Air Force veteran, student and founder of a skincare line, one TCU entrepreneur fits all of these descriptions.

Heath Jordan, a senior entrepreneurship major and Air Force veteran, built his business from the ground up at the Neeley School of Business. Currently, Jordan describes his business as a “one-man show.” The entrepreneur is everything from the marketing agent to the accountant. TCU business classes have taught him how to play every role.

Jordan’s business is a skincare line called Tend + Temple. The first product, a facial moisturizer, is set to launch next month. Two other products, a facial cleanser and an overnight retinol mask, will be released early next year.

His professors, classes and family helped make his dream become a reality.

(Emma Watson/Staff Writer; photos of Tend + Temple product courtesy of Heath Jordan)

According to Jordan, Tend + Temple started out as a passion project in 2019. 

“I was getting ready to transition out of the Air Force, figure out what I wanted to do with school and what my career would look like after that,” Jordan said.

Coming from a family of entrepreneurs, Jordan knew he wanted to have his own business.

“Growing up, I had terrible skin, I was diagnosed with rosacea and cystic acne early on,” Jordan said.

Over the course of years, Jordan learned how to take care of his skin.

With new discoveries and ingredients that always seem to work, Jordan said he’ll always be passionate about skincare.

Neeley’s helping hand

Jordan said the Neeley School of Business, specifically the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, played an important role in Tend + Temple.

“There were so many classes that I would sit in and I’d have these ‘aha’ moments,” Jordan said. “If I only knew that then, I could’ve saved myself hours or even money on certain things that I did early on in the venture.”

Michael Sherrod, one of Jordan’s instructors in the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Department, has watched Jordan and his business grow.

“A single founder, just one person founding a company, is a very difficult thing to do,” Sherrod said. “You don’t see a lot of that anymore, and he’s done an outstanding job.”

Sherrod said very few students start their own businesses right out of college.

“The average age of an entrepreneur in the United States is about 45 to 50 [years old],” Sherrod said.

However, Jordan’s unique set of experiences has equipped him for owning his own business.

“I think…what he learned in the air force, and…the experiences he had broadened his ability to face adversity,” Sherrod said.

The product

Jordan worked with a chemist and a dermatologist to create Tend + Temple’s products, particularly the moisturizer.

“What’s different about [Tend + Temple] is we use a patented plant stem-cell technology,” Jordan said.

The moisturizer has common ingredients sourced in Texas.

“Other ingredients were sourced in Europe, which is…where I lived, spent 5 years of my life,” Jordan said.

With a mix of new technology and ingredients from home and abroad, Jordan has used his experiences to inspire his products.

Sherrod has faith in Jordan and his business. 

“He is consistent and persistent about his business and he keeps plugging away regardless of any setbacks he might find,” Sherrod said. “This is very much what an entrepreneur needs to do.”

Tend + Temple will be at a few stores in Jordan’s hometown of Longview, Texas, as well as a store in Tyler, Texas. The products will also be sold directly through Tend + Temple’s website.