Today we’d like to introduce you to Jordan Smith
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was born and raised in Fair Oaks, California, a small town just outside of Sacramento. I’m the youngest of five kids and graduated in the top 10 of my high school class. After high school, I served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Japan, where I learned to speak Japanese and fell in love with the people and culture.
I went on to study Business Management at Brigham Young University. While at BYU, I was a writer and performer in Divine Comedy, a campus sketch comedy group where I had the chance to work alongside Matt Meese, Mallory Everton, Jason Gray, Jeremy Warner, and others from what eventually became Studio C and JK! Studios.
After graduating, I started my career at Epic Systems, a leading electronic health record (EHR) company that supports some of the biggest names in healthcare like Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins, and Cleveland Clinic. I spent seven years there as a project manager, helping hospital systems transition from paper or legacy EHR systems to Epic. I worked directly with doctors, pharmacists, nurses, and administrators to launch brand-new systems and improve patient care through better technology.
From there, I moved into the insurance industry, working as a Business Transformation Manager in a large PMO where I learned the ins and outs of Agile, Scrum, Kanban, and Lean. Eventually, I returned to healthcare, this time as a consultant and program manager helping large hospital systems implement Epic upgrades and new features.
Today, I run large-scale healthcare programs and projects, leading multimillion-dollar initiatives to modernize systems and bring best practices to hospital organizations.
On a personal note, I met and married my wife while at BYU. We had our first child in Madison, Wisconsin, and now have five amazing kids. We moved to Utah to be closer to family. My wife is an oil painter and studied under J. Kirk Richards through a mentorship program.
In addition to my day job, I also run a small business called Creative Biz Therapy, where I work with solo entrepreneurs, artists, and small business owners to help them establish better processes. My goal is to distill all the corporate strategies I’ve learned over the past 14 years into something practical and personalized—so that individual business owners can solve problems, gain clarity, and grow with confidence.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Early in my career, I struggled with managing difficult personalities—strong-willed doctors, skeptical nurses, and fast-moving executives who sometimes questioned my expertise or intentions. As a young project manager at Epic, I had to earn trust quickly in high-stakes environments, which pushed me to grow both professionally and personally.
One of the biggest challenges was the travel. I was on the road three out of every five weeks, flying across the country to support EHR implementations. While the work was meaningful, being away from my wife and young children was difficult. I’ve always seen myself as a father first and a professional second. Epic offered incredible perks—like a sabbatical to Italy and a trip to Maui—but eventually, I realized that what I wanted most was more time with my family. That realization pushed me to explore other opportunities.
When we decided to move to Utah in 2019, it came with its own set of challenges. We initially considered Idaho for a contract role, but that didn’t work out, so we landed in Utah, living with my sister and her family for six weeks while we found a home. Since moving, our family has faced a series of tough situations—two of my brothers-in-law moved in with us during different periods while navigating personal crises. We’ve also faced major medical challenges.
In 2021, I had emergency spine surgery and spent 10 days in neuro-rehab learning how to walk again. Just weeks after I returned home, I was rushed back to the hospital with a massive pulmonary embolism that nearly took my life. Around that same time, our fourth child was born four weeks early after my wife experienced several bouts of acute pancreatitis. She had to undergo an emergency gallbladder removal shortly after giving birth. Thankfully, both mother and baby recovered well.
In 2022, my father passed away unexpectedly from a heart attack shortly after he and my mother moved to Utah as part of their retirement. He was a major influence in my life—my scoutmaster, my church leader, and my mentor. I used to call him during business school to talk through concepts I was learning and figure out how we could apply them to the small family business he ran back in Fair Oaks—distributing farm-fresh eggs to local restaurants and grocery stores. He played a key role in helping me process the emotional weight of my health issues, and I still feel his influence today.
In 2023, I faced another challenge—being unemployed for six months while between contracts. It was a humbling period. I leaned heavily on my family and church community to stay afloat financially. During that time, I met with a lot of incredible people through groups like Silicon Slopes and 1 Million Cups. I learned from local entrepreneurs, built relationships, and gained clarity about the kind of work I truly want to do. Eventually, I found a new contract in healthcare IT, and I’m grateful to be doing meaningful work again.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Creative Biz Therapy was born out of a personal turning point in my life. After my father passed away, I felt a strong pull to reconnect with my family’s small business roots. My dad ran a humble egg distribution business in Fair Oaks, California, and I witnessed firsthand the challenges and isolation that can come with running a small business. I wanted to create something that would provide the kind of support he rarely had—something real, accessible, and empowering.
So I started Creative Biz Therapy, a coaching and consulting practice focused on helping solo entrepreneurs, artists, makers, and creatives build business processes that actually work for them. I specialize in helping people who don’t fit the traditional corporate mold—many of my clients have ADHD, anxiety, autism, or other mental health challenges, and have found freedom and fulfillment in building their own businesses on their own terms. These are often folks selling their art at markets, running online shops from home, or launching passion-based side hustles.
My mission is to help these entrepreneurs build sustainable, right-sized systems that bring clarity and confidence—without the jargon or pressure of traditional business coaching. I offer monthly in-person workshops (currently in partnership with The Compass Gallery in Provo, UT), group mastermind-style sessions, and one-on-one coaching. What sets me apart is that I don’t believe in “business in a box” formulas. I meet each client where they are, and we build solutions tailored to how they work best. Clients leave our sessions with a clear, actionable plan and the encouragement they need to move forward.
This is more than just a business for me—it’s a calling. I see myself not just as a business consultant, but also as a cheerleader, guide, and trusted resource for people trying to stand on their own two feet. And yes, I offer a free consultation to anyone who wants to explore what I do before committing.
On the other side of the business, under the Ronin Consulting LLC brand, I work with startups and mid-sized businesses on operational and business transformation. I help leadership teams refine their internal processes, improve cross-functional collaboration, and scale more sustainably. One recent project involved working with a WordPress plugin company to streamline their development process and better integrate project management practices. That transformation enabled them to improve release cycles, add new revenue streams, and build a more cohesive team culture.
Whether I’m working with a solo artist trying to figure out their pricing strategy or a funded startup needing structure to match their ambition, I bring the same energy: thoughtful, process-driven support rooted in empathy, creativity, and real-world experience. I’ve spent 14+ years managing multimillion-dollar programs in the healthcare IT space, and I love translating that knowledge into something practical for businesses of all sizes.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I was always active—whether I was outside playing sports, hiking through the Sierra foothills, or just running around with friends. I played football in high school as an offensive lineman and earned my Eagle Scout, spending countless weekends on Scout outings, learning survival skills, and developing a deep appreciation for nature and service. I’ve always loved the outdoors—one of my favorite accomplishments is hiking to the top of Half Dome in Yosemite.
I was also an avid gamer and a curious learner. I had a strong sense of independence from an early age and often found it hard to rely on others. I held myself to a high standard, and that’s something that continues to shape how I lead at home, in my church, and at work. Servant leadership was instilled in me early on, and I’ve tried to embody that principle ever since—whether I’m training 3,000 nurses on how to use iPads to improve patient care, or leading as an Elders Quorum President in Madison, Wisconsin.
Faith has always been a major part of my life. Church attendance gave me close friendships and a strong moral compass. It also inspired me to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Japan. Partway through, the mission boundaries were split, and I ended up serving under now-Apostle Elder Gary E. Stevenson. The final 10 days of my mission were spent in a Japanese hospital recovering from sepsis. I flew home with a heavily bandaged leg and restarted college at BYU just two weeks later.
Learning Japanese was life-changing for me, and it’s a part of my life I still hold close. Today, I run a small Japanese conversation club here in Utah—a casual monthly meetup where language learners and native speakers come together to build friendships and connect over shared interests. It’s not a business—just something that fills my cup as an extrovert and lets me reconnect with a culture I deeply love.
While I’m extroverted by nature, my introverted wife has helped me appreciate quiet moments and the importance of self-care. I’m still learning how to slow down and recharge so I can show up as the best version of myself—for her, for our five children, and for the people I work with.
I’m also a hands-on creator. I have a small workshop at home where I tinker with woodworking, blacksmithing, and fixing machines. I enjoy gardening and try to grow vegetables each year—though, with five kids, that sometimes turns into more of a hopeful aspiration than a reality. I grew up believing that being well-rounded was a virtue. My dad taught me to try everything—something he inherited from his own mother—and I’ve carried that mindset into adulthood. I consider myself a bit of a novelty seeker. I love trying new restaurants, exploring different cultures, and building new skills.
In fact, during my years of constant business travel with Epic, I became one of Google Maps’ top 10 % of photographers for a time—just by taking pictures of meals and posting reviews of the amazing local spots I discovered. Even now, when I travel or explore Utah, I make it a point to find small, family-owned restaurants and leave thoughtful, glowing reviews to help support their business. I believe in small businesses and try to support them whenever I can—despite the convenience of big-box stores and online retail. Helping others grow is just part of who I am.
Pricing:
- $150 – 1 hour business coaching session
- Free – 30 minute consultation for your business
- $25-100 – Monthly workshops on business topics
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tryronin.com/links/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creativebiztherapy/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CreativeBizTherapy
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tryronin/
- Twitter: https://x.com/TryRonin
