Business Owner at 24, Vet Has Overcome a Lifetime of Challenges

Twenty-four-year-old Jesse Jensen has come so far and experienced so much in such a brief period, that it’s almost necessary to break his life down into chapters. Because sometimes you almost must shake your head in wonder at not only what this young man has encountered – but what he has overcome – en route to becoming one of the newest and youngest franchisees of Floor Coverings International recently. The Dumfries resident visits clients’ homes throughout northern Virginia in a Mobile Flooring Showroom with thousands of flooring choices to assist them in choosing the perfect flooring solution. And if they simply say, “Tell me a little bit about yourself,” they will hear a remarkable story.

Chapter 1 – Jensen grew up in Michigan in a home that was rife with domestic violence, resulting in his father being arrested several times. His parents divorced when Jensen was 12 and he was left to live with his father, who had a severe drinking problem. Already battling dyslexia that “caused me to fall behind in school,” Jensen began drinking with his father, who again, was repeatedly arrested and jailed for multiple offenses while Jensen was in high school. “With my father in jail, there was no adult at the house and school became less important to me and the only thing I was concerned with was hosting the next party at my house,” Jensen said. “My high school transcript is blank for my junior year. No credits earned.”
Chapter 2 – Having met his future wife, Paige, while attending an alternative school during his senior year, Jensen had a “wake-up call” and the couple drove to Tennessee in the $700 car he had bought when he was 15 to move in with his mother. They both enrolled in an online high school that would award them diplomas rather than a GED and Jensen said he made up for 18 months of missed high school in three weeks by putting in 18 hours of online work each day. At the same time, Jensen did odd jobs for some wealthy families in his mother’s neighborhood. “Seeing how the other half lived really changed me,” Jensen recalled. “I wanted what they had more than anything, so I studied them. The most common similarity I noticed is that they read a lot. When I looked back on my life I realized that my parents and my poor friend’s parents never had or read books. From then on, I made it my life’s mission to read as much as I could. That’s where my self-help journey started and now I have a continuously growing library of books by mentors that guided me to where I’m at today.”
Chapter 3 – After earning their high-school diplomas, Jensen married Paige when he was 19 and enlisted in the Marines as a means to paying for his college education. He signed on as an Aviation Supply Specialist and went on to serve with the Presidential Helicopter Squadron (with a photo of he and Paige with President Obama in the Oval Office as proof) earning a meritorious promotion and Marine of the Quarter honors in a unit that numbered more than 1,000. Jensen went on to manage multiple aviation supply logistics divisions. As if that weren’t enough, he also had brain surgery during his fourth and final year in the service to remove a ruptured arteriovenous malformation that left him with several screws and plates that remain in his skull.
Chapter 4 – Having fulfilled his military duties, Jensen dabbled in some ventures while attending community college and taking a full 18-hour course load. It was during this time that he learned of Floor Coverings International and realized it was a perfect fit for someone who has technical skills and enjoys the freedom of a mobile business. “Believe it or not, I’m really not an outgoing person in terms of getting in front of people, and I know starting a business that requires me to do so doesn’t sound like conventional thinking,” Jensen said. “That was actually one of my attractions to the business. I like to overcome my challenges and Floor Coverings International has a terrific presentation program to follow while you are with your customers. It puts me at ease to know that I can represent my product and service well and I get better at it every day.”
Likewise, Floor Coverings International has written a success story of its own, tripling in size since 2005 by putting a laser focus on consumer buying habits and expressed desires, its impressive operating model, growth ability, marketing, advertising and merchandising. Floor Coverings International offers an unmatched selection of flooring products including carpet, hardwood, ceramic, tile and vinyl, as well as specialty products such as bamboo and slate. Floor Coverings International further separates itself from the competition through its customer experience, made up of several simple and integrated steps that exceed customers’ expectations.
Jensen has begun his final semester of classes at NOVA Community College toward his goal of entering a four-year university. He’s also a proud small-business owner with some ambitious goals ahead of him with no reason – based on his past accomplishments – to not reach them.
“The more I accomplish in life, the further I feel I am away from the home I grew up in and my new life is what I want for my family,” Jensen said. “I’m blessed to have such a loving wife who allows me to work on my goals 20 hours a day. I sleep four hours each night because that’s what it takes to make it to the top when you started at the bottom.”

For information, visit http://woodbridge.floorcoverin...

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ABOUT FLOOR COVERINGS INTERNATIONAL
Floor Coverings International is the #1 Mobile Flooring Franchise. The flooring industry is very stable although fragmented, allowing franchisees to quickly build market share utilizing the unique in-home experience and mobile flooring showroom. Floor Coverings International has 150+ locations throughout the U.S. and Canada with plenty of opportunity for continued expansion. For franchise information, please visit www.flooring-franchise.com and to find your closest location, www.floorcoveringsinternational.com.