BY EMMA WHITEN
Jas Salh is an investment advisor and leader in the community she proudly serves. She considers herself to be a wealth advisor, as her business covers every aspect of her client’s financial journey from birth to retirement and beyond. While her business is thriving today, the road to success has been challenging, involving a lot of sweat, tears, and late nights tasks. Despite these challenges, Jas has stayed true to her work by drawing inspiration from her faith. Her mother’s experiences have helped her grow and focus on building her own business and giving back to the community. Integrating her business knowledge with the not-for-profit sector has given Jas a great sense of pride.
Jas Salh recently combined her passions for business and non-profit work by stepping up to become one of Surrey’s 50 Women of Options, a capital campaign raising money for affordable housing units in Surrey, BC. In partnership with Options Community Services and Habitat Housing Society, Jas works alongside 49 other local women to raise the $1.5 million required to build the housing units. All 50 women involved have pledged to raise $25,000 each in support of this project. She hopes that this article and her story will not discourage people to support this cause but help create awareness for homeless women in the community.
During the Financial Crash in 2008-2009, Jas had just started her business alone and was left wondering what she would do for work. She took the opportunity to re-invent herself and designed a Diva Portfolio that women could relate to. Feeling inspired, she ventured into the community, where she started to make a name for herself, empowering women with financial education. This leadership opportunity taught her to stop seeking approval and people-pleasing but instead find success her way. Through humility and self-love, she has found her success. She is currently president for the second time around for Soroptimist International White Rock chapter, which supports women and girls’ initiatives through empowerment and education, supporting local programs.
Jas strives to help other women and encourages them to do the same. She has found it best to surround herself with women that inspire her. For example, she no longer asks anyone to do anything she won’t do herself. As women, we are all on the same team as equals with different levels of responsibility. This can be seen in her dedication to the Options Community Services and Habitat Housing Society housing project.
Jas recognizes that she is lucky to have a great family support network and work opportunities. While not everyone has this, she is humbled to speak for other women today and works towards empowering women in her community.
In honor of this Mother’s Day, she thanks her mother for loving her when she made mistakes, for picking her up when she fell flat on her face, and for teaching her the meaning of faith. To quote a line from Karl Fuchs’s poem about what mother means, “she set me straight and then set me free.”
To learn more about how you can support Jas Salh’s partnership with the 50 Women of Options, please visit the Women of Options website.
