Dan Smith Charon Thompson and The Porter House KC Creating Opportunities For The Betterment of Others

By Terry L. Watson Photos Provided by The Porter House KC

The Porter House KC is an inner city-based co-working community that provides entrepreneurship access and resources to underserved populations in the Kansas City, MO, Metro area. Founded by Dan Smith and Charon Thompson, the organizations’ mission is to be a bridge for underrepresented individuals who typically don’t have access to the entrepreneurial dream. They also assist in representing entrepreneurs of color by providing an affordable business space to grow an idea into a full-fledged business.

Dan is a native of Kansas City and graduated from Bishop Hogan High School. He has worked in for-profit and not-forprofit sectors for the past 18 years, and in addition to the Porter House KC, he has started, owned, and operated five businesses. Dan’s affinity for the not-for-profit sector, explicitly helping underserved populations, started over 20 years ago when his mother exposed him to the importance of helping others. This experience gave him a deep appreciation for the not-for-profit work in underserved communities of color and fueled his drive to help those in need. Dan will serve his first year as a professor at the University of Kansas School of Business this fall. He previously taught at the University of Missouri in Kansas City. He shares two boys, Michael and Daniel Jr, with his wife, Aisha.

Charon is not a native of Kansas City, but he has lived in the “City of Dreams” since he was seven years old. Most of his family lives in Dallas, TX, and Shreveport, LA. Charon was a military brat who traveled all over and found his way there by way of his grandmother, a Kansas City resident. He attended Lincoln College Prep and the University of Missouri in Kansas City. At UMCK, he majored in Electrical Engineering, and from there, he started several businesses with Dan and worked with the BNSF Railway for 17 years. One of the businesses he and Dan created was a coffee wholesale company called Black Drip Coffee. Dan is married to Lauren, and together they share two boys and a girl, Caleb, Dylan, and Bryson.

The Porter House KC was developed when Dan and Charon were challenged with access to few resources when starting their business. “We wanted to help entrepreneurs in the community have a sustainable business. We reached out to a couple of businesses and noticed gaining access wasn’t easy. We had to ask the hard questions to make it easy for others who look like us to have access and operate successfully,” they share. “The plight of the minority entrepreneur is one with many struggles and hardships and very few victories. We aim to reverse this narrative and help entrepreneurs grow in victory.”

Why do they serve their community, one may ask? The answer is simple. Dan and Charon are committed to bringing change and opportunity. “We love improving our community and seeing generational wealth pour in.” h www.theporterhousekc.com

Others have shaped and molded the minds of these servants, whom they both acknowledge. Dan says his grandfather and mother impacted his life while growing up. They showed him how to be the man he has come to be. Charon says his mother, twin sister, and brother, John Wilson, helped make him the man he is today. Additionally, he had role models in Deion Sanders and Derrick Thomas as a child.

Running a business will always come with its own challenges, and the Porter House KC is no exception. Charon says marketing and getting known in Kansas City is one, while Dan says one of his challenges has been figuring out better ways to connect with his community. “Even though I come from the same community as our target population, the population we’re serving is ever-changing for business owners and changing for them as well,” Dan said.

Their advice to other entrepreneurs, whether in business or thinking about getting into business, is to keep grinding. “Believe in yourself and have confidence in your abilities and your vision. Those two things are very crucial. Also, trust your instincts, stay true to your values, and believe in your potential to positively impact your business.” Dan emphasizes that it’s essential to have the power to create a successful business and inspire others as a minority entrepreneur. “Stay resilient, persevere, and let your passion guide this rewarding journey,” Dan says.

In the future, Porter House KC will open another space at 811 W 31st St in Kansas City. The opening is planned for August. “Instead of trying to figure out eCommerce and how to get in the next pop-up show or ‘First Fridays’ type deals, we want founders and business owners to be able to have stores and be a retailer out of their own space. We want to create opportunities for entrepreneurs,” they shared. There will be a lot of surprises when their new space is finished, that is for sure.

To learn more about Porter House KC, please visit their website.