Meet Javun Echols | Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Javun Echols and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Javun, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Growing up, I watched my father breed show quality dogs, on a high level. I was always intrigued with the idea of strategically breeding the best dogs to create even better dogs. If you add to that, the joy of seeing the faces of the families that purchase those same dogs….oh, it’s absolutely amazing and rewarding! I wanted to be able to pursue my passion of improving breed standard and bringing families joy all over the world, full time. As God would have it, the stars aligned for me to be able to resign from my corporate career in May of 2021. Now I have the opportunity to do all things Fiona Grace Kennels-full time!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I’ve been building the brand of Fiona Grace Kennels for about 10-12 years now.  We breed top quality standard poodles and toy poodles. We’re known for producing some of the most beautiful red poodles around.  All of our dogs come from genetic and health tested parents.  I learned a lot from watching my father breed dogs professionally as a child. As an adult, I matriculated through corporate America for a sum of years. My undergraduate and graduate degrees are in leadership. So, after honing my leadership skills and business acumen, I was able to make sense of what it would look like to take my own brand to the next level. We’ve also recently added pet transportation as a service we offer. So we now offer transport for our buyers, but we can also transport any other animals for anyone else interested in getting their new pet brought from one state to another. My focus is excellence. I borrow this mantra from one of the objectives I learned while serving our country in the United States Air Force. So we strive to breed the best dogs possible. My corporate experience also taught me the importance outstanding customer service. I receive a ton of feedback from my customers and potential customers. They often speak to their stellar customer service experience once coming in contact with FGK. I think that’s one thing that sets us apart. A lot of breeders sometimes focus so much on the business of breeding, that they oftentimes forget the importance of building those solid relationships with customers. Those good experiences eventually materialize into repeat business and even referrals. Getting to this point hasn’t been easy, but my passion to succeed makes it worth the sacrifice. I’ve learned that if you build your brand properly, it will speak for you in spaces you’ve not had access to, (yet). A business owner has to always be mindful that we are our own walking billboards. Everything we say, post, or text comes back to our brand. Intentionality is key.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’ve been in Dallas about 8 years now. I love to eat. Some of my favorite places to eat are Perry’s Steak house, (the pork chop is a must-have), OMG Taco, The Crab Station, and a new small black owned restaurant called The Bell’s Sweet Factory. They have a cool story of starting their business in a food truck, but they’ve recently acquired a building! I also love to see all the beautiful animals at the Dallas Zoo!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
So, my family has always instilled greatness in me. I was taught, from a young age, that I have everything I need within me to be a dominating force in the universe. Mediocrity has never been an option for me. My grandmother has always said, “Javun, you could be a doctor if you wanted to.” So I credit my grandmother and other family members for pushing me to always maximize my full potential. I’m thankful for my mentors that I now glean from and all my friends, (turned family), that support me and my endeavors. Most of all, I thank God for being the fuel to my locomotive.

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