Entrepreneur Spotlight: Brittany Harris

As a teacher at Hardy Elementary, Brittany Harris was determined to do something about the low literacy scores in the Hamilton County School District. But what?

Her first thought was that in order for her students to reach their full potential,they needed to have parent involvement. Next, she needed to get parents to show up. Brittany knew she was going to have to find an innovative way to reach them.

She decided that the best way was to make a space that provided the energy of learning, but was also mobile. It was then she got the idea to turn a bus into a mobile classroom that can meet the community at their front door, which she would come to call The Passage.

In order to get started, Brittany enrolled in LAUNCH’s Business Entrepreneurship Academy, recommended to her from a LAUNCH entrepreneur. She was anxious at first; however, as the weeks went by, those feelings shifted to calm, allowing her to have a very inspiring experience.

“LAUNCH allowed me to create a business plan that would be the start of something incredible, and provided essential strategies that enabled me to reach my objectives. During this 10-week course, we were provided with knowledgeable individuals who were eager to assist our developments. We were allowed to brainstorm and collaborate amongst people who were welcoming and thrilled to learn. I actually met Rondell Crier in class, who is the artist who partnered with me to transform the bus. An amazing and purposeful journey is truly what LAUNCH provided for me during my development of The Passage.”

Now equipped with a proper business plan and her mobile classroom, Brittany is partnering with parents in order to understand the updated learning strategies that are being utilized in classrooms, and are serving grades K-5. In addition, The Passage also offers services on Saturdays for adults by appointment.

Although she was unsure of how the journey to becoming an entrepreneur would unfold, Brittany knew she had it in her. “At the back of my mind, I knew I had the grit and strategies to form a business. Then, God blessed me with an extraordinary idea that has empowered my community to thrive. Becoming an entrepreneur has been an enlightening and positive experience.”

With The Passage, Brittany hopes to help bring student’s reading abilities up to their grade level and increase mathematical fluency, as well as create strong partnerships with parents.

“When accomplishing these goals I will bring a community together and produce lifelong learners.”

Help LAUNCH support more entrepreneurs like Brittany!