Growing up in Little Rock, AR, Charlotte Jones’ father, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, would always encourage her to find something she was passionate about and daily ask herself: “Am I doing everything I can to turn that passion into a reality?”

The advice stuck – becoming a foundation for how Charlotte Jones would approach life. And to it, she added her own powerful guiding insight: A truly fulfilling life is one that weds passion with purpose.

During the keynote, ASI CEO Tim Andrews interviewed Charlotte Jones about everything from running a successful family business to the role branded merchandise plays in building the Dallas Cowboys brand.

Jones has gone out and lived the axiom, rising to become not only one of the most powerful and innovative women in sports as the overseer of business operations and marketing strategies for one of the world’s biggest brands, the Dallas Cowboys, but also as a leader who’s made a deeply impactful difference through her charity-focused work.

“All of us have an opportunity to do something significant,” Jones told the promotional products professionals who filled the room to hear her keynote at the ASI Show Forth Worth on Wednesday, Jan. 25. “Maybe the opportunity is in your community or at your church or with your family. Find it, whatever it is. Find your passion. And when you wake up each day, realize you are blessed to do something you’re passionate about and turn that passion into purpose.”

In both her keynote address and question-and-answer session with ASI President and CEO Tim Andrews, Jones shared how she feels blessed and privileged to get to live her passion – playing an integral leadership role in the wildly successful family business that is the Dallas Cowboys.

She’s welded that passion to purpose by finding ways to leverage the Cowboys massive brand for good, such as helping the Salvation Army raise about $3.1 billion over the years – in part through spotlighting the humanitarian nonprofit during the Thanksgiving Day game the Cowboys compete in annually.

Interestingly, Jones first arranged for the expanded halftime show where the Salvation Army has been highlighted by approaching the then head of NBC Sports to ask for the airtime when she was only in her 20s. She earned the spotlight for free (worth about $15 million) with the pressure that if the show was bad, NBC would cut to a commercial.

Did she know how she was going to pull it off? Nope. Did that dissuade her? Also, nope. Which brought up another big point Jones stressed to promo product pros: Don’t fear failure. As entrepreneurs, it’s important to take strategic risks and to hustle, plan and adapt as you go. Only in that way will you push yourself to new levels and greater success.

Charlotte Jones inspired and delighted in her keynote at ASI Fort Worth.

“I was scared all the time,” Jones shared in a highly relatable moment when discussing her early days with the Cowboys after her father bought the organization and the club was a mess – losing team, hostile fans and other travails. “Everything was so negative at the time. … But there’s a saying that true character is forged in fire.”

And so it was with Jones, her family and the Cowboys. They dug in and got to work, and would go on to create an incredible legacy that they’re still building.

There has been the achievement of three Super Bowls in four years. There was the building of AT&T Stadium – the crown jewel of American sports entertainment destinations, where even non-football fans find much to delight them.

There were landmark wins on the internal business side of things too, like staring down a lawsuit from the NFL (ultimately dropped) in a victory that allowed the Cowboys to become masters of their own branded merchandise, managing all aspects of merch creation from soup to nuts. The move opened up new merchandising rights opportunities for all teams. The Cowboys brand recently forged a deal with Fanatics, in which the manufacturer/retailer does Cowboys merch, but the Cowboys organization continues to have final sign off.

“Branded merchandise is at the core of our identity and what we do,” Jones said. “It’s certainly our business.”

And while that business is massive, it’s still a family company – just like so many in the promo products industry. Jones said the keys to running a successful family business include acting with compassion and honesty, being willing to listen to other perspectives/ideas, and treating each other with respect even during bumpy stretches.

“My brothers and I don’t think alike,” Jones said of her siblings, who are also involved in the business. “If there’s a certain strategy under consideration, we all get a voice, but at the end of the day, you have to fall in line with and respect the consensus” even if it differs from your opinion. That approach has kept the Cowboys’ business operations humming – and the Jones family together.

Speaking of family, Charlotte Jones shared some familial anecdotes that drew smiles, such as her father, an oil and gas man first and foremost, explaining petroleum engineering at the dinner table by using a straw and glass of milk. Also: kids and grandkids making uncannily insightful observations that have helped inform real business decisions. “Sometimes that wisdom from the dinner table is important,” Jones said.

In a surefire takeaway for attendees, Jones at one point recalled something that former Cowboys coach Jason Garrett told players. “He was talking about integrity and character,” Jones explained. “He said, ‘The purpose of life is to live a purposeful life.’” Good words to live by, and ones Jones encouraged all to follow.