PEOPLE // Entrepreneur
Freedom in Welding
by Dianna Donahue-Holley - 12.01.2023
“I was 15-years-old, driving a Benz, and had a pocket full of money.
A guy in prison asked me ‘How long you got to do?’ I told him I got to do 10 years. He said, “That’s how long it’s gonna take you to prove yourself once you get out…the time you gave to destroy yourself is the same time you have to give to rebuild."
Hog Own Welding owner, Joe L. “Black Feniks” Brown, Jr., was born in Little Rock on March 29, 1980, but raised in McGehee and Arkansas City by way of Denver, Colorado. He is the great-grandson of formally enslaved Arkansans who started to wear gold teeth as a representation of their freedom and their ability to take care of themselves, which Brown proudly wears today to pay homage to his ancestors’ tradition.
Brown states that his grandfather, Frederick “Mr. Fred” Brown, was a native of Arkansas City and a World War II veteran. He was also one of the first Black homeowners in Arkansas City, a barber, and a taxi driver for the town. As a child, Mr. Fred instilled entrepreneurship into his grandson, encouraging him to seek a trade. Brown listened to that advice but applied it to an alternative trade while living in Denver and was making fast money...and a lot of it. During his last trip back to McGehee from Denver, Brown was arrested for drug and robbery, and incarcerated at the age of 15. His sentence required that he serve a decade in prison for his crime.
Because Brown was used to a fast life at a young age in Denver, his mother, Mary “Kat” Brown, was worried about her only son’s ability to adapt to the structure and physical confinement of prison. She also did not want anyone to harm him being that he was so young and she was concerned if he could defend himself. In addition to this, she knew that, as a felon, Brown would need a new skill set and some sort of employment once he got out of prison. She began to research opportunities that she could suggest to her son, and ironically saw a commercial prompting a career in welding. The commercial said welders had the opportunity to travel and make good money, and that the company would train and teach applicants.
Simultaneous to this time, Brown had been sent to “the Hole” in prison for stabbing a prisoner in self-defense unbeknownst to his mother. This incident gave Brown another criminal charge, but the judge dismissed the charge on a Friday because the other prisoner had acquired a lengthy record of the same offense. His mother came to visit him the next day and he shared the incident with her. She was relieved – not only did she now know her son could defend himself, but she had an alternative for him to focus on while he completed his sentence.
“The commercial inspired her so much! I think it was really the pay…it was like $100 an hour. That’s what really caught her attention! She came down to visit me when I was 17 and we talked about it. She asked me, ‘What you gonna do when you get out?’ I said, ‘Get my GED’ – that’s all I knew to do! They told me that I had to have that before I got out, so that’s all I knew to do. She told me that she saw the welding commercial and asked what I thought about it…I have never heard of it. After that, she got me some more information and the rest is history.”
Ms. Kat went to the library and started researching information to give to Brown on their next visit. She had the librarian copy five pages – front and back – from the encyclopedia about welding. It included a few pictures and a lot of foundational information, and it quickly became Brown’s bible. He studied those pages fervently gaining a concept of what welding really was until he was able to get in the prison’s welding program at 21 years old.
Brown stuck with the program and became a certified welder. He used his new skill set as employment in prison, but then continued his education in the prison’s 9-month collegiate program and earned a certification in Small Business Management. Released from prison at 26 years old, Brown had a new skill set, an entrepreneurial foundation, a career, and a new mindset.
During the latter part of his incarceration, Brown befriended the prison chaplain. Their respect for each other developed while Brown was completing his welding education and the chaplain watched how passionate he was about the trade. Once Brown left prison, the chaplain helped him get his first job in Newport, Arkansas where he had been paroled.
“I remember telling my momma, ‘Momma, I ain’t getting $100 an hour…I’m getting $8 an hour!’ We laughed about it and she told me it would get better. Not even two weeks later, I got a $2 raise, and three months later, I was at $11. I left that company after a year and started at $15 with another company. I left Newport, moved to Little Rock, and started making $18 an hour. I left Little Rock and moved to Fayetteville and started off making $20 there. That was the most I made in Arkansas until I started my own business in 2016 – the 10-year anniversary of when I first started working for people.”
Brown reached a financial cap in Arkansas and decided to move to Phoenix, Arizona to expand his income potential. There, he gained more exposure and experience in the welding industry as a foreman. Simultaneously, he paid attention to the great need for reliable, experienced welders in the area. Many companies’ needs were so great that they contracted with independent welders to complete jobs, so Brown tapped into this need and used it to start his mobile welding company.
Once established, he began contracting his service for $28 an hour plus $30 an hour to use his equipment, eventually totaling around $65 an hour. That increased to $150 an hour, depending on the task that had to be completed. He maximized his income by making welding products, including a replication of the tool that he made for his personal use that he was already contracting for jobs. He was also teaching private classes.
Familial responsibilities required Brown to move back to Arkansas in October 2022. He is the proud father of Tichiana Leashe, Amaris Amie, and Andrew Kane and a extreme proud grandfather. His business is still in operation and progressing. In less than a year, he became the lead instructor of welding at Goodwill in Little Rock for their 16-week certification course.
Most of Brown’s students are immediately drawn to him because of his physical appearance – specifically because of his gold teeth. He uses these opportunities to not only educate his students on welding but also on his personal journey that began in Arkansas City’s cotton fields chopping cotton alongside his mother. Not only is he able to train and connect to young adults who have a desire to gain a trade but cannot afford the cost of the education, but he has established partnerships with welding companies to get his students employment once they complete their training.
Brown credits his success to the seeds planted in him by his mother. Unfortunately, Ms. Kat transitioned before she got to see the heights of her son’s successes; but she was proud that Brown was able to turn his life around, had bought his first house, and was working a great job. He still wishes she would have lived to see the maturity he has acquired because of it.
“I wish she could see me now! When you do time, you don’t realize it, but – even if you don’t want to, you become institutionalized. And I was in denial about it. I stayed educated and I came out more advanced than a lot of my brothers did, but I was still institutionalized in ways that I didn’t notice until I started going through life – relationships, raising kids, having different perspectives…it all made me see my issues. I can honestly say that going to counseling helped me fine-tune how doing that time in jail really affected me.
Once you’ve experienced something for a decade, you have certain triggers and most don’t even know why. But you have to figure out where it comes from to be better…so you can work on it. If you don’t, you’ll think that’s just who you are when it’s really not. It’s just who you became during an experience. A part of mine was from being incarcerated – my mind had been institutionalized and I didn’t realize it. At 43, I see now. And I see how it affects my people, that’s why I like to give back – not just welding information, but psychological empowerment, establishing generational wealth, understanding entrepreneurship, life principles, life skills, character building, valuing time and not money, and financial literacy.”
You can find more information about Brown’s business social media platforms on Facebook, Instagram, and X (formally known as Twitter) @YourWeldingCoach. For private welding lessons and speaking engagements, he can be reached at (501) 400-5806. He also has two YouTube channels called “Hog Own University” and “Your Welding Coach, LLC.” He sells his company’s Hog Own Welding merchandise on Amazon. In addition to his multiple business digital outlets, Brown’s personal platforms are available. Find him at @BlackFeniks and @HogOwnUniversity on Facebook and Instagram.
Brown states that his grandfather, Frederick “Mr. Fred” Brown, was a native of Arkansas City and a World War II veteran. He was also one of the first Black homeowners in Arkansas City, a barber, and a taxi driver for the town. As a child, Mr. Fred instilled entrepreneurship into his grandson, encouraging him to seek a trade. Brown listened to that advice but applied it to an alternative trade while living in Denver and was making fast money...and a lot of it. During his last trip back to McGehee from Denver, Brown was arrested for drug and robbery, and incarcerated at the age of 15. His sentence required that he serve a decade in prison for his crime.
Because Brown was used to a fast life at a young age in Denver, his mother, Mary “Kat” Brown, was worried about her only son’s ability to adapt to the structure and physical confinement of prison. She also did not want anyone to harm him being that he was so young and she was concerned if he could defend himself. In addition to this, she knew that, as a felon, Brown would need a new skill set and some sort of employment once he got out of prison. She began to research opportunities that she could suggest to her son, and ironically saw a commercial prompting a career in welding. The commercial said welders had the opportunity to travel and make good money, and that the company would train and teach applicants.
Simultaneous to this time, Brown had been sent to “the Hole” in prison for stabbing a prisoner in self-defense unbeknownst to his mother. This incident gave Brown another criminal charge, but the judge dismissed the charge on a Friday because the other prisoner had acquired a lengthy record of the same offense. His mother came to visit him the next day and he shared the incident with her. She was relieved – not only did she now know her son could defend himself, but she had an alternative for him to focus on while he completed his sentence.
“The commercial inspired her so much! I think it was really the pay…it was like $100 an hour. That’s what really caught her attention! She came down to visit me when I was 17 and we talked about it. She asked me, ‘What you gonna do when you get out?’ I said, ‘Get my GED’ – that’s all I knew to do! They told me that I had to have that before I got out, so that’s all I knew to do. She told me that she saw the welding commercial and asked what I thought about it…I have never heard of it. After that, she got me some more information and the rest is history.”
Ms. Kat went to the library and started researching information to give to Brown on their next visit. She had the librarian copy five pages – front and back – from the encyclopedia about welding. It included a few pictures and a lot of foundational information, and it quickly became Brown’s bible. He studied those pages fervently gaining a concept of what welding really was until he was able to get in the prison’s welding program at 21 years old.
Brown stuck with the program and became a certified welder. He used his new skill set as employment in prison, but then continued his education in the prison’s 9-month collegiate program and earned a certification in Small Business Management. Released from prison at 26 years old, Brown had a new skill set, an entrepreneurial foundation, a career, and a new mindset.
During the latter part of his incarceration, Brown befriended the prison chaplain. Their respect for each other developed while Brown was completing his welding education and the chaplain watched how passionate he was about the trade. Once Brown left prison, the chaplain helped him get his first job in Newport, Arkansas where he had been paroled.
“I remember telling my momma, ‘Momma, I ain’t getting $100 an hour…I’m getting $8 an hour!’ We laughed about it and she told me it would get better. Not even two weeks later, I got a $2 raise, and three months later, I was at $11. I left that company after a year and started at $15 with another company. I left Newport, moved to Little Rock, and started making $18 an hour. I left Little Rock and moved to Fayetteville and started off making $20 there. That was the most I made in Arkansas until I started my own business in 2016 – the 10-year anniversary of when I first started working for people.”
Brown reached a financial cap in Arkansas and decided to move to Phoenix, Arizona to expand his income potential. There, he gained more exposure and experience in the welding industry as a foreman. Simultaneously, he paid attention to the great need for reliable, experienced welders in the area. Many companies’ needs were so great that they contracted with independent welders to complete jobs, so Brown tapped into this need and used it to start his mobile welding company.
Once established, he began contracting his service for $28 an hour plus $30 an hour to use his equipment, eventually totaling around $65 an hour. That increased to $150 an hour, depending on the task that had to be completed. He maximized his income by making welding products, including a replication of the tool that he made for his personal use that he was already contracting for jobs. He was also teaching private classes.
Familial responsibilities required Brown to move back to Arkansas in October 2022. He is the proud father of Tichiana Leashe, Amaris Amie, and Andrew Kane and a extreme proud grandfather. His business is still in operation and progressing. In less than a year, he became the lead instructor of welding at Goodwill in Little Rock for their 16-week certification course.
Most of Brown’s students are immediately drawn to him because of his physical appearance – specifically because of his gold teeth. He uses these opportunities to not only educate his students on welding but also on his personal journey that began in Arkansas City’s cotton fields chopping cotton alongside his mother. Not only is he able to train and connect to young adults who have a desire to gain a trade but cannot afford the cost of the education, but he has established partnerships with welding companies to get his students employment once they complete their training.
Brown credits his success to the seeds planted in him by his mother. Unfortunately, Ms. Kat transitioned before she got to see the heights of her son’s successes; but she was proud that Brown was able to turn his life around, had bought his first house, and was working a great job. He still wishes she would have lived to see the maturity he has acquired because of it.
“I wish she could see me now! When you do time, you don’t realize it, but – even if you don’t want to, you become institutionalized. And I was in denial about it. I stayed educated and I came out more advanced than a lot of my brothers did, but I was still institutionalized in ways that I didn’t notice until I started going through life – relationships, raising kids, having different perspectives…it all made me see my issues. I can honestly say that going to counseling helped me fine-tune how doing that time in jail really affected me.
Once you’ve experienced something for a decade, you have certain triggers and most don’t even know why. But you have to figure out where it comes from to be better…so you can work on it. If you don’t, you’ll think that’s just who you are when it’s really not. It’s just who you became during an experience. A part of mine was from being incarcerated – my mind had been institutionalized and I didn’t realize it. At 43, I see now. And I see how it affects my people, that’s why I like to give back – not just welding information, but psychological empowerment, establishing generational wealth, understanding entrepreneurship, life principles, life skills, character building, valuing time and not money, and financial literacy.”
You can find more information about Brown’s business social media platforms on Facebook, Instagram, and X (formally known as Twitter) @YourWeldingCoach. For private welding lessons and speaking engagements, he can be reached at (501) 400-5806. He also has two YouTube channels called “Hog Own University” and “Your Welding Coach, LLC.” He sells his company’s Hog Own Welding merchandise on Amazon. In addition to his multiple business digital outlets, Brown’s personal platforms are available. Find him at @BlackFeniks and @HogOwnUniversity on Facebook and Instagram.
"Get the money to be selfish with your time. Welding is a way to get you income – I show my students that, but then I teach students to use the money to invest in themselves and build their own income. That way, your money will work harder than you. Money don’t get tired and it don’t complain, but you gotta know how to work it."