9-25-2024 8:55pm

Entrepreneur Profile: Meet Jonathan Anwar of Bound Brook, NJ

Donnella Tilery Editor

Photographer credit Christian Madrid

A natural entrepreneur, Jonathan Anwar has put forth his passion to create innovative opportunities. As a 15-year-old who relocated to a larger high school, Anwar morphed from a “new kid” to an in-demand DJ by pooling together limited funds to buy equipment to entertain at parties.

“It was a want for attention at first,” the 24-year-old owner of JJ Entertainment LLC recalled. “I started seeing people replicate what I was doing on a larger level. I started building a repertoire for myself. This was my first exposure to networking.”

Since then, Anwar has created, run, and sold a candle company; graduated from college (Rutgers University with a bachelor’s degree in digital marketing); and forged a path for himself as a talent agent, event promoter, and mobile DJ.

Working as a Disk Jockey for special events, concerts, and tours has remained Anwar’s passion.

“I was trying to reach financial goals, and I was reaching a ceiling,” he said. “Most people want me for about two hours. This is what the market is demanding. I couldn’t skyrocket my prices. I would have lost people booking me.”

The solution was to blend all of his expertise in event planning, promotion, DJing, serving as Master of Ceremonies, and more to launch his Somerset County-based business, JJ Entertainment, in August 2023.

“I was an entrepreneur honestly by heart,” Anwar said. “As a kid, I grew a lot of those skills.”

The challenge came in understanding how to differentiate his solopreneur mobile DJ side gig with his company. Earlier this year, Anwar began mentoring with SCORE Central Jersey certified mentor Stellario D'Urso, who has volunteered for the chapter for the last four years. D’Urso called on his extensive marketing and sales background to guide Anwar in defining his unique selling proposition. “He’s extremely driven. His business is already quite established and generating meaningful revenues,” D’Urso said. “He has all the qualities necessary to succeed. He’s very disciplined, and methodical. I was impressed when we met and continue to be.”

Anwar credits D’Urso for helping him operate more efficiently. He uses a virtual assistant for administrative tasks and works with independent contractors to provide various company services, including photography and videography.

“It is about the ‘us,’ the ‘we’ factor that’s going to make your business flourish,” Anwar recalled of D’Urso’s advice. “I always used to say ‘me, me, me, me.’ I completely took that out of my vocabulary. It’s not necessary to say I can do everything.”

D’Urso also encouraged Anwar to pursue his MBA, which he will begin in January. Anwar is also seeking his realtor’s license and has a job offer already from RE/MAX. He views both as career development.

“People throw parties in their backyard,” Anwar said. “It’s all just a big circle that comes back to my niche of entertainment.” The primary goal of building a company to provide him with a “sustainable cash flow” has already been realized.

“I’m excited to see what the world has for me,” Anwar said.

About SCORE

Since 1964, SCORE has helped 11 million entrepreneurs start or grow a business. SCORE's 10,000 volunteers provide free mentoring, workshops, and educational services to 1,500+ communities nationwide. With more than 30 mentors throughout Somerset, Hunterdon, and Middlesex counties, SCORE Central Jersey provides thousands of mentoring services annually to local small business owners through one-on-one counseling and small business workshops. For more information about starting or operating a small business, or finding a mentor, visit SCORE Central Jersey at https://www.score.org/centraljersey.