Inspiring Conversations with Dan Smith of The Porter House

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dan Smith.

Hi Dan, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
I’m a local kid through and through – born and raised on Kansas City’s East Side. As a graduate of Bishop Hogan High School, I spent most of my downtime at places like, the Linwood – YMCA and the Thornberry – Boys and Girls Club. During my college years, I found myself gravitating towards local start-up endeavors – whether that be supporting my inner-circle with their business plans, or co-founding a business of my own. Either way, these endeavors fueled my entrepreneurial itch, and throughout my life, I’ve started five (5) different, none widely successful, businesses.

Before my current position as Co-Founder of The Porter House KC, I spent roughly 15 years in Corporate America. During that time, I remained committed to non-profit work – specifically on the values of education and empowering the underserved community. In one of the organizations I was a part of – 100 Black Men of Greater Kansas City – I served as the Vice President of the local chapter. Prior to starting The Porter House KC, I worked for the Full Employment Council (FEC) as an Equal Opportunity Officer. I ended up leaving FEC in 2020 to work full-time at The Porter House KC (there’s a ton more detail in-between that, if you care to learn more, shoot me a DM) .

Charon Thompson (other Co-Founder) and I, with the help of Ron and Coley – Co-Founder’s of CHES, Inc. (along with countless others), started The Porter House KC in an attempt to bridge gaps for entrepreneurs in the urban core with support, resources, and funding. We started this journey by hosting monthly speaker series events. These events were workshop-style and were hyper-focused on educating current, and future, business owners on the basics of entrepreneurship.

From there, with a whole bunch of work in-between, (to continue to keep this story short) we were able to grow the organization. Pin-pointing from just these past 3 years, we have been able to start a small business development program, a mentoring program, a small-dollar grant program, and open our first office space on 18th and Vine. None of this would be possible without the support of our families, Ron and Coley of CHES Inc., Kauffman Foundation, Plexpod, EDCKC, LISC-Kansas City, Forward Cities, C2FO, JP Morgan Chase Foundation, and UMB Bank.

With all of their support, we have been able to graduate over 100 current / future entrepreneurs, provide $100,000 in grant support to 20 small businesses, and hire three (3) full-time staff to do the work.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I think the saying is correct that “No easy path is worth the journey.” There have been many challenges in starting and running an organization – specifically, one that focuses on a community of people you care so deeply about. Without getting too grainy on the obstacles, I’ll say, consistency and pushing through fear were the initial struggles that we faced.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about The Porter House KC?
The Porter House KC is an entrepreneurship support organization with a focus of providing access and resources to current and aspiring entrepreneurs in the Kansas City metro area. Our mission is to be a bridge between underrepresented individuals and community-driven entrepreneurship support. We intentionally serve a wide-array of like-minded individuals with the goal of building, transforming, or further developing their business.

At the end of the Small Business Development and Small Business Mentorship Programs, cohort participants officially become PHKC Alumni. As we continue to understand this entrepreneurship ecosystem, and more importantly – the journeys of our small business owners – we know that growing and sustaining a business can be a lonely path to travel. And just like the cohorts that we create, we want our Alumni to continue to feel like we have created a safe-space for them to ideate, pivot, and grow. Having now over 100 PHKC Alumni to the “Family,” we are proud to continue to see them develop on their entrepreneurial journeys.

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I have a lot of favorites! Let’s start with books: I just finished the Alchemist, which was an excellent read / reminder to continue to lean on my, and others’, paths as entrepreneurs. I’m currently reading Adam Grant’s Think Again, which explains the power of re-thinking (almost everything). I also do a lot of reading in the Harvard Business Review and Stanford Social Innovation Review. The E-Myth and the E-Myth Mastery are good books about theories of entrepreneurship (but in story form), and the Autobiography about Dapper Dan (specifically in the audio book form).

In terms of podcasts: Drink Champs is one of my faves… Higher Learning Podcast, Comedy Gold Minds, Seth Godin’s Akimbo, and a podcast called Broken Record featuring Malcolm Gladwell, are what first come to mind.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.theporterhousekc.com
• Instagram: @iamd.c.smith
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dan.smith.501598