and where he sees his business in the future.

I’ve always been infatuated with business.

            During our conversation, Jarret was emphatic about his passion for business. One of Jarret’s earliest memories of being interested in business comes from when he was around 12. He would track and watch stocks, and that is one of the things that sparked his interest in business. Jarret has spent his career working in consulting firms across Dallas. He began to build his own client base and as he gained clients and more business knowledge, he decided to start his own firm. As he grew his own company, Jarret began to learn all the aspects that come along with owning your own business, like how to do marketing and connect with more clients. Jarret said, “All these people that I’ve been helping need to know the same information about starting a business and making it thrive, so I connect people.” Through his career endeavors and connections he’s made along the way, Jarret has used his interest in business to learn about the inner workings of different industries. Forever asking “How does that work?” Jarret is constantly learning from his clients and implementing what he’s learning into his own business. Every business is different, and Jarret thrives when he can learn and adapt what he’s learned to benefit him, his clients and his business partners. 

I saw all these opportunities to help people with their business.

            Jarret’s curiosity for business has led him to become a knowledge bank for his connections and clients. Whenever he first starts working with a new client, he wants to learn as much about them and their business as possible. Knowing the inner workings of different industries allows Jarret to help his clients optimize their business practices. He doesn’t just want to help people with their taxes; his goal is to help people and their businesses be the best that they can be. Jarret shared with us, “I’ve gotten involved in a lot of businesses and learned about different businesses. Sometimes people are put off by me asking so many questions, but that’s how I work. Our goal is to help our clients get to their goals.” 

We take tax and business consulting to a whole new level.

When Jarret first started JW Tax, he started with bookkeeping and then gradually began adding and evolving his business to fit his clients’ needs. His goal is to continue growing and adding more facets to his business using his curiosity for business and his ever-growing networks. But what happens when the unforeseen happens and you have to change how you do business? That’s what happened to JW Tax and Consulting this past year during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jarret’s foresight and knowledge of business came in handy this year when the COVID lockdowns and restrictions hit a lot of different businesses. Jarret shared this with us about how their business changed, “We pivoted; the tax deadline was moved from April 15th to July 15th so we normally would have a whole cash flow coming in in April and we weren’t going to have it for another two months.” In preparation for a regular tax season, Jarret added employees and had everything ready, and just like that they switched to add packages to help consult businesses on how to deal with the impact of COVID. Jarret said, “We did consulting for at least 20-25 businesses to help them stay alive. We got them through and helped them get the PPP loans and consulted with them.” One of the most rewarding parts of Jarret’s business is how he gets to help people and their companies and helping during COVID was a great opportunity for him.

We want to thank Jarret for taking the time to sit down with us. We hope his career and journey inspire you to be curious about everything, and to always seek more knowledge about the world around you. It was great to interview him and learn more about him and his business. Be sure to check out JW Tax & Consulting.