Founder-Led and Fearless: How Jeremy Jenson Scaled an 8-Figure Search Firm
HOUSTON, TX – June 6, 2025 – Startups often chase billion-dollar valuations before they even turn a profit. Jeremy Jenson’s approach to success is refreshingly real and radically effective. As the Founder & CEO of Encore Search Partners, a 45-person Direct Hire Recruiting Firm headquartered in Houston, Texas, Jenson turned a single laptop and a cold-call list into an 8-figure powerhouse focused on venture capital & private equity backed portfolio companies, and Fortune 100 industry leaders, nationwide.
His strategy – Zero outside capital. 100% organic. Relentless focus on excellence, professionalism, and delivering results.
Encore Search Partners has placed over 1,000 professionals in revenue-driven roles. The firm operates on a contingency-based recruiting model, meaning clients only pay when results are delivered. According to IBISWorld, the U.S. executive search industry generates more than $30 billion annually. Yet very few of the firms in that space remain founder-built, debt-free, and independent at Encore’s scale (Executive Search Recruiter in the US – Market Research Report, 2014-2019).
The company’s origin traces back to 2010, when Jenson launched a lead generation business called Market Share Solutions. After discovering the profitability and long-term potential of executive recruiting, he rebranded to Encore Search Partners in 2013 and shifted his full focus to direct hire recruitment.
Encore has earned recognition not just for its financial performance but also for its workplace culture. The company has been named one of Houston Business Journal’s Best Places to Work six years in a row. In 2024, it ranked first on HBJ’s list of Houston’s largest executive search firms based on the number of locally placed executives.
Jenson credits Encore’s momentum and growth to a performance-driven mindset and his team’s proactive approach to outreach. As a professional recruiter, Jeremy doesn’t just place top talent in the business world; he does it in life too. One of his most recent wins? Cold DM’ing a woman on LinkedIn who eventually became his fiancée!
Outside of Encore, Jenson is an active voice in Houston’s business community. He has been featured in publications including the Houston Business Journal, InnovationMap, and Houstonia. His insights are often highlighted for their focus on transparency, culture, and sustainable growth.
Jenson also hosts Path to Success, a podcast where he interviews high-performing executives, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders. The show covers topics such as resilience, failure, scaling, and what it truly takes to lead in today’s business environment.
Jeremy Jenson’s journey challenges the idea that growth has to come from outside capital. His success shows that consistency, clarity, and commitment can be just as powerful as funding. In Houston, where entrepreneurship continues to shape the city’s future, Encore Search Partners stands out as a business built on results.
About Jeremy Jenson
Jeremy Jenson is the Founder and CEO of Encore Search Partners, a 40 person Houston-based executive search firm known for headhunting top-tier talent across the nation. With over a decade of success in placing high-impact professionals, he’s now added one more role to his resume: fiancé to the love of his life.
For interviews, media appearances, or speaking opportunities, contact:
Lauren.Lacson@EncoreSearch.com | (346) 298-9010
References
Business.com (2024). The cost of a bad hire. Retrieved from https://www.business.com/articles/cost-of-a-bad-hire/
Houston Business Journal. (2023). Best Places to Work 2023. https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/subscriber-only/2023/11/02/best-places-to-work-winners.html
Houston Business Journal. (2024). 2024 Largest Houston-area Executive Search Firms. https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/subscriber-only/2024/07/12/2024- largest-houston-area-executive-search-firms.html
IBISWorld. (2024). Executive Search Recruiters in the US – Market Size 2024. https://www.ibisworld.com/united-states/industry/executive-search-recruiters/5670/
