Most entrepreneurs dream of turning passion into profit. But what happens when your business outgrows you? Or when your partner wants to turn their passion project into a full-fledged company. Meet Jared Cope — Marine Corps veteran, real estate leader, and co-owner of Cop’s Tackle & Rod Shop — whose story captures exactly how to scale wisely, learn from others, and anticipate hurdles when turning your passion into a business.

This isn’t just a fishing story. It’s a blueprint for anyone trying to grow, pivot, or build something that lasts.

From Marine Corps Infantryman to Real Estate Leader

After leaving the Marine Corps in 2005, Jared didn’t follow a traditional path. Instead, he stepped into real estate lending—a sharp pivot from helicopters, infantry, and combat readiness. But real estate became his first classroom for entrepreneurship:

• learning sales,
• learning people,
• and learning what it takes to build something from zero.

Ten years later, he was successful… but exhausted. Always indoors. Always working. And missing the outdoors he once loved.

Then everything changed.

A Wake-Up Call That Sparked a Passion Business

During a routine VA appointment, Jared was told he had one year left to live.

He didn’t. But those 24 hours changed everything.

Instead of waiting for life to happen, he went back to what fueled him: fishing, fresh air, and getting outside.

That renewed passion became the spark for his next venture — but not because he forced it. It evolved naturally, the way real passion businesses tend to form. And like many founders, he hit the same frustration we all hit: He couldn’t find the tools and products he needed locally.

So he decided to fix the problem himself.

Turning Passion Into a Business — The Smart Way

When someone at his fishing club said, “You can’t open a tackle shop here. It’ll never work,” Jared’s answer was simple:

“Watch me.”

But instead of diving in blindly:

• He looked for an affordable space
• Negotiated reduced rent in exchange for fixing it up
• Used a location that turned into a prime spot only years later
• Built the store slowly while still running his day job

This is how you scale wisely.
Not through hype.
Not through ego.
But through calculated moves, sweat equity, patience, and timing.

When the Business Outgrows You – Anticipate Hurdles 

Entrepreneurs reach a stage when passion isn’t enough. Jared hit that point around Year 5.

• Customer service slipped
• Growth slowed
• He was stretched too thin
• His leadership ceiling was holding the business back

Instead of clinging to control (like many founders do), he made the smartest move a scaling business can make: He brought in the right partner. Seth, who worked as a rep in the fishing industry, was hungry, ethical, and driven. And Jared didn’t just “hire fast.”

He vetted slowly through:

• DISC assessment
• Multiple interviews
• Learning his values, family background, long-term goals
• Making sure the partnership worked in real life, not just on paper

Scaling wisely means selecting people deliberately — not desperately.

When Your Partner Wants to Turn Their Passion Into a Business

One of the biggest visioner questions Jared answered was this:

“My spouse and business partner wants to turn their passion into a company. What obstacles should we expect?”

Jared’s advice is gold:

1. Passion doesn’t replace time. If someone is still working a full-time job but wants to launch a passion business, something will suffer.
2. You must sacrifice free time — not core operations. Passion projects succeed when your personal free time becomes project time, not when you rob the existing business.
3. Your partner must truly love the grind, not just the idea. Turning passion into profit means doing the unglamorous:
   • early mornings
   • late nights
   • messy middle stages
   • failures
   • setbacks
   • slow periods
4. Anticipate emotional friction, especially in spouse-partner relationships. Boundaries matter. Communication matters. Separate roles matter.

If the passion dies when it gets hard, the business won’t survive.

Learning From Others: The Key to Growth

One reason Jared continues to succeed is simple: He loves learning from people who know what he doesn’t.

He builds:

• strong teams
• strong systems
• strong partnerships
• strong leaders around him

Instead of trying to hold everything together alone, he leverages others to grow together. This is how you scale beyond your personal ceiling.

Hard Work, Hard Things & Staying Grounded

For Jared, growth doesn’t come from comfort. It comes from doing hard things:

• 80-pound pack, 12-hour walk
• 37 miles in a day
• Mud runs
• Physical challenges to clear the mind

He believes America is struggling because too many people avoid discomfort. And comfort kills leadership, ambition, and resilience.

The American Dream Isn’t Dead — But It Demands Grit

Jared has seen successes, failures, and everything between. But he’s certain about one thing:

“If you’re willing to work hard, the American Dream is still alive.”

Most of his businesses began as ideas scribbled on napkins — then refined, tested, and executed with discipline.

That’s the formula:

• Passion
• Patience
• People
• Planning
• Persistence

The Takeaway: Scale Wisely. Learn From Others. Anticipate Hurdles.

Turning passion into a business is possible — but not if you do it blindly. Here’s what Jared’s journey teaches us:

1. Scale wisely

Don’t grow faster than your systems or your leadership can handle.

2. Learn from others

The right partners, mentors, and team members will take you further than passion alone ever will.

3. Anticipate hurdles

Time constraints, leadership limitations, lack of systems, and emotional friction are guaranteed.
Prepare for them before they hit.

4. Passion is fuel — strategy is the engine

Both are required to go anywhere.