Today we’d like to introduce you to Fahad and Waleed Zafar.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My name is Fahad Zafar and I am a co-owner of Aura Lounge located in Rockwall, TX. Me and my brother Waleed always spoke about starting a business of our own, but due to us having full-time jobs and not able to communicate much, we never had a chance to sit down and officially talk. One day he ends up quitting his job and we were able to talk and see each other a little more.
So my brother is a big Hookah fanatic and always did mention wanting to open up a Hookah Lounge. I was never really a Hookah type guy and truthfully never paid attention to this type of business, but after a couple of year of him constantly bringing it up I gave in
Next was coming up with finances and finding a city to open up our lounge I was and am still working full time in Rockwall. Me and my buddies always wanted to go somewhere after work but every place shuts down around midnight or before and I mentioned that to my brother.and started looking into Rockwall. After months of searching, we finally found a place which allowed us to open up a Hookah Lounge as well as Hot Teas, CBD, and a Vape Shop all in one. Truthfully we did not have sufficient funds to open up a lounge. We gathered up a little bit of saving, took a loan from my 401k, and got a friend to invest who put in a little bit of money as well. So with God’s will, prayers of our parents and our hard work, Aura Hookah Lounge officially opened its doors in October of 2017.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It was not a smooth ride what so ever. First of financially, we ended up using almost every penny we had on starting this business. We got screwed by the contractors and lost decent amount of money there but we are not the ones that give up easily. We still opened the doors with only $1000 left in the account and rest we left everything on God and prayers of our parents. We put in many hours a day. My brother running the place full time to me working full time at my job then running the place with him and getting 4 hours of sleep a day for months. There were times when me and my brother took naps on the couches when it was dead at the lounge. Slowly it started picking up and we understood our client’s needs and we set up our place accordingly.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Aura Tea & Hookah story. Tell us more about the business.
At Aura, we specialize in many different things such as Hookah, Hot Teas, Vapes, CBD, and Kratom. We have about 20 comfortable couches which are divided into five sections where we serve Hookah, six televisions, Vape Shop and some of the best Hot Tea you will ever taste. Quality of our Hookah and our customer service speaks for itself just look at our rating on social media such as Google, Yelp and Facebook. We have guests that come from as far as McKinney, Plano and even from the other side like Tyler and Commerce. We treat our guests just like we would like to be treated when we go for outing. We are most proud of how me and my Brother are able to manage this place. We don’t always agree on everything on business side but there is never a conflict between us. We always try to find the median ground and come up with a solution to everything. What sets us apart from others is our customer service and knowledge of our products. We will make sure when you walk out of our place, you will be satisfied and will leave with a smile on your face.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Luck has much to do with success but without your parent’s prayers and will of God, there is no luck. We are fortunate to have parents who pray day and night for our success. Our parents came from nothing. My dad was born in Pakistan since he was 14; he took care of all his siblings and his parents by working full time. There were times when there was not enough food to feed the family. He would starve at times, just so his sibling and parents can eat. Coming to the states definitely changed his life a lot. He has done anything from managing and working at the gas stations to driving a cab in New York. Our mom stood beside him in every aspect of his life from having nothing to maintaining a decent lifestyle. The reason I just stated about our parents is because they are our good luck.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2135 Ridge rd #103
Rockwall, TX 75087 - Phone: (469)769-1390
- Email: Aurateaandhookah@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aurateaandhookah/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/FeelTheAuraNow1/
- Yelp: https://m.yelp.com/biz/aura-lounge-rockwall-2
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