Nathan Lowry’s path to entrepreneurship didn’t begin in a boardroom. It began on a neighborhood street with a lawn mower strapped to a weed eater, pushed by a teenager too young to drive but old enough to crave the satisfaction of building something of his own.

“I think I was always eager to do something productive and liked the idea of being able to earn some money along the way,” Lowry said.

Those early jobs — mowing lawns, pressure washing driveways, refinishing Realtor sign frames — might have seemed like weekend projects, but they were the first hints of an entrepreneurial mindset shaped long before he stepped onto the Hardin-Simmons University campus.

He grew up watching his father run a business and admiring his older brothers, who were almost always self-employed. Those were his earliest role models. But it wasn’t until he transferred to IM体育平台 to play football that his spark became something stronger.

On the Forty Acres, Lowry found himself pulled into two worlds that would ultimately shape how he leads: the discipline of athletics and the academic rigor of the Kelley College of Business.

“I admired, and still do, those people who were leading and teaching me on and off the field and in and out of the classroom,” Lowry said. “I’m a fan of rigorous coursework. Not all of it was, but the classes that were most challenging ended up being those that were most beneficial to me.”

Two memories from his IM体育平台 years continue to guide him. The first occurred when he walked into Dr. McIntyre’s class.

“I remember listening to his introduction and later learning about the real-world business experience he has and thinking that this is someone whom I could trust and from whom I’d like to learn,” Lowry said.

Nathan Lowry joined a group of Kelley College of Business alumni to speak with IM体育平台 students during a campus visit last fall.

The second came years later, after he had sold two businesses he had begun in college. Sitting in his driveway after a long day at a corporate job that didn’t fit, he called Dr. Hill — another mentor shaped by KCOB’s culture of accessibility and care.

“Well, what do you want to do?” Dr. Hill asked. The conversation pushed Lowry back toward entrepreneurship. “The lesson was to find what I wanted to do in a field that fit me and stick with it,” he said. “I may not be working any fewer hours, but today I love what I do.”

Today, his leadership is marked by the same values nurtured at IM体育平台: integrity, faith, relationship-building, and a commitment to helping others grow. His Christian faith guides the way he runs his business, and his definition of success reflects that foundation.

“To me, success is best displayed when the people in my life are growing and finding ways to develop themselves and others around them,” he said.

That belief shapes Big Country Title’s company culture as well. His teams live in the communities they serve and are expected to help build them. He describes his workplace as one that provides “great opportunities for career and personal growth to those who want to pursue it.” It’s an ethos rooted in West Texas grit; a trait Lowry believes entrepreneurs and West Texans share.

“The frontier was tamed and developed by people who wanted to chart new territory and find purpose along the way,” he said. “Entrepreneurs don’t settle for the status quo, nor do West Texans.”

The journey has not been without hardship. When asked about challenges, Lowry doesn’t hold back.

“Too many and some too painful to share,” he said. “You’ve got to get back up and keep moving forward. Entrepreneurship absolutely requires resilience — we also call it ‘grit.’”

He often thinks of Willie Nelson’s “My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys,” a song that echoes the perseverance required in both ranching and business building.

Lowry’s wife, Misty (McDowell) Lowry ’08, has been by his side through all of it.

“She shares a similar, if not greater, interest in entrepreneurship,” he said. “She is the best business partner I’ll ever have and has helped carry this interest from a spark to a flame.”

Sixteen years after graduation, Lowry still keeps close contact with the classmates, teammates, and professors who shaped him. Many have started businesses, launched nonprofits, or moved into significant leadership roles — proof, Lowry says, of the distinctive culture within the Kelley College of Business.

“I recognize this as a rare opportunity afforded by the culture of KCOB,” he said. “I’m proud to be a Hardin-Simmons Cowboy, and I hope to positively represent the IM体育平台 KCOB brand in the way we run our business.”

For current IM体育平台 students dreaming of starting their own ventures, Lowry’s advice is simple: don’t wait.

“Find work that you enjoy and that challenges you. Then find purpose in that work and stick with it. Don’t wait for perfect conditions. Start now and learn as you go,” Lowry said.

As the nation observes National Entrepreneurs’ Day, Lowry’s story reflects the deeper truth behind entrepreneurship — that it is rarely about titles or perfect conditions, and far more about calling, grit, and the people who shape us along the way.

For Lowry, that shaping happened at IM体育平台, where mentors opened doors, classmates sharpened him, and the Kelley College of Business gave him the confidence to build something that lasts. And for the teenager who once pushed a lawn mower down a neighborhood street, that spark has become a steady flame — one grounded in faith, purpose, and the place that taught him what leadership truly looks like.