Star City Six: Jethro Hopkins
No Coast Business Advisors offers a complete suite of services specifically targeted to those who are looking to buy or sell a business. Jethro Hopkins is the co-owner of No Coast Business Advisors (www.nocoastbusinessadvisors.com) .
Tell us a little about your business. – We are a Nebraska business brokerage and consulting company focused on helping local businesses succeed in navigating owner’s transition phases. We place a heavy emphasis on confidentiality and have extensive experience in both small business in general and business sales in particular, as every broker in-house is a former business owner. So we know what our clients on both sides of the table are going through personally.
How did you get started in the business? – We started doing it privately for business owners who came to us along with our own businesses for several years before we made the decision to liquidate our other business assets and do brokering full time publicly.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced professionally? – Every time you start a new business it is a challenge. But the biggest was when I started my first business. There’s nothing quite as scary as risking everything you have acquired on the bet that you can make it happen and be successful.
What has been your most important achievement professionally? – The public opening of No Coast Business Advisors is what I recognize as a milestone professionally. It was a shift from running businesses just to make income to running a business I greatly enjoy and believe in that offers us the ability to help other like-minded businesses owners.
Tell us a little about your family. – My family is fairly crazy up to and including my black lab rescue Shelby.
What do you see as one of the biggest turning points in your life? – When my family finally convinced me I was wasting my life doing just enough to get a paycheck working for someone else and that I should take the risk and go out and see what I could accomplish on my own.
What is your favorite thing to do on a day off? – Read. I am a data junkie. I read and research all the time.
What are you the most proud of? – Helping and watching both of my business partners grow and turn into very successful business owners on their own.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? – You can’t live your life in fear.
If you could choose any other profession to be successful in, what would it be? – None; for me I really am living my dream. If I have to work for a living this is exactly what I want to be doing.
What local non-profit organization(s) are you passionate about or involved with, and are there any special reasons why? – People’s City Mission, Houses of Hope, any of the local ones really. We all have a responsibility to leave our city and neighbors better off than we found them if we can.
What is your favorite book or the last good book you read? – I read all the time so that’s a hard one. I just wrapped up The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher for the third time. Good, light, entertaining reading.
What is your favorite movie? – We Were Soldiers.
What is your favorite TV show? – The Blacklist.
If you could have dinner with one famous person from the past or present, who would it be? – Nikola Tesla.
If our readers would like to contact you, how should they do so? – Call us at (402) 217-2833 or hit up the No Coast Business Advisors website at www.nocoastbusinessadvisors.com.