Inspired by professor, Horned Frog duo re-launch Jimmy John’s ahead of graduation
For entrepreneurship majors Nate Meyer and Ty Vansteenburg, class became a business plan.
They applied lessons learned at Texas Christian University to re-open the shuttered doors of a Jimmy John’s just off campus in February and did so while in school. The seniors at the TCU Neeley School of Business will graduate in May with their degrees and as co-owners of this iconic franchise.
“High risk, high reward,” Vansteenburg said. “If you’re not willing to take a risk, you won’t succeed.”
The two friends, who are also roommates and classmates, say they are on a mission to leave a legacy at TCU by building a place for the community to gather. For them, this is not just a business venture — it’s their chance to shape TCU’s future and make an impact that lasts long after graduation. Their business location near the intersection of University Drive and Berry Street provides a connection to TCU’s Campus Master Plan and the broader Fort Worth business community.
A line of students snaked down the block on the day of their grand opening, aided by their takeover of TCU’s Instagram account. The venture has tapped into a road map for success provided by TCU professors and family.
“My dad started franchising in 2001, and I was born in 2003, so Jimmy John’s has been part of my life since day one,” he said, adding that his first job at 14 was in his dad’s restaurant.
Even with that entrepreneurial fire, Vansteenburg’s journey was not a direct path. He started in finance and real estate, chasing what he described as a more conventional path. After trying a real estate internship that he said was not a good fit, he put his energy toward his passion of being an entrepreneur — and he never looked back.
Meyer’s journey was also unconventional. His grandfather, a businessman in the truss industry, saw firsthand what it means to build from the ground up. When he arrived at TCU, he began on a pre-medical pathway, but it didn’t take long for him to pivot his studies to management and entrepreneurship.
Will Drover, associate professor and the department chair for entrepreneurship and innovation, said the business school encourages students to identify and define their interests through firsthand experience.
“A defining strength of TCU entrepreneurship is our ability to fuse elite instruction, experiential learning and hands-on programming with practical, real-world application,” Drover said, adding that the professors are key to this approach. “As a top-ranked program, our team brings a wide range of expertise, ensuring students don’t just learn about entrepreneurship and innovation. They put it into action. We regularly see that our students graduate ready to launch, lead and innovate with confidence.”
Vansteenburg described the hands-on approach in Neeley’s award-winning entrepreneurship program as a game-changer.
“It’s interactive,” Vansteenburg explained. “We tackle real challenges. Professors share personal experiences, teaching us to avoid and handle pitfalls. There are 100 right ways and 100 wrong ways to build a business. Neeley shows us how to navigate both.”
After taking a new franchising course with Michael Browning ’07, a member of TCU’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation advisory board and founder and CEO of Unleashed Brands, Meyer and Vansteenburg said they knew opening a business wasn’t just possible — it was inevitable.
“We can definitely do this,” Meyer said. In the fall, they learned that the Jimmy John’s restaurant on University Drive had closed. They jumped on the opportunity.
“It felt like it fell in our laps,” Vansteenburg said. “It was God, truly. The timing was perfect.”
The partners have high standards for their restaurant and their final months as students at TCU.
“We want to finish strong and inspire students to take action,” Vansteenburg said.
Meyer added, “There are countless opportunities for students to seize.”
For Browning, it has been incredibly rewarding to see students take action on a franchising concept.
“Franchising is a proven path to business ownership, and seeing Ty and Nate apply what they learned in class to real-world opportunities reopening a Jimmy John’s on campus is a testament to their entrepreneurial spirit and the power of education,” Browning said. “The best part is that this isn’t just about business; it’s about giving young leaders the confidence to take calculated risks, leverage a franchise system’s support, and start building something of their own. If this class has played even a small role in inspiring that kind of mindset, then that’s the biggest success I could ask for.”
