We recently connected with Nicole Jensen and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Nicole thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Parents can play a significant role in affecting how our lives and careers turn out – and so we think it’s important to look back and have conversations about what our parents did that affected us positive (or negatively) so that we can learn from the billions of experiences in each generation. What’s something you feel your parents did right that impacted you positively.

I was fortunate to have had many mentors growing up, including my parents, grandparents, and aunts and uncles. All of them were extremely hardworking and entrepreneurial. My mom’s family was a farming family, and my dad’s had their own publishing and industrial businesses, so I got a great mix of both sides of the entrepreneurial coin. I learned by example from a young age that hard work pays off and that you can do anything you set your mind to. We always had chores growing up that we were responsible for completing each week, and we all played a part in the success of the family unit. This taught me not only discipline but also responsibility and teamwork.

Additionally, I was able to take on added responsibilities for an allowance, which gave me some of my first insights into self-motivation. My parents also led by example; they would work even harder than we did and also taught us how to do everything that they were doing so that we were able to be self-sufficient. I never witnessed them shying away from a task or challenge, big or small. That really taught me to believe in myself and planted the seed that anything that was thrown your way could be figured out. I started working outside the house at 15 and began to truly appreciate values such as integrity, dependability, problem-solving, teamwork, and creativity.

My father and grandfather were consummate salesmen; they loved engaging with people and building meaningful relationships. They believed in helping people and that we were all in this together. My father and maternal grandmother were extremely playful and curious; they had huge imaginations and allowed me to really use mine.

My aunt was a strong advocate for non-profit organizations and served on numerous boards, which planted the seed that it is our responsibility as business owners to give back to the communities in which we operate. My maternal grandparents were farmers, which showed me the importance of patience and perseverance. My mother can quite literally do or solve anything, which instilled in me a comfort level in challenging times and a mindset to face all situations with curiosity and dauntlessness.

Lastly, although I perhaps didn’t appreciate it at the time, we tended to move frequently, which meant I was in new and uncomfortable situations fairly often. These skills made me comfortable living in the unexpected and unknown, which are invaluable and necessary skills to have as an entrepreneur.

I am eternally grateful for every person who played a role in shaping me into the person I am today.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I have been in experience creation throughout my entire professional career. My primary project over the last seven years has been co-founding and growing Hopscotch, an immersive art and entertainment experience with locations in Texas and Oregon, with a third destination soon to be announced.

At Hopscotch, we have dedicated ourselves to crafting immersive art and entertainment experiences that resonate with diverse audiences. As co-founder, my role transcends multiple areas of the business, and I am deeply passionate about all of them. A common thread running through all departments is the continual fostering of a strong, creative, and customer-focused culture. Our organization thrives on boundless curiosity and the relentless pursuit of an impactful guest experience.

With a background in business, marketing, logistics management, and art, my approach is both systematic and creative, ensuring each experience reflects our collective passion for living life to the fullest, our intrinsic need for discovery, and our deep desire to cultivate joy through unadulterated play and connection.

The ethos of our company is built on artist collaboration, kindness, curiosity, and endless grit, which has guided our small but mighty teams from the beginning. Progress is not made by luck or accident but by working on ourselves day in and day out. It is in the moments, however ordinary or extraordinary they may be.

At Hopscotch, we believe in the power of shared experiences to inspire change, guide culture, and unite people, creating lasting impressions that go beyond the conventional. We dwell in possibility and look for the best in everything and everyone. What we don’t find, we create, and we do so together.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

When you decide to start a business or any new venture in life that you want to succeed, you have to believe in it with every part of your being; your passion has to shine through to everyone you talk to; you are the biggest advocate for your story and the one most responsible for ensuring it succeeds.

For most of my entrepreneurial career, I believed that the intense passion for the brand should be reflected in all areas of the business, and that it was my duty to take it personally. This meant that I had a hard time separating myself from that passion when things went wrong. I took it too personally when we would inevitably receive a bad review. I took it too personally when a new hire we were excited about didn’t work out; I got too flustered when there were inevitable plumbing issues or unexpected costs. I burned myself out, which affected my ability to remain unfazed in challenging situations.

Over time, I have learned to protect my peace through the practices of equanimity, yoga, meditation, running, and readings from other experts. To release a little bit of control and trust your staff to do the next best thing. The best next step is always to expect the unexpected and not be surprised by it or fight it. I once read that it’s better to float down the stream and tackle challenges as they arise than to constantly try to swim upstream, which is what it feels like every time I let a negative situation impact my energy or focus. Over time, I have learned to navigate the waves of life and entrepreneurship with greater ease, which enables me to be a more effective leader and human.

One of our artists has a great motto: “Everything is part of it.” That has really resonated with me. Another more well-known example of this is the quote by Dolly Parton, “The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain!” When you truly learn to trust the process and take the unexpected in stride, you come to understand that it’s the only way to do your work joyfully, that everything is a learning opportunity, and that it’s truly more about the journey than the destination.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

My co-founder and I met when we both lived in Austin, TX and had mutual friends, so we knew of each other casually for a few years before we became business partners. One day I received and email from him inviting me to lunch to discuss an idea he had for a new venture. At that lunch we started to explore the idea of what it might look like to start something together. He was very complimentary and told me that he was not going to start this particular idea with anyone else, he said that he felt that I was the one to start this business with and that if I wasn’t interested he would move on to something else entirely. He also said that we would be 50/50 partners and that he felt that was the only way that we would both truly give our all.

Both of those gestures along with the idea itself were enough to have me seriously considering taking on this challenge and opportunity. About a month later I called to tell him I was all in and shortly after that we started everything. The rest as they say is history.

The lesson here is that I have always treated every situation I am in as a way to build my personal brand, I strongly believe that you never know how someone you meet today will impact your life many years down the road. Write down your values and dreams and do your best to live them out in each moment.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.letshopscotch.com
• Instagram: @letshopscotch
• Facebook: @heyhopscotch
• Linkedin: @letshopsotch