Jonathan Morris loves going to the barber – but not for a haircut.
“The barbershop, in a lot of ways, is a community hub where we’re able to build relationships and foster community,” Morris said.
He said he wanted the experience of getting to know his barber and talk to the people at the shop, but he couldn't find that kind of barbershop in Fort Worth.
So he opened one.
Morris opened Fort Worth Barber Shop in 2014. He later opened a second barbershop called The Lathery.
He has plans to open a boutique hotel next year called The Dryce, where locals and out-of-towners can come together to celebrate Fort Worth.
It’s all made him one of the top entrepreneurs in Cowtown, but his love for the city has come with one big, unintended side effect.
Morris’ work in Fort Worth caught the attention of Chip and Joanna Gaines in Waco, stars of the popular show "Fixer Upper."
He didn't anticipate that in his career.
“No part of my entrepreneurial plans involved being on television," Morris said.
A couple of years ago, the city featured Morris in a marketing campaign in a video called “The Entrepreneur.”
In 2019, Red Productions in Fort Worth took that video to the Gaineses, hoping they would feature Morris and his barbershop on their new Magnolia Network, set to launch in the spring of 2021.
Last week, the couple announced that "Fixer Upper" was coming back for another season. And they said Morris was getting his own show, too.
The working title is "Self-Employed," and Morris will travel the country talking to other entrepreneurs about what it takes to build a dream.
“I hope that this show inspires people to lean into their community and to understand that they can be a pivotal part of how cities grow and how people get closer to one another,” Morris said. “And hopefully inspire a new generation, a fresh crop of entrepreneurs to get out there and take that leap.”
He says whether you’re opening a barbershop or a coffee shop, whatever you pour into your community has the potential to change it for the better.
Because investing in the lives of others is always great business.