We were lucky to catch up with Jeffrey Smith recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jeffrey , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear your thoughts about family businesses.

I think that family businesses are essential. Ours is no exception. When you work together as a family, you grow, develop nurture all aspects of the business as a whole. It makes for a healthy work culture. Sharing in successes, supporting each other through the challenges, and ultimately growing together is crucial to company success.

Jeffrey , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I started this process with a passion for theatre and a desire to resurrect a historic building in the city of Fort Worth. I could clearly see what was needed to make our building come to life and committed myself to making that a reality. Five years later we have a beautiful historic theatre in the heart of the Fort Worth Stockyards. The theatre is a gem and a must-see for anyone traveling to our beautiful city. As a historic landmark, we strive to ensure that all patrons get an immersive experience in our space. We offer a variety of options for everyone, from movies to live entertainment, private rental space, and a beautiful speakeasy bar and to-go window. It is a great place to come spend an afternoon, grab a cocktail or even stay and see a great performance. We are constantly adding shows and experiences for our audiences and work to keep everyone up to speed on the great happenings in our space. Visiting our website at downtowncowtown.com will keep you up to date on all that goes on in our beautiful building.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Resilience is the backbone. For me, there was no other option. When I began this journey, I was excited and thrilled to dive in full force to this endeavor. It proved to be anything but easy. The process took over five years. Roadblocks were common, but there were many opportunities to learn from these challenges and find new ways to overcome them throughout the process. I would find myself getting discouraged at times, but when that happened, I would go and sit in the space and quietly listen. The building is alive and was always a source of strength. I would find myself in these times becoming re-invigorated and would tackle the issues at hand with a renewed sense of purpose.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

The advice I would give to anyone is to stick to your plan. You are the one that created the business, you are the one that had a clear vision from the beginning, and that is what should be at the forefront at all times. Give yourself credit for the work you have done, and the work you are doing. Do not let the negative chatter, the second-guessing, the “armchair quarterbacks” who think they know better change who you are and what you do.

Contact Info:

• Website: downtowncowtown.com
• Instagram: downtown_cowtown
• Facebook: downtown cowtown at the Isis

Image Credits
Jeffrey Smith Ed.D