Dec 3, 20223 min read

Amplifying Black Stories: Introducing Jawan Harris

Updated: Feb 6, 2023

Take Notice Podcast featuring King's Dream Consulting's unapologetic leader, Jawan Harris. Harris shares his family roots, first jobs, military service, and philosophies that birthed King's Dream Consulting and Shop Skyway.

black owned small business in Seattle on Take Notice Podcast.

Take Notice: Amplifying Black Stories is a podcast exploring society, culture, and current events through conversation. The creator, Allison Preisinger, produces and hosts Take Notice with the aspiration to create an open, respectful, and equitable space where guests are free to share their truth and lived experiences. Their core values are rooted in community, connection, and personal development.

Stories help us to relate, learn, and grow! Their mission is to amplify Black stories and take notice.

Fun to play, not to stay.

Jawan shares how and why his family moved from New Orleans to Seattle, his first business at the age of 9, and how his work is helping small businesses in his community of South Seattle.

The cultural charm of New Orleans is palpable. The state of Louisiana is a historical testament to the resilience of its sizable Black community. Unfortunately, a lack of career growth and financial prosperity ultimately led to Blacks migrating in droves. Seattle, Washington, is one of the most significant migration points from New Orleans. Harris shares some of the intersections between the two metropolitan cities and acknowledges the privilege of growing up in a socially-aware town like Seattle but mentions there is still work to do to make the city more inclusive.

Born in King County.

Born and raised in Seattle's South End neighborhood, Jawan Harris began his journey of business ownership as a response to the city's ballooning gentrification and economic displacement of its Communities of Color. King's Dream Business Consulting, philosophically inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Seattle's King County, was established during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide small businesses across the country with technical business expertise at an affordable rate to serve the underserved.

King's Dream started by attending local business networking events, particularly Black Dot's Mastermind Mondays, where Harris met his soon-after first client. Since then, King's Dream has hired over a dozen people and consulted over 100 hundred businesses across the country.

"Those were my first clients. People that have been historically denied access to vital resources"...."we were able to meet them where they were." - Jawan Harris

Like many other marginalized business owner populations, the first King's Dream clients struggled with poor cash flow and an absence of a sustainable revenue model. If that sounds like you, don't hesitate to contact us and talk to one of our financial analysts or consultants.

Marcus, Malcolm, Martin, and Mama Carol.

Allison asks Jawan about his earliest mentors and leaders he admires. Harris replies with an esteemed group of activists who served as the pioneers of their time- including his grandmother Carol "Mama Carol" Harris. His response shows that Jawan admires those who exhibit bravery and fight in the service of others at any necessary cost. Jawan credits these four individuals for his autonomy, commitment to the welfare of Black Americans, and calm under pressure.

"I watched all of these Black and Brown, Minority, Woman-owned businesses specifically failing, year after year...I saw business consulting as a way I could help to facilitate group economics for opressed groups in Seattle" - Jawan Harris

Business is a vehicle for freedom.

Jawan reiterates his personal beliefs three-quarters into the conversation, stating that "business is one of those vehicles you can use to set yourself free, metaphorically." Shortly after Harris shares his goals for King's Dream in the coming year is to service the firm's contract with the Seattle Office of Economic Development to provide financial literacy workshops and technical assistance one-on-ones to small Minority businesses to create a more inclusive economy. Harris then proclaims, "We want to grow in the government sector, not to help just individuals, but with neighborhoods. We want to be responsible for helping whole neighborhoods. This principle goes back to group economics and building sustainable business models for the area".

Shop Skyway. Save Mom and Pop.

During the final moments of the chat, Jawan speaks to the nonprofit Shop Skyway's historic win for the community and his most historic contract to date, providing digital marketing for Seattle's soon-to-be Mayor, Bruce Harrell. In 2021, the King County Council approved Executive Constantine's new approach to community investment—one that's centered on racial equity. It gives people who live, work, play, or worship in the county's five urban unincorporated areas the chance to choose how more than $11 million directly is spent in their communities.

Shop Skyway's mission is to advance the upward mobility and autonomy of Skyway's business core. Skyway-Westhill is now the area with the most minority residents in the South Seattle area, but whose main street boutique businesses have not been granted the same access to economic prosperity and innovation.