My Story: From Educator to Entrepreneur
How my journey can serve to help you through yours
Growth is constant. The path you started on isn't always the one you're meant to end on.
The Entrepreneur Formerly Known As Mr. Black, The Choir Teacher. Directing a local children’s choir at a St. Louis Rams NFL game
Teaching Music and the Hidden Signs
I started out where many don't expect entrepreneurs to emerge—the classroom. For ten years, I was Mr. Black, the music teacher, entrenched in a family legacy of teaching. Music was my passion and I made the decision to teach it at age 18. But as the years passed, I felt more and more desire to build something of my own outside of the classroom.
From the time I was in high school, I helped found and lead various music groups, managing everything from the musical direction to the business operation. It was in this latter role that I discovered the excitement in growing a business. I was an “entrepreneur in hiding,” but hadn’t broken free just yet.
Franchising can give you the peace of mind that your business model is already proven and tested. It may still be the hardest thing you’ve ever done, but you will grow no doubt.
Jordan and wife, Carly found a great fit with Two Maids Franchising. Shown here: the team from Chesterfield, MO the first year and Ron Holt, the founder of Two Maids.
Life is short. Don’t ignore your dreams.
The turning point came with guidance from my father-in-law, a seasoned entrepreneur who introduced me to the world of franchising. He helped me see it as a way to blend structured support with the autonomy I craved. His mentorship was invaluable, helping me navigate the complexities of business ownership with more confidence.
Encouraged by his insights, I left teaching to jump into franchising with a residential cleaning service, Two Maids. Initially, a cleaning business didn’t thrill me. But as I delved into the industry, I recognized its potential: recurring customers, no night or weekend work, and resistance to tech disruptions. The start was rough—staffing challenges, customer complaints, and the constant grind tested my resolve daily. These experiences, though, were crucial in teaching me the real dynamics of business management.
To grow your business, you will need to grow yourself. Scaling your business tests not only your operational skills and risk tolerance but also your limiting beliefs about yourself.
Jordan lived in the Boulder, CO area during the peak of COVID for nearly 2 months, away from his family, to make sure the transition in ownership went well. It was a grueling time for many reasons but also a time of reflection. The mountains were calling as a new home.
The Big Leap: Scaling the business to multiple states
After establishing my first franchise in Chesterfield, MO, I managed to turn a profit within only a few months, a rare achievement for entrepreneurs! I started to see decent success and I was ready for a bigger challenge. I decided to expand into a second territory in O’Fallon, MO. If that wasn’t enough, a surprise opportunity came my way when a Two Maids owner in Colorado offered to sell his business to me. This would present an enormous new challenge: managing businesses across an 800-mile divide and entering a completely new market. Despite the risks, the potential rewards were compelling. I took the plunge and acquired the Two Maids franchise in Boulder, CO, right as the pandemic hit, which added an extra layer of complexity.
This move not only tested my ability to manage under pressure but also deepened my understanding of adapting business strategies to new environments. Eventually, the success in Colorado convinced me to move my entire family there, turning a professional gamble into a personal and business triumph. Today, we’re fully settled, and I’ve gone on to acquire 3 other Two Maids territories in the Denver metro area.
Starting up a business from scratch can feel like an entirely different world from franchising. While there may be BIG LEAP in how you start, in the end, they’re not that far apart. You not only own your business but you own your life too!
Jordan and wife, Carly at the Subway Cave, Sedona, AZ.
Starting More Businesses?
Amidst these franchise successes, I also embraced the challenge of starting from scratch by co-founding "Breakup with Cake," a healthy snack brand. This venture allowed me to tap into my creative side, developing a product with the motto “ingredients that respect you.” Unlike my franchises, this startup gave me full control over every aspect of the business, from mission to product design and branding, offering a refreshing contrast to the structured world of franchising. And to this day, I continue to float new ideas in my head for other businesses. Once you get the entrepreneur fever, the dreams become endless.
With Entrepreneur in Hiding, I’m passionate about sharing these lessons and guiding new entrepreneurs through similar risks and rewards. Whether you’re curious about franchising or starting from scratch, I’m here to help you navigate your entrepreneurial journey.
You may take many paths before you get where you want to be. That’s normal. Learn from every entrepreneurial journey. Sometimes the failures serve you more than the successes.
A photo taken by Jordan once he reached the summit on one of his 14,000 ft. peak hikes in Colorado. He was supposed to take the green trail but accidentally missed a turn and continued on the red trail. It quickly became increasingly difficult, with scrambling along steep rocky faces. He managed to persevere and eventually made it over the top to connect back to the green. While the journey was not ideal, it served a valuable purpose: how to navigate the unexpected and learn to get back on track.
Have all my businesses been successful?
No way, Jose! I have started many businesses over the years, including a local musician’s networking site and a marketing agency that advertises local home services, to name a few. These businesses were not as successful as the current ones but not necessarily failures either. Rather, I found that certain challenges presented themselves to me so I could learn to be a better entrepreneur moving forward. I have a wealth of experience trying to start various endeavors and have learned a lot from each and every one, no matter their level of “success.” I want to help you go try things and know that you won’t hit on every one. But you will hit on something. As long as you don’t quit and continue to take each “failure” as a learning opportunity, you will get there. Sounds easy, right? I want to help by being your mentor; to show you it’s a simple process, but not necessarily an easy process. And after all, it’s ultimately about the journey you go through and not the end result. The journey helps grow you more than you can ever imagine and brings fulfillment to your life, even if the end result isn’t always how you planned it.
Having a veteran entrepreneur serving as a dedicated mentor to you will help you reach the success you are after.
Why I Want to Help You
Inspired by the profound impact of having my own mentors for my business journey, I founded Entrepreneur in Hiding to offer guidance and support to aspiring entrepreneurs ready to take the leap. My mission is not just to share my success in launching and managing multiple franchise units and other independent businesses, but more importantly, mentoring the person who is in the position I once was in, hiding their true aspirations from the world. I would like nothing more than to show this person what is possible and how their life can be so much better, if they are truly pulled towards entrepreneurship.
At the same time, I strive to be honest and transparent and would like nothing more than to help this person decide if entrepreneurship is really the best fit. If it is, I will support those who wish to make it their new life. And I will serve as their biggest alley and #1 fan as they go from an entrepreneur in hiding to the person they were always meant to become.