After years of seeing her parents own and operate their small businesses, Jordan, at the aspiring young age of six, had the drive to become a successful entrepreneur herself. Not long ago, Jordan approached her mother, Acquria Denise King, with an idea to sell clothes and toys. Unquestionably, King embraced the dream and together, in February 2022, they created Jo Jo’s Closet.
A disabled veteran, Acquria dreamed of starting a business while serving in the military. “I’ve always had the entrepreneurial spirit, the mindset.” Soon after leaving the military, Acquria started her first venture – a snow cone trailer. Little Jordan took to the business and soon began helping her mother by serving the snow cones to customers at events. From there, the entrepreneurial mind of the child blossomed. When Jordan mentioned her business idea to her mother, Acquria recalled hearing about LiftFund, and immediately started researching to find resources to bring Jordan’s vision to life.
Their first step was applying for and receiving a loan from LiftFund to get their business underway. The loan assisted greatly with the launch of the business through inventory, startup costs, and different platforms. “It was amazing – the whole process, everyone was so helpful. The first person I had contact was with Linq. He was just so knowledgeable. He was so helpful. He assisted me with getting all my documents together for my loan. Then he would email me grants. And then from there – the support just continued.”
Acquria, together with her husband, run the day-to-day operations of Jo Jo’s Closet, however Jordan is the inspiration. She determines what is in the store with most items geared around her interests. She is very involved and browses vendors, packs orders, and goes to vendor events. “Everything is her idea, her dream, her passion.” As a relatively new business, Jo Jo’s Closet has only experienced a few obstacles related to social media and online presence, however, “LiftFund has provided so many other resources to assist like workshops and the Verizon Accelerator” to continue to help her business grow.
“There are so many resources out there – especially at LiftFund – there are so many free resources. Literally, one phone call from LiftFund and from there the door opened. You are not alone in the walk and LiftFund has your back.”
As for the future, the possibilities are endless. The King team is looking to brand the “Jo Jo” name and further extend their business into numerous ventures. On the list, is a consignment shop providing clothing that Jo Jo has outgrown, but still in great condition, allowing for affordable options to others. “With Jo Jos closet, Jordan wants to give back. She sees homeless people and says ‘Mommy I want to do something for them.’ She donates money to different organizations – she surprises me everyday.”
