Meet Dan Jacobson
Dan Jacobson became an i9 Sports owner to support his family, quickly growing passionate about the business, leveraging his finance background, mentoring franchisees, leading successful Nike Kids Camps, and balancing his role as a CFO with his love for youth sports and education.
Dan Jacobson is the Chief Financial Officer of Metro Metals, a prominent scrap metal recycling company in Portland, Oregon, where he has worked for 32 years. In 2015, he expanded his professional endeavors by investing in an i9 Sports franchise, launching his first season in the spring of 2016. This venture quickly evolved into a family enterprise, with his son-in-law, Brandon Harper, joining as the first full-time employee, and his daughter, Kate, contributing part-time. Dan’s deep-rooted involvement in sports, having played football, baseball, and basketball in high school and baseball in college, inspired his commitment to providing youth sports opportunities in his community. Under his leadership, the franchise has grown, reflecting his dedication to fostering family-oriented business practices and promoting youth engagement in sports.
Being part of a business that gives kids the opportunity to play sports, develop their skills, and hopefully achieve success in life through sports is incredibly rewarding.
What inspired you to become an i9 Sports owner?
It’s actually an interesting story. My son-in-law and daughter wanted to start the business but needed some financial backing, so they brought me in as a partner. Initially, I planned to be a silent, behind-the-scenes partner, but I immediately fell in love with the business. My son-in-law and I had always talked about going into business together because our skill sets complemented each other—he had experience in management at Safeway, Big Lots, and Office Depot, while I came from a finance background as a CPA and tax attorney. When i9 Sports came along, everything just clicked, and we knew this was the right opportunity. Growing up as the oldest child in a small town with no college graduates in my family, sports were everything to me. I played every sport I could, and when I received a letter inviting me to play in college, I jumped at the opportunity. Now, being part of a business that gives kids the opportunity to play sports, develop their skills, and hopefully achieve success in life through sports is incredibly rewarding.
If I had to give one piece of advice to new franchisees, it would be to plan financially for that transition period—it’s not instant success, but if you set yourself up right, it’s worth it.
If you had one piece of advice to give to new franchisees, what would it be?
One of the biggest lessons we learned early on was about timing. We had my son-in-law jump into the business full-time right away, but we quickly realized that no matter how hard you work, it takes time to build momentum. After about six months, he had to take another job temporarily to relieve some financial pressure. In hindsight, we would have kept him in his job a little longer before making the leap. I was able to keep my job, which helped take the financial burden off the family, and that made a big difference in getting the business off the ground. If I had to give one piece of advice to new franchisees, it would be to plan financially for that transition period—it’s not instant success, but if you set yourself up right, it’s worth it.
What do you love most about your job?
The mission of i9 Sports is everything I could ever want in a business, but what makes it even more special is that it’s become a family business. My two oldest grandkids now work in the business, and it’s amazing to see my daughter and son-in-law build something that allows them to work from home and still coach their kids when they want. It’s created such a fun and rewarding environment for all of us. Of course, there’s a fine line between being a father-in-law and being the boss, but we’ve figured it out along the way.
The mission of i9 Sports is everything I could ever want in a business, but what makes it even more special is that it’s become a family business….It’s created such a fun and rewarding environment for all of us.
What do you think is the most important skill that a successful franchisee should have?
The ability to wear multiple hats is absolutely critical. You can’t come into this business thinking, “I just love being on the field with the kids,” because that’s only one part of it. You also need to love marketing, finance, and operations—or at least be willing to learn and do those things until you can hire people to handle them. Another key skill is persistence. There are always roadblocks, whether it’s staffing, scheduling, or something completely unexpected, but you can’t let those challenges stop you. No one hands you a fully operational business with customers lined up at the door—you have to build it.
What was something that came up as a franchise owner that you did not anticipate?
One of the biggest surprises was how difficult some school districts make it to run sports programs for kids. I’ll see an empty gym and have 250 kids who want to play basketball, but the school won’t let us use the facility because a janitor would have to open and close it, and they don’t want to work weekends. It’s frustrating because these are public facilities, funded by taxpayers, yet the schools don’t always prioritize giving kids access to them. I see it all the time, and it still shocks me how many districts operate that way.
When you were first approached about the Nike Kids Camps, how did you feel about it as someone who primarily runs a league system?
When we first heard about the opportunity, we were at the convention in the summer of 2023 when Chris told us about it. My son-in-law, who was sitting right next to me, wrote a note, handed it to me, and it said, “We will lead the nation in this.” And we did. A big part of that was because we were already running a lot of summer camps before Nike Kids Camps even came into the picture. Our location is perfect for it—we have no humidity, our summers are gorgeous, and parents in our area don’t tend to travel much during the summer. So summer camps were already a great fit for us, and expanding our offerings with Nike Kids Camps just made sense. We were excited to jump in and make it a success.
We don’t force them into a specific sport…That way, they go home excited and ready to come back the next day.
Have you made any changes to the Nike Kids Camps going into the second year?
Basically, we just expanded. Last year, we started right after the Fourth of July, but this year, we realized school gets out earlier, so we’re starting the day after school ends. Those camps are going to fill up by March, so adjusting our timing was a big move. We also expanded into new territories and added more camps for the summer. Another thing we’ve done is elevate the camp offerings with football, soccer, and even volleyball. But what we really do is get a feel from the kids on day one—what they love to play—and we build from there. We don’t force them into a specific sport. If they love soccer, we let them play soccer. That way, they go home excited and ready to come back the next day. And when we have 50 or 60 kids, we can usually run multiple sports at once, so everyone gets to play what they love.
Who are some of your biggest influences?
One of my biggest influences was my college baseball coach, Ad Rutschman—his grandson, Adley Rutschman, actually plays catcher for the Baltimore Orioles. He had a huge impact on me. But even going further back, I remember my dad giving me these old Horatio Alger books as a kid. They were published over 100 years ago, and I still have some of the originals as collector’s items. The stories were all about kids overcoming difficult situations and achieving the American Dream through hard work, and those really stuck with me. I’ve always been into personal development books, too—Dale Carnegie and things like that. I love reading material that challenges me to think differently.
I love reading material that challenges me to think differently.
Have you found yourself becoming a mentor? If so, in what ways has your support improved the development of your mentees?
Yeah, I’ve really embraced being a mentor. I’m part of the i9 Sports mentor program, and my first mentee is Alicia Grant. After we were recognized at last summer’s convention for our success with Nike Kids Camps, I started getting a lot of calls from other franchisees asking for advice. I love those conversations. I tell them, “I’ve got a half-hour commute from 7:30 to 8:00 AM—just call me, no need to schedule.” I truly enjoy helping people think through challenges. I always say good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment. At 65, I’ve been through a lot in business, and I love sharing that with people who are just starting out—not by preaching, but by asking questions and helping them think critically. One of the biggest things I tell people about these camps is that it’s a completely different marketing strategy. You have to find parents who may not even know about us yet. Of course, we get a lot of our league players, but summer camps attract a whole new group of families. Learning to market differently has been key.
Can you recall an experience that made an impact on you?
When I graduated from college in 1982, the economy was in a horrible recession, and none of the accounting firms were hiring. So I went to law school, basically just to stall. I worked during the day and went to law school at night. I still remember my first few days in law school, looking around and thinking, “These people are smarter than me.” But then I decided, “They’re not going to outwork me.” I slept in the library, studied harder than anyone else, and made sure I put in more effort than anyone around me. That philosophy stuck with me throughout my career. At every job I’ve had, I found out what time the first person showed up, and I got there 15 minutes earlier. There will always be people smarter than you, but if you make sure no one outworks you, you can go as far as you want.
There will always be people smarter than you, but if you make sure no one outworks you, you can go as far as you want.
What is a cause that you are passionate about?
The two things I’m most passionate about in the world are education and youth sports. Both are avenues that can take you anywhere you want to go. I’ve always believed in the importance of education—not just for the piece of paper you hang on the wall, but for the lessons you learn along the way. I made sure my kids went to college, even when one of them wasn’t too keen on it. I knew the experience would shape them in ways beyond just academics, just like sports do.
What is something surprising that people might not know about you?
One surprising thing about me is that I’ve been balancing two very different careers for a long time. I’m the CFO of a large metal recycling company with operations in Washington, Oregon, and Colorado, and I’ve been doing that for 32 years. Because I kept that job while also running i9 Sports, I’ve had plenty of funny moments where people from one side of my life discover the other. I’ll be out on the field watching a game, and someone from my CFO world will see me and ask, “What are you doing here?” When I tell them I own the business, they’re completely shocked. Neither side of my career really intersects, so it’s always entertaining when people put the pieces together.
One surprising thing about me is that I’ve been balancing two very different careers for a long time….Neither side of my career really intersects, so it’s always entertaining when people put the pieces together.
Describe an interesting hobby or pastime that you have.
I’m an avid reader—probably not as much as I’d like to be, but I love reading when I can. Another big pastime for me is being a lifelong Trail Blazers season ticket holder. We’ve turned it into a family tradition, taking our grandkids to games and making signs together. It started when they were just three or four years old, and now I’ve got a freshman in high school still enjoying it with us. It’s been a really special way to bond as a family over the years.
