Disclaimer: This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity and readability. Filler words were removed, sentence structure improved, and formatting adjusted while preserving the original meaning and tone.
Henry Harrison:
Welcome to the podcast, Entrepreneurs, Business and Finance. Today we’re fortunate to have an entrepreneur with us and a good friend of mine—John Cornelison. We’ve known each other at least 20 years. We’ve been in each other’s houses. We know each other’s families.
John is the founder and owner of Evolving Texas, and also Indigo, where he has a partner. I know you brought in a CEO for Evolving Texas too. We’ll talk about all of that. John, thanks for coming on the show.
John Cornelison:
Thanks for having me, Henry. I’m really looking forward to the talk.
Henry Harrison:
We met through EO, the Entrepreneurs’ Organization. I’ve had a lot of EO people on the show. That was before you started Evolving Texas.
You were experienced in civil engineering, and I remember you graduated from college—first in your family—at age 38, working your way through school. You’ve become a real success, but it didn’t happen overnight.
When you grew up, did you think you’d be an entrepreneur?
John Cornelison:
It’s an interesting question. I’ve got some video somewhere.
When I was little, I had a red wagon with a little white fence my dad built around it. I was probably six, and I’d go up and down our block on the north side of Fort Worth collecting newspapers from people. What I loved was meeting everybody—talking to people, a lot of them older.
I’d bring the newspapers home and stack them in this shed by our carport. Eventually it was stacked to the ceiling. We loaded them on a pickup and hauled them off. I remember I got twenty dollars for a whole summer’s work—and it felt like the coolest thing.
That kind of started me in entrepreneurship. When I was 15, I started a lawn care business. By 16, I had a couple guys working with me. I thought I was making good money, but I was spending a lot of it like a kid does.
When I got into civil engineering, I grew up around it. My dad was a planner at Carter & Burgess. When I was about eight, I’d go with him on Saturdays. It was downtown Fort Worth—about 200 people, music on the sound system, just a fun environment.
Back then, planners would write out words, and I’d put them into a lettering machine and make labels for plats. I remember one Saturday we worked on a project for a local developer, Hayden Cutler. Later that weekend, we drove out to see some family friends, and I saw a sign—property for sale by Hayden Cutler.
I asked my dad, “Is that the same guy we worked on today?” He said yes. I said, “We’ve got a problem—his name is spelled wrong on all the labels.” We had spelled it differently. They had a presentation on Monday, so we went back on Sunday and fixed everything. That’s how I got started.
Once I got into engineering, I worked for others. I wasn’t licensed yet. I didn’t have what it took to start a company right away.
Henry Harrison:
Quick note—you’re standing up for this podcast and we’re missing the top of your head on camera. Also, behind you are drawings from your kids, which is pretty great.
John is also a strong poker player and has played in major tournaments. Not something easy to do. And civil engineering isn’t easy either.
John Cornelison:
I’ll say this: I was fortunate. When I was 17, I ran away from home. I went to California from Texas in a pickup truck. Everything I owned was in two black garbage bags in the back of an S10. I had paid it off the day before.
It was the day after Christmas. I got out to Colorado City, Texas, and it was snowing. A gust of wind blew me off the road into a ditch. They told me the truck was totaled. I wasn’t injured.
I remember sitting in a roadside cafe listening to the jukebox thinking, “Do I go forward or go back?” Everything was closed between Christmas and New Year’s. I decided I had to go forward.
When I got to California, my dad sent me a message. The company he worked for in Fort Worth had just opened an office in Southern California that week. I said, “California is big.” He said, “It’s close.” It turned out it was ten miles from where I was going to live.
I interviewed with the vice president—Fred Whistle. He’s still a close friend. Later he showed me he wrote on my application: “Do not hire.” He didn’t think I was right for the job.
But I kept bugging him. He went on vacation to Germany, and I started calling his cell phone. This was the late 80s, so it cost him about five dollars a minute. I think he decided it was cheaper to give me a job than to keep taking my calls.
He hired me at $240 a week salary. I decided I was going to learn the business. I started working 60 hours a week. Fred and a guy named Skip Schmidt took me under their wing.
I’d go to lunch with Fred and he’d teach me engineering concepts on a napkin. It came fairly naturally, and I grew quickly. Within six months he gave me a 50% raise, then another 50% six months later. I went from that to about $50,000 within four or five years.
I owe a lifetime of gratitude to Fred, Skip, and other mentors. It made a real difference.
Henry Harrison:
You’re a natural at meeting people. I’ve met mayors, city council members, leaders in real estate—your Fort Worth network is deep.
Your company works on major projects with cities. Give a brief summary of what Evolving Texas does.
John Cornelison:
I started Evolving Texas in 2009. My partner Samantha Renz is our CEO now. We recently hired a president, Ron Ramirez.
We do land development design. If you have property and you want to build something, we create the site plan, help figure out density, and help you understand what kind of return you can expect.
A lot of my early learning was doing Walmart work. I worked on over 200 supercenters and Sam’s Clubs across the country. They always picked challenging sites—highways, complicated constraints—so you learned fast.
I remember in Casper, Wyoming, I relocated a fiber optic line for a Walmart. It was expensive. Then Walmart decided to put a Sam’s Club where we relocated it, so we had to relocate it again.
We work on residential subdivisions, commercial buildings, office buildings, and infrastructure design.
Henry Harrison:
And Indigo is a different kind of venture. Yoga and civil engineering aren’t usually connected.
John Cornelison:
The common thread for me is relationships. When I was a kid, I didn’t collect baseball cards—I collected business cards. I loved that it captured who someone was on one card.
Fort Worth is a relationship town. I learned that early. When I was young, my parents got a low-income home rehab loan from the city of Fort Worth. The mayor at the time—Bob Bolen—came to our house with TV cameras. That was the first time I’d met a mayor.
Fast forward—during COVID, Mayor Betsy Price, who’s a dear friend, helped us. Think about that—having access to guidance like that. I’ll never forget it.
EO shaped me too. Around 2011, Jeremy Brandt and I talked about launching an EO Fort Worth chapter. Jeremy knew I had relationships in town. We launched it, I was the initial membership chair, then I became the second president after Jeremy.
I remember being on a rooftop in Vancouver at an EO event, and Jeremy asked if I’d be president. It was a meaningful moment for me.
Now, Indigo came from practicing yoga for health and focus. I walked into this small studio in Fort Worth called Indigo and immediately felt like I was home.
In 2012, I decided I wanted to become a teacher. I thought it would help my observational skills and leadership. The owner, Brooke Hamlet, and I started talking. She loved the yoga side; I loved the business side. We became partners, and later I ended up owning the studio.
Today, Sandra McLaughlin is my partner. We’re shifting Indigo to be a community refuge—a place for people navigating how intense life is right now. Seeing new people walk in for the first time—that’s meaningful.
Henry Harrison:
And Juggle ties into your philosophy of bringing people together.
John Cornelison:
Juggle has been a journey. I decided to learn software. We raised capital, made mistakes, and I could write three books on how not to do it—but we have a great team now.
You can find it at juggleapps.com or juggletribe.com.
The premise is relationships and loneliness. I started thinking about this around 2013 after reading about the potential negative effects of social media. Loneliness and social isolation are serious, and I want people to be intentional about connection.
I’ll challenge anyone listening: pause, open your phone, and text someone you haven’t talked to in 30 days. Tell them they matter. People need to hear that.
I love events because I can connect with 50 or 100 people face to face. That’s not the same as a newsletter.
Henry Harrison:
You’re also leading a major regional event for EO. You keep pushing into new areas.
People like to hear about obstacles. What’s something you’ve overcome?
John Cornelison:
Something my current software vendor said last year stuck with me: “All problems are co-created.”
It’s easy to blame someone else in conflict—partner issues, breakups, disagreements. But I’ve learned I create the environment that allows things to happen.
I’ve realized my biggest obstacle has been myself—learning how to show up better, even in conflict, giving myself grace, and giving other people grace too.
We’re all human. We’re all trying to figure it out. When I separate myself from someone else’s perspective, I lose something.
Henry Harrison:
That’s a strong place to end. John, thanks for coming on. I know people will enjoy it. Have a great rest of the day.
John Cornelison:
Thank you, Henry. A real pleasure. I look forward to our next time together.
