How this 32-year-old’s Houston meals truck brings in over $1 million a yr

For Dawon Matthews, pursuing entrepreneurship has at all times been a “no brainer.”

After he was charged with a felony at age 19, Matthews could not discover a job within the company world, so he determined to carve his personal path, he says.

“As soon as they see a felony behind an individual they do not even care about what credentials you bought. You are simply not accepted in that society,” Matthews says.

Now, Matthews, 32, at the moment owns 5 corporations, most notably his profitable Houston, Texas meals truck, Goodies Soul Kitchen.

Born in Philadelphia, Matthews had a “tough begin” in life, earlier than his household moved to the metro space borough of Norristown, he says.

“Rising up, I did not have any mentors or anybody I wished to be like. I simply had a bunch of folks that I did not need to be like,” he says.

Matthews excelled in highschool, however received into authorized hassle in faculty.

As a freshman, he was charged with aggravated assault after a celebration brawl, for which he was expelled from faculty and served 6 months in jail. Whereas on probation, he was charged with a DUI.

“That simply led to me taking place a gap of simply going out and in of the system,” Matthews remembers.

Although Matthews earned an affiliate’s diploma from Manor Faculty and a B.A. in enterprise from La Salle College, he utilized to over 200 jobs in a two-month interval with no luck. He began his first firm “because of the easy undeniable fact that I could not get a job with my faculty diploma,” he says.

At present, his companies collectively herald over $1 million in web income yearly.

‘All the time in search of the subsequent factor’

In 2017, Matthews launched his first enterprise, a cleansing firm known as Great Cleansing, within the Philadelphia space along with his childhood good friend Darnell Hinton.

He selected to enter the cleansing business as a result of it had low startup prices and did not require background checks for enterprise house owners, he says.

“So long as you will get some bleach and a few scorching water and a few spray bottles and a few rags, you may flip this factor right into a enterprise,” Matthews says.

His first job was cleansing his brother’s home, however with assist from his highschool soccer coach, Matthews landed extra profitable business cleansing contracts.

By the top of yr two, Great Cleansing introduced in round $12,000 in income every month, and Matthews transitioned into being the “intermediary,” hiring different cleansing crews to satisfy his contracts.

With the income from Great Cleansing, Matthews and Hinton purchased a pickup truck and began a second enterprise, R&R Junk Removing, in 2020.

A number of months in, they had been capable of buy a dump truck, and R&R Junk Removing introduced in over $100,000 in its first yr, based on Matthews.

Matthews additionally used his earnings from the 2 companies to purchase single-family properties, which he refinanced to be able to purchase duplexes and triplexes. He at the moment owns 16 properties within the Philadelphia space, from which he makes round $11,000 a month in revenue.

In January 2024, Matthews moved to Houston: “I felt like I reached my success in Philly, so I wished to get out of there,” he says.

Not all of his enterprise concepts had been hits: proper after transferring to Houston, Matthews bought a few his properties to begin a nightclub. It did not work out, he says, and he ended up dropping over $170,000 on the enterprise.

After that, he determined to strive the restaurant business.

“I am at all times in search of the subsequent factor,” he says, “after which that is after I got here up with meals.”

Matthews took out a $40,000 mortgage to purchase a meals truck and launched Goodies Soul Kitchen in August 2024, which he operates with enterprise companion Jessica Ahwash.

Discovering success within the meals business

Apart from working at KFC throughout his freshman yr of school, Matthews did not have any prior restaurant expertise when he began Goodies.

There have been loads of rising pains: “I did not even know find out how to flip the trailer on after I first began,” Matthews says.

And only one month after launching Goodies Soul Meals Kitchen, the chef he employed give up unexpectedly.

“I do not know nothing about meals,” Matthews says, however “I had to determine find out how to change into a chef” till he may rent one other.

For Matthews, creating Goodies’ enterprise mannequin was paramount.

He was impressed by the success of chains like Chick-Fil-A and Chipotle: “These individuals aren’t doing something totally different. Their meals is not totally different than every other meals you may see at KFC, Popeyes or something like that. However what’s totally different is the service,” he says.

“Taking a look at it as a businessman, the cash is not in meals,” he continues. “The cash is within the service and the standard and the methods that you simply produce. That is the place you attain your success within the meals business.”

In his view, Houston’s late night time meals scene was “not that good,” so Matthews determined to market Goodies Soul Kitchen as a night possibility for clubgoers.

Goodies Soul Kitchen’s affords fried fish, lamb chops, rooster wings and fried rooster, in addition to aspect dishes like mac-and-cheese, candy potato casserole and fried cabbage.

The truck at the moment operates 4 days every week from 7 p.m. to three a.m., and Matthews has 4 staff who run the truck and deal with meals prep.

Not like many different meals vans, Goodies Soul Kitchen is at all times primarily based on the similar location in downtown Houston. On common, they serve about 300 clients every week – extra on a “good membership night time,” however much less when it is raining, he says.

This summer time, Goodies Soul Kitchen introduced in round $20,000 in income every week, Matthews says, and the truck has been worthwhile because the starting.

In 2024, Goodies introduced in simply over $1 million in gross income, based on paperwork reviewed by CNBC Make It, and based on Matthews, they’re on monitor to make much more in 2025 with catering contracts and vacation events.

As of September this yr, Goodies has remodeled $665,000 in gross sales.

Meals is the longer term

Following the success of Goodies, Matthews opened one other meals truck, Birds and Buns, which sells hoagies, tacos and rooster wings, in March 2025.

“I assumed, you recognize, what the heck? We did very well at this enterprise mannequin. Let’s do one other one,” he says.

He plans to promote most of his different corporations within the subsequent yr to be able to deal with his meals companies.

“They are saying you begin to discover what you need to do for the remainder of your life round this age,” Matthews says. “I believe I discovered my love for entrepreneurship in hospitality.”

Other than his enterprise objectives, Matthews can be dedicated to using recovering addicts and former felons.

“Right here, you are not judged by a paper,” he says. “You are not judged by a report. You are judged by your expertise.”

Managing all of his ventures is not simple, Matthews says, however his mantra is “select your laborious.”

“Being poor is difficult. Being wealthy is difficult. Being completely happy is difficult. Being unhappy is difficult, proper? So it is the truth of simply selecting your ‘laborious.'”

Matthews is at the moment getting ready to increase Goodies right into a brick-and-mortar location with a sports activities bar and burger store.

Going ahead, it is “Goodies to the moon,” he says.

Wish to be your personal boss? Join Smarter by CNBC Make It is new on-line course, How To Begin A Enterprise: For First-Time Founders. Discover step-by-step steering for launching your first enterprise, from testing your concept to rising your income. Join right this moment with coupon code EARLYBIRD for an introductory low cost of 30% off the common course worth of $127 (plus tax). Provide legitimate September 16 by September 30, 2025.

Plus, join CNBC Make It is e-newsletter to get suggestions and tips for fulfillment at work, with cash and in life, and request to hitch our unique group on LinkedIn to attach with consultants and friends.