Jordan Jobe started his entrepreneurial journey as a child, going door to door in his neighborhood selling Airhead candy bars to the other kids for 25 cents. When he noticed that everyone wanted the mystery flavor, he increased the price of those to 50 cents. It was his first lesson in price elasticity of demand.
Next, he caught garter snakes in his yard and sold them to neighborhood kids. When those kids returned, saying their parents would not allow them to keep their new pets, Jobe launched a snake-boarding service, charging 10 cents per day. That’s how he learned about recurring revenue, he said.
In college, Jobe got an internship at Cold Stone Creamery headquarters. During orientation, human resources mentioned the company had an open-door policy and even an intern could meet with the CEO if they wanted. For the next four days, Jobe knocked on the CEO’s door, trying to set up a meeting. On the fifth day, the executive assistant set a five-minute meeting for Jobe for the following month.
“That five-minute meeting ended up lasting two hours, as I explained to the CEO my goals, ambitions and entrepreneurial spirit,” Jobe said. “At the end of the meeting, we agreed to meet every six months to keep him up to date and to keep me on the right path.”
Upon graduation, Jobe began his career as a financial advisor with Edward Jones, going door to door to offer investment opportunities to individuals. After achieving some success, he made the strategic move to Raymond James, where he could build his book of business and eventually launch his own firm while benefiting from the support and resources of a reputable broker-dealer and clearing firm.
That experience set the groundwork for Jobe to eventually found NextGen Advisors, an investment management firm based in Scottsdale. Over the next five years, Jobe aims to double the firm’s employee count, managed assets and revenue. He aspires to establish NextGen Advisors as a recognized brand in the personal wealth industry, attracting both clients and talented individuals seeking a rewarding career in financial advising.
Jobe has been honored as a top financial advisor by various publications, including Forbes and Barron’s, and he has been featured on CBS 5 Morning News. However, Jobe considers his greatest accomplishment to be persevering through the challenging early years of his career when he went door to door during the Great Recession. This experience instilled in him the confidence that he can overcome any obstacle, he said.
“It can be very easy to continue down a comfortable path and not take the risks necessary to achieve your full potential,” Jobe said. “Seven years ago, I was very comfortable, but when I envisioned what I wanted for not only myself but for my team and my clients, I knew that I needed to take the calculated risk of starting my own company.”
