“When I was leaving school, my teachers told me that I had just three possible career paths (due to both my qualifications and job opportunities in the local area) – hairdressing, travel & tourism, and social work. I went to college and trained as a hairdresser, but I knew, almost straight away, that it just wasn’t the profession for me.”

Jordan threw herself into the world of work, trying to find her passion and purpose. She tried radio presenting, hospitality, the education sector, and she even set up a business in cycling. But nothing was sticking. Until – almost by accident – she applied for an admin job in the middle of the Lincolnshire countryside, working for a small business that had created a gadget that used solar power to heat your hot water.

“It wasn’t much, but I fell in love with the industry – the passion, the innovation, the energy, and the drive to make a real difference in the world.”

That company was run by Lee Sutton, an electronics engineer who quickly became Jordan’s close friend and, just a few years later, would become her business partner. It was in 2016 when they officially joined forces, throwing in their life savings and risking their homes to bring myenergi to life.

A lifelong passion

From an early age, Jordan had a flair for business and a passion for hard work.

“I wasn’t scared of doing things differently and I certainly wasn’t scared of getting it wrong. Sales and people skills sort of came to me naturally and I felt completely at home getting my hands dirty.

“I guess hard work was something that I looked up to from a young age – my family were grafters and that really resonated with me. The reward for getting stuck in and making things happen seemed almost infectious. That pride, that tenacity, and that feeling of accomplishment gives you so much energy.”

Putting her neck on the line as an entrepreneur has been both the most challenging and most rewarding thing that Jordan has ever done.

“Don’t get me wrong, at times it feels like nothing is going your way and the whole world is against you – there have been days where I’ve questioned if I was really cut out for being an entrepreneur.”

Within the first eight years, the company faced the rollercoaster of Brexit, component shortages, the COVID-19 pandemic, market shrinkage, huge regulatory change, and so much more. Personally, both Jordan and Lee have faced health scares and bereavements. Jordan also needed to juggle the premature birth of her daughter with running a high demand scaleup business.

“We’ve taken risks, overcome obstacles, and learnt from our mistakes. Perseverance and a desire to be successful have seen us come out stronger than ever.

“Talking to entrepreneurs who have been inspired by your work is humbling. Knowing that the business you’re running is doing some good in the world gives you a warmth in your stomach that you couldn’t get anywhere else. Yes, it’s tough, but I really couldn’t dream of doing it any other way.”

Recognition well deserved

Jordan has earned broad recognition for the work she has done: Great British Entrepreneur of the Year, named in the TE100, the Stonehage Fleming XV, the Top 10 Women in Energy, and she took home gold as EY Entrepreneur of the Year (North).

“To be completely honest, it blows my mind every time I see a list like this. If you’d told me a few years ago that myenergi would be in the Times 100 two years in a row, racking up countless award wins, sitting on a panel debate with Bill Gates, and being invited for an audience with the Prime Minister, I’d have laughed at you. To this day, it still doesn’t feel quite real.”

Jordan co-founded myenergi with the simple goal of helping to make the world a better place. Being celebrated as a leader in the space and heralded as a successful entrepreneur is so much more than she could ever have imagined.

“Professionally, it gives us the confidence that we’re doing the right things and making the right decisions. Sometimes, running a business can be isolating. Winning awards and being recognised gives you the boost that you need to keep pushing and striving for more.”

Selling their first ever product was a really special moment for both Lee and Jordan. They’d given up everything to try and make the business work and, on a number of occasions, it looked seriously hit and miss.

“Watching the first unit leaving our production site was a bit like sending your child off for their first day at school. We were so proud of what we’d achieved, and we could see a real pathway for the future. It’s the first time that things felt real – we’d created something special, and people really wanted to buy our tech.”

Since then, they’ve shipped more than 600,000 units all over the world and opened subsidiaries in Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, and Ireland.

Enjoy the ride

I asked Jordan if, looking back, there is there anything she would have done differently when starting myenergi and actually, it’s a question she thinks about almost every day.

“When it comes down to it, though, I don’t think I would. If we did anything differently, we wouldn’t have created the business we run today.

“Don’t get me wrong, we’ve made mistakes and we’ve kicked ourselves on numerous occasions. We’ve slipped up and we’ve had to take the repercussions. But this has taught us an awful lot. We’ve become better leaders, better entrepreneurs, and better people because of it. I always find that it’s the bad decisions (and how you deal with them) that prove how robust and resilient your business really is.”

Never one to sit still, Jordan has also become a published author with her debut book ‘Sparki and the journey to Earth’, which aims to educate children about the importance of working towards a greener future.

“My daughter has always been a massive driver and inspiration for almost everything I do. I wanted to create something that really resonated with her at a young age to help her understand sustainability and the importance of protecting our planet for generations to come.”

All proceeds are donated to the neonatal unit in Sheffield Teaching Hospital, providing valuable funding for equipment and services to help provide specialist care for newborn children.

With an ambitious globalisation strategy and exciting new tech in the pipeline, the future of myenergi is bright. Jordan is committed to leading the business from the front and helping to deliver upon its commercial targets. Most importantly, she wants to help more homeowners all over the world to reduce their reliance on mains supply and take complete control of their energy.

Concluding with some advice that Jordan would give to her younger self: “Times are going to get tough, but don’t forget to enjoy the ride. You need to love the journey, not always strive for the end result.”

This article originally appeared in the July/August issue of Startups Magazine. Click here to subscribe