John, Ronan, and Anita Jenkins
by Aissatou Boye ’20
“I chose to be the COO so I can get into the weeds of every single aspect of our business. From vendor selection to compensation plans, business development and client outreach – no two days are alike, and while stressful, it is something I would not trade for the world,” says Ohio University alumnus John Jenkins ’07, who is Co-Founder of The Business Agency.
Jenkins earned a B.A. in Sociology-Criminology and a minor in Anthropology in 2007 from the College of Arts & Sciences at OHIO. Additionally, he was a member of the Pre-Law Fraternity Phi Alpha Delta.
Jenkins says that during his time at OHIO, he learned “how to interact with a wide range of people at different levels and to finesse effective communication, among many other things. Dr. Haley Duschinski, Dr. Joseph DeAngelis, and Dr. Bruce Hoffman were influential, but, really, all of my professors were when it all comes down to it.”
Jenkins has an extensive professional career motivated by his passions and family. He worked for ZipRecruiter until early 2016, when he was recruited to IBISWorld. By early 2018, Jenkins sought out to extend his aspirations by starting his own business. Simultaneously, he and his wife, Anita (Ewing) ’07 (B.A. in Marketing from the College of Business), were expecting their first child by the fall of 2018. In August 2018, John and Anita welcomed their son, Ronan, into the world, and Ronan’s presence was the final push for John in taking the next step into his entrepreneurial goals.
“I put together a plan to leave my somewhat secure corporate job to found a company with two partners. There was a non-functioning business that I had envisioned could truly grow with full time attention.” That is exactly what happened for Jenkins when he was joined by his partners.
By March 2019, he completed the business plan and entered into the entrepreneurial space of what is now The Business Agency. The Business Agency is an integrated, full-service business agency created to support established businesses and those who seek to launch ventures.
“What I love is the engagement with clients and having the creative bandwidth to impact their business, all while doing this with a team of trusted people who share a collective vision. While there is a tremendous burden of pressure to succeed, it is a drastically different type of pressure, as we ourselves are the ones who we must answer to,” he says.
Many of the skills Jenkins gained and refined at Ohio transferred directly to his professional career. He recalls during one of Phi Alpha Delta’s weekly chapter meetings, he heard from a guest speaker who discussed the importance of timing in one’s professional career. Jenkins applied that advice to his career to know when the timing was right to take the risk and start his business. OHIO also helped him with communication and networking, pushing him to seek assistance from his network to gain their first client. Now they have 13 clients with unique advisory and ongoing project engagements.
As a small start-up company, The Business Agency has progressed in client relationships and interpersonal relationships. It has expanded to a bigger suite as well as offering full health-care benefits to their employees. The office has a strong sense of community that emphasizes quality of life. Everyone takes an “all-in” approach where they contribute unique and diverse ideas. They have exciting advancements and everyone involved looks forward to what the future brings.
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