New Jersey Dad Builds Two Businesses to Stay Home with Kids

Taoman Napier Sr. didn't just want to make money. He wanted to be home when his kids needed him.

The New Brunswick native started with nothing but determination and an $8,000 savings account. After graduating from New Brunswick High School in 1996, he spent years washing paintbrushes and rollers, learning the painting trade from the ground up.

His grandparents, Stonewall and Susanna, taught him everything. They raised him after his parents died when he was around 9 or 10, showing him the value of hard work through their own side hustles: cutting hair and cleaning homes.

Those lessons stuck. Napier eventually learned to estimate painting jobs, mastering the numbers before taking risks. That skill became the foundation for something bigger.

He took his savings and bought his first limousine. Today, he runs both Onyx Limousine and Napier Trucking, serving clients across New Jersey with his oldest son, Taoman Jr., now helping with the trucking business.

The secret to his limousine service? It's all in the details. Clients find snacks and bottled water waiting in the backseat, organized in makeup holders that keep everything from rolling around. These small touches transformed a simple car service into something clients remember.

But the real measure of success isn't revenue. It's been showing up for all five of his children, now ages 11 to 32.

"The businesses kept me home enough in order to raise my children," Napier said. "I had a lot of time to keep in their lives."

He was there for graduations. He helped buy cars and pay for college. Most importantly, he gave his kids a stable life in a safe neighborhood, something he didn't always have growing up.

The path wasn't easy. There were slow periods when work dried up and survival felt uncertain. But Napier pushed through, applying the same attention to detail his grandparents demonstrated.

The Ripple Effect

Napier's journey reflects a larger trend. Between 2017 and 2023, Black-owned businesses grew by 62%, surpassing 200,000 businesses nationwide, according to the Brookings Institution. These businesses generated $249 billion in revenue and employed more than 1.8 million people in 2023.

Many of these entrepreneurs share Napier's motivation: building wealth while maintaining control over their time and family priorities. National Black Business Month, celebrated each August, recognizes this economic impact and the determination behind it.

His advice for aspiring business owners comes from experience: "Think of everything down to the smallest detail. Don't leave anything out. Write it down, and follow it step by step."

Now his oldest son is learning those same lessons, continuing a family tradition of entrepreneurship that started with grandparents who never stopped working toward something better.