Made in Tarrant: Hurst company reduces financial illiteracy in underserved populations

August 10, 2024 Vaseline blog 0

Made in Tarrant: Hurst company reduces financial illiteracy in underserved populations

Editor’s note: Made in Tarrant is an occasional Q&A series on small businesses started in Tarrant County. Submit your business here.

Ray Williams Jr. founded his company, Greenway Capital Management, in May 2022. The Hurst-based business offers subscription-based personal financial counseling, coaching and educational products and services.

Contact information:

Website: yenomemitinc.com

E-mail: [email protected]

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@raywilliams80

Ray Williams Jr. told the Fort Worth Report about Greenway Capital Management’s history and how he strives to help others understand financial literacy.

Bob Francis: Tell us about your company and how it came together.

Ray Williams Jr.: The company was originally started to provide personal financial counseling and education to consumers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The objective has always been to decrease financial illiteracy by making financial counseling, coaching and education affordable and accessible to everyone. Over the past 19 years the company has conducted many free workshops to local churches and community groups, Junior Achievement, hosted radio talk shows on KHVN Heaven 97 and Fishbowl Radio, in addition to writing newspaper articles.

After providing services in the local market, I realized that there are masses of underserved consumers who do not have direct access to professional personal financial counselors and coaches. So I decided to combine my knowledge, experiences and technology to make our services available nationwide. First I wrote and self-published my book — hard copy and digital — “U’s Rules for Financial Success: How To Unlink The Poverty Chain” in 2020.

In 2021 I started mapping out my plan to produce digital courses, followed by subscription-based services in 2022. Subscription-based services provide consumers access to professional personal financial consultants and coaches at-will via email or by phone. Subscribers are able to get assistance when addressing financial issues without an appointment or paying hourly rates.

Services include credit management, home buying, cash flow management, investing in real estate, fraud prevention and addressing general financial issues.

Francis: What makes what you do unique or different from other organizations?

Williams: With all the “fake” financial gurus online, I make accessing professional personal financial counselors, coaches and educators affordable and easily accessible, in addition to providing consumers the ability to earn income in order to offset or recapture the cost of their subscriptions.

Our subscribers are our focal point, and it is my duty to make sure our subscribers receive value-added products and quality services. The unique aspect of my business model is making sure the company is meeting its objective of reducing financial illiteracy in underserved communities by continuously promoting the importance of financial literacy as the way to getting out of poverty. The most important part is stressing the point “financial literacy is our business.”

Francis: What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned since starting your own business?

Williams: The biggest lesson learned is to always be thinking, rethinking, planning, readjusting, visualizing and readapting in order to expand and grow.

Francis: What’s your favorite part of what you do?

Williams: Helping others become financially literate so they will understand that with financial literacy they can take charge and make financial transactions that can change their lives, their family and other people’s lives by passing on their financial literacy.

Francis: How did you found your company?

Williams: I originally funded my business out of pocket, and later I received a $15,000 loan from a nonprofit micro lender.

Francis: Anything else you’d like to share or mention?

Williams: As a Black person with no college degree who purchased a used copy of “Think and Grow Rich” for $1.75 at a garage sale at the age of 28, I made it my mission to learn real estate and personal finance. Since then I have been able to transform my life and become a personal financial coach and educator.

With millions of Black Americans living at or below the poverty line, or having below average net worths basically because of financial illiteracy, it is my mission to make a contribution and advocate for financial literacy.

Bob Francis is business editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at [email protected].

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