For Jeff Ali, co-founder of Snap Lending Texas, learning to overcome his introversion and refining his public speaking skills have been critical to his business success. Despite admitting to feeling nervous when speaking in public, this native-Houstonian entrepreneur has learned not to let fear paralyze him.
“I’m a real big believer in ‘sink or swim,’” said Ali during an interview. “I am still going to do the things that scare me, even though on the inside, I am nervous as hell.”
Over the past decades, Ali has built a successful career as a real estate investor and business owner. Ali’s company, Snap Lending, has provided traditional and non-traditional mortgages to countless hard-working families across Texas. Since its creation in 2018, Snap Lending has grown into one of the largest mortgage lenders in the Southwestern region of the Lone Star State.
At first sight, one is startled by Ali’s imponent voice and his rather mean-looking demeanor. However, Ali describes himself as an introverted, somewhat nervous individual with a deep entrepreneurial motivation.
Ali admits that learning to overcome his inner insecurities was critical to succeed in the real estate industry, a sector that has no room for introversion. In a recent interview, Ali shared some of the secrets that allowed him to suppress his inner doubts and transform into a proficient speaker.
Ali revealed that he likes to listen to motivational speakers and business leaders to learn techniques to empower himself and master the art of controlling a room.
“I listen to a lot of powerful businessmen on the internet,” said Ali. “I listen to the things they say and analyze how they act and control the room when they speak in public.”
Over the years, Ali has learned that the key to suppressing his inner fears and building a connection with his audience is “talking until something breaks the ice.”
“I know that the minute the ice is broken and I can see the body language of the person in front changing, I will become twice as powerful,” said Ali raising his voice in excitement.
During the interview, Ali anecdotally narrated a recent business meeting where he had to overcome the impostor phenomenon and take control of the room.
Ali recounts that he had a presentation with an all-female group of prominent realtors from the Houston area. At the beginning of the meeting, Ali admits having felt uncertain about the best approach to connect with his audience.
“When I entered the room, I was nervous, as you cannot imagine,” narrated Ali.
Ali came into the meeting and began speaking in front of the room to create his presence. However, Ali quickly realized that he was talking over his audience while they were all sitting down without engaging in the discussion.
“I realized that they kept looking up at me, but I knew how to fix it,” explained Ali. “I said, ‘my legs are feeling tired. Do you mind if I sit down?’ And, as soon as I said that I was tired, I showed that I was not commanding; I was giving the power back to them.”
This simple act of humbleness was critical to changing the dynamic of the meeting. Soon, the group of female realtors began actively engaging in the discussion, building a bridge between Ali and them.
“As soon as I sat down with them, I was cracking jokes and laughing,” said Ali. “What happened was that now I became human.”
Showing his human side allowed Ali to create a more welcoming atmosphere and ultimately connect with the president of the realtor group.
“You take power, and you empower; then, you take power, and you empower again until it clicks, and you can connect with the other person,” said Ali.
Since the early days of his entrepreneurial career, Ali understood that business success requires overcoming one’s limitations. Ali has cultivated the philosophy of never allowing fear to prevent him from pursuing a new business endeavor.
Today, Ali and his team at Snap Lending are working on expanding the company throughout other corners of Texas and neighboring states. Ali encourages his team and any entrepreneur seeking business growth to cultivate the mindset of pursuing their goals despite fear or incertitude.
“If you don’t try overcoming your fears, you already failed,” concluded Ali. “At the end of the day, what’s the worst that can happen?”
By Juan Sebastian Restrepo,
With Artistic Initiative Agency
