^{Who We Are} Jonathan's Story

Out of Personal Adversity, the Seeds of Business Success Were Sown

Responsibility. Accountability. Self-sufficiency. Perseverance.

As CEO of J.D. Kreps Financial Group, Jonathan Kreps feels blessed to have learned the value of these important traits at a young age. But as a boy, the adversity that taught him those lessons seemed anything but a blessing.

"It was a tough situation, but I didn't know anything different. So, I just did what I had to do to help my mother and me get by," Jon said.

Indeed, what Jon describes as a "tough" situation would have been challenging for any adult, let alone a young boy.

The Young Man of The House

Jon’s mother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis before he was born. By the time he was 8 years old, she was legally blind and confined to a wheelchair. Although Jon’s father provided financial support, he left Jon and his mother when Jon was 13.

"I was forced to step into the role of the man of the house at a very young age," Jon recalled. "I had to pay the bills, balance the checkbook, and take care of everything around the house."

At age 9, Jon became a paper carrier for the West Central Tribune. Waking up at 5:30 a.m. six days a week, he quickly developed an entrepreneurial mindset.

"If I delivered all 70 papers on my route by 7 a.m. every day for an entire month, I earned the 'Honor Carrier Award' and was recognized on the back of the A-section of the paper," Jon said.

Jon consistently met the requirements and eventually earned the coveted Master Honor Carrier designation, recognizing 36 months of outstanding customer service.

A Character-Building Experience

"The experience was a real character-builder and a motivator," Jon said. "You saw the names of other carriers on that A-section list, and you wanted to keep up."

Despite his success, the job came with challenges, especially during the summer months. While his friends were playing video games or going to movies, Jon often headed home early to help his mother and get to bed for another early morning.

"Growing up, most kids bend the rules, or at least try to, with their parents. But I really didn’t," Jon said. "First and foremost, I had to be accountable to my mom because she needed me. But I also needed to be accountable to my paper customers."

By then, Jon had already discovered an important principle of entrepreneurship: take care of your customers, and they will take care of you.

"I always received great tips at Christmastime because I did a great job delivering papers more than 300 days a year."

"A Surreal Experience"

At age 14, Jon and his mother faced another difficult challenge.

After a car accident that crushed his pelvis, Jon spent six weeks in the hospital. Unable to help his mother with finances or household responsibilities, he was relieved when a woman befriended his mother and offered assistance.

She drove Jon’s mother to the hospital every day and volunteered to help manage her finances.
Two years later, however, Jon was horrified to discover that the woman had secretly opened a line of credit in his mother’s name and used it to steal more than $40,000.

"It was a surreal experience at age 16 to work with detectives and the court system on the case," Jon recalled. "It wasn’t the kind of thing most kids my age was dealing with. But God looked out for me and helped me through it."

No Secrets or Shortcuts

Despite the setback, Jon never lost his entrepreneurial spirit.

At age 15, he leveraged the strong relationships he had built as a paper carrier to launch a lawn care business.

He inserted flyers into the newspapers he delivered, and many of his first customers were newspaper subscribers. He expanded his client base by introducing himself and his services to local businesses.

"I went door to door to businesses to introduce myself and my services," he recalled. "I wasn’t afraid of rejection. I just moved on to the next business and did the same thing."

Applying the lessons he learned from delivering newspapers, Jon built a customer base of more than 40 clients and used the income to help pay for college.

"My lawn care customers were loyal because I did a great job and took it seriously," Jon explained. "I always mowed straight lines, blew grass clippings off the sidewalk, and trimmed around trees. There were no secrets or shortcuts to success. It came down to hard work and doing what I said I would do for my customers."

Senior-Year Adversity

In December of his senior year of high school, Jon’s mother’s health deteriorated to the point that she required full-time nursing home care.

Because of the financial damage caused by the fraud committed against his mother, Jon was forced to sell her house. As a result, he found himself living alone during what should have been one of the most memorable years of his life.

He moved into a home owned by his father, who told him he could stay there until he graduated from high school. After that, he would need to either pay rent or purchase the home.

"So, one week after graduating from high school, I bought my first house," Jon said.

J.D. Kreps Financial Group Is Born

Four years later, after graduating from St. Cloud State University with a degree in finance, Jon launched his most important entrepreneurial venture yet: J.D. Kreps Financial Group.

"I had known since junior high that I wanted to go into financial services," Jon said. "I had both an aptitude for it and, more importantly, a passion for it."

While many of the experiences he endured as a young man were painful, Jon knew the lessons they taught him would prove invaluable as a business owner.

"When you face the kinds of challenges I did growing up, starting a business from scratch at age 23 isn’t quite as daunting as it might otherwise seem," Jon explained. "And when someone tells you no or you encounter a roadblock, you don’t take it personally or get discouraged. You simply move forward and persevere."

Today, as the owner of a thriving financial services firm supported by a dedicated professional team, Jon still relies on the lessons he learned as a paper carrier and lawn care entrepreneur.

"I didn’t take shortcuts then, and I certainly don’t take them now," Jon said. "I still do what I tell my clients I’m going to do and work hard every day to earn their trust."

"As difficult as those experiences were, I feel blessed to have had them when I was young because they helped make me a better financial planner, a better husband and father, and a better person."