Dawon Matthews created his own rule book, and it paid off.

The Philadelphia native reached a turning point in college when he was expelled from school after receiving a felony charge for aggravated assault at a party.

“That just led to me going down a hole of just going in and out of the system,” Matthews told CNBC.

Matthews went on to secure an associate degree from Manor College and a bachelor’s degree in business from La Salle University, notes the outlet. Hoping to break into the corporate world, he applied to over 200 jobs. With no positive outcome in sight, he decided to bet on himself and jump into entrepreneurship.

“Once they see a felony behind a person they don’t even care about what credentials you got. You’re just not accepted in that society,” Matthews told CNBC.

Entrepreneurship has brought its share of highs and lows. His first venture, Wonderful Cleaning, was generating nearly $12,000 per month by the end of its second year. The success of the business allowed him to launch R&R Junk Removal by 2020, which generated more than $100,000 in revenue in its first year, notes the outlet.

Real estate was his next stepping stone, and he now has 16 properties in the Philadelphia area, which have led to around $11,000 in monthly profit.

His journey has now taken him to the Lone Star State, where he launched the food truck, Goodies Soul Kitchen, with a $40,000 loan alongside his business partner Jessica Ahwash, reports CNBC.

The food truck is located in Downtown Houston from Thursday to Sunday (7 p.m. to 3 a.m.). Its menu includes honey jerk lamb chops, hot lemon pepper fried fish, jerk chicken pasta, and sides such as sweet potato casserole, collard greens, Cajun mac and cheese, and cornbread, according to Instagram.

It’s been a hit in Houston, attracting nearly 300 customers and generating almost $20,000 per week, notes CNBC. Overall, Goodies Soul Kitchen has generated over $665,000 in 2025 and more than $1 million in 2024.

“They say you start to find what you want to do for the rest of your life around this age,” Matthews told the outlet. “I think I found my love for entrepreneurship in hospitality.”

Looking ahead, Matthews intends to scale the venture to a storefront that will include a sports bar and burger shop.