Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tijuana Johnson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Tijuana, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
My resilience comes from a series of internal and external factors. I’m here for starters; it’s in my DNA. As a black woman born in the United States I, know my ancestors overcame many adversities which allowed the bloodline to continue. I would be doing them and myself a disservice to give up when times get tough. As far as the external factors, having a few individuals speak life into me and having faith in God has kept me going. Every day I’m allowed to wake up I know there is a reason I’ve been given another chance. I know my greater is coming. I never realized my level of resilience until it was brought to my attention on several different occasions. People would DM or text and say they admire how I never give up and how I continue to keep my head up during difficult times. Those words always came at the perfect moment.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Born and raised in Texas, I’m the Founder and CEO of Elite Biometrics, a hub that provides a complete suite of services for personal and business needs. Originally branded as Nitty Gritty Notary, Elite Biometrics was started in 2021 during the pandemic. I’m a veteran Notary Public and decided to leverage my notary stamp by becoming a loan signing agent. Success grew and so did the requests for related services. Nitty Gritty Notary soon began offering ink card fingerprinting and process serving. With the growth of business I needed to add an extra layer of protection and professionalism but also gain benefits, and that’s where the name Elite Biometrics LLC comes into play. What makes us unique is that we’re able to take care of our customer’s multiple needs at once without having to send them elsewhere. I am proud of the great reviews we receive and the wonderful people we’ve had the opportunity to meet. We’ve performed mortgage closings and fingerprinting for the blue-collar worker as well as the elite and a handful of celebrities such as football players and even television personalities. We offer self-paced notary public and ink card fingerprint training online. Although our company is still new we are M/W/SBE and HUB Certified.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Resilience, being teachable and flexible are three qualities that have been the most impactful in my journey. The best way to develop or improve on these skills is to be self-aware. If you don’t check yourself it’s possible no one ever will. No one wants to hurt anyone’s feelings or make them feel bad so they’ll never say anything. You have to be honest with yourself and surround yourself with those who will tell you what you need to hear not always what you want to hear. Never give up, be open to advice and always be ready to pivot, because the economy is ever-changing.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I really want to partner with a IdentoGo by IDEMIA. This company has the contract with the State of Texas and I would love to get a piece of that pie! As a M/W/SBE & HUB Certified business, this would be a dream come true. I’m already familiar with the services they offer and will be adding some of them to my company soon. Unfortunately, after reaching out to them a few times they explained there wasn’t enough demand where my office is located, although I disagree with them. I would also like to partner with companies who utilize the services I offer (fingerprinting and notary public) such as attorneys, schools, city entities and healthcare professional placement agencies. If you would like to connect with me please go to www.elitebiometrics.com or email me at tj@nittygrittynotary.com
Contact Info:
- Website: www.nittygrittynotary.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nittygrittynotary
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nittygrittynotary
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elitebiometrics
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@nittygrittynotary
Image Credits
Photo taken by: Kaia Kuffuor
