• Celebrity
    • OTE – Screen Kings
    • Daniel Kaluuya Digital Cover
    • Digital Cover Method Man
    • Digital Cover Zazie
    • Celebrity News
    • ‘Yes, Girl!’ Podcast
    • Entertainment
    • Black Celeb Couples
    • Celebrity Moms
    • Red Carpet
    • If Not For My Girls
  • Fashion
    • ESSENCE Fashion House 2022
    • Fashion News
    • Street Style
    • Accessories
    • Fashion Week
  • Beauty
    • Best In Black Beauty 2023
    • ESSENCE Hair Awards 2022
    • AVEENO Skin Health Startup Accelerator
    • Beauty News
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
  • Hair
    • Hair News
    • Natural
    • Relaxed
    • Transitioning
    • Weave
    • 4C
  • Love
    • Love & Sex News
    • The Solve Podcast
    • Weddings
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
  • Lifestyle
    • Black History Month
    • ESSENCE Gift Guide 2022
    • ESSENCE + smartwater Live Well Challenge
    • Build Your Legacy 2022
    • Dream & Plan with Confidence Prudential
    • AMEX Platinum Travel
    • Homecoming Season 2022
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Money & Career
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Black Travel Guide
  • News
    • Paint The Polls Black
    • Sponsors Recognition Page 2022
    • Latest News
    • Raise Your Voice
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Video
  • Festival
    • 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
    • 2022 Fest Videos
  • Events
    • 2023 Wellness House
    • 2023 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2023 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2022 Girls United Summit
    • 2022 ESSENCE Fashion House
    • 2022 Homecoming Season
    • She Got Now
    • Dear Black Men
    • I Am Speaking
    • Power Tools
  • Studios
  • Girls United

WHERE BLACK CULTURE, COMMUNITY AND CONSCIOUSNESS MEET

Sign up for ESSENCE Newsletters the keep the Black women at the forefront of conversation.

Your email is required.
Your email is in invalid format.
Confirm email is required.
Email did not match.
Select the newsletters you'd like to receive:
Please select at least one option.
By clicking Subscribe Now, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Skip to content
SUBSCRIBE
  • MAGAZINE
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Celebrity
    • OTE – Screen Kings
    • Daniel Kaluuya Digital Cover
    • Digital Cover Method Man
    • Digital Cover Zazie
    • Celebrity News
    • ‘Yes, Girl!’ Podcast
    • Entertainment
      • Paint The Polls Black
    • Black Celeb Couples
    • Celebrity Moms
    • Red Carpet
    • If Not For My Girls
  • Fashion
    • ESSENCE Fashion House 2022
    • Fashion News
    • Street Style
    • Accessories
    • Fashion Week
  • Beauty
    • Best In Black Beauty 2023
    • ESSENCE Hair Awards 2022
    • AVEENO Skin Health Startup Accelerator
    • Beauty News
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
  • Hair
    • Hair News
    • Natural
    • Relaxed
    • Transitioning
    • Weave
    • 4C
  • Love
    • Love & Sex News
    • The Solve Podcast
    • Weddings
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
  • Lifestyle
    • Black History Month
    • ESSENCE Gift Guide 2022
    • ESSENCE + smartwater Live Well Challenge
    • Build Your Legacy 2022
    • Dream & Plan with Confidence Prudential
    • AMEX Platinum Travel
    • Homecoming Season 2022
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Money & Career
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Black Travel Guide
  • News
    • Paint The Polls Black
    • Sponsors Recognition Page 2022
    • Latest News
    • Raise Your Voice
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Video
  • Festival
    • 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
    • 2022 Fest Videos
  • Events
    • 2023 Wellness House
    • 2023 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2023 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2022 Girls United Summit
    • 2022 ESSENCE Fashion House
    • 2022 Homecoming Season
    • She Got Now
    • Dear Black Men
    • I Am Speaking
    • Power Tools
  • Studios
  • Girls United
Home · Money & Career

‘It’s About Servant Leadership For Me’: Meet Joanne Johnson-Sabir, The Powerhouse Who’s Humbly Aiming To Make Milwaukee A Black Business Ecosystem

The Milwaukee-based social entrepreneur says she always listened to her intuition to help answer the question of how to create systemic change in her community.
‘It’s About Servant Leadership For Me’: Meet Joanne Johnson-Sabir, The Powerhouse Who’s Humbly Aiming To Make Milwaukee A Black Business Ecosystem
By Jasmine Browley · Updated April 26, 2022

Do you know what it means to let your spirit lead you?

Joanne Sabir can tell you. The Milwaukee-based social entrepreneur says she always listened to her intuition to help answer the question of how to create systemic change in her community. This investment in others came about early for Sabir, having an interest in studying social work while pursuing entrepreneurship in college. 

While attending Clark Atlanta University, she launched an event business that she says was aimed at bringing joyful experiences to her student peers. It was while running it that she had her first taste of what it took to be a true business leader: perseverance. 

“It was called Spitfire Productions—and what I did with that business was fail forward, and fast,” she said half-jokingly.  The company would work with record labels to bring artists to the campus for concerts. While planning an event one year, she experienced significant logistical challenges that, if equipped with the proper resources could’ve been avoided. 

That’s when she realized she wanted to help other aspiring entrepreneurs to avoid the pitfalls she had early in her journey. Over the next several years, she said she worked to build a community to help realize her vision of creating a business ecosystem for her city. 

“Over time I learned that if I was to endeavor to do anything that would have great impact, I couldn’t go alone.”  

Alongside her husband, she started to lay that foundation by launching multiple businesses in their community, but perhaps she’s now best known for co-developing the Sherman Phoenix, an entrepreneurial and wellness hub that opened in 2018. 

The building itself has a story that ties into Sabir’s mission of spiritual and economic revitalization. The home for the hub was previously damaged by fire in 2016 during a civil unrest demonstration prompted by the fatal shooting of a young man by a local police officer. Sabir and Kaufmann decided to use the building as a symbol of transformation—it now houses nearly 30 Black-owned businesses. 

Additionally, Sabir is working as a strategic advisor with American Family Insurance to help small business owners grow. 

“American Family Insurance has an investment arm and I manage our portfolio of social and corporate impact,” she explained. I joined them because we were speaking the right language of ensuring there was a holistic approach to making critical investments in the community.”

For the past two years, Sabir has worked to expand their investment portfolio to funnel funds and opportunities to small businesses that probably would’ve been overlooked otherwise. She says that’s all a part of her divine plan. 

“It’s about reconciliation and community empowerment for me–without that, what do we really have?” 

COMPANY INFORMATION
  • Our Company
  • Customer Service
  • Essence Ventures
  • Change Your Address
  • Contact Us
  • Job Opportunities
  • Internships
  • Media Kit
  • tag
SUBSCRIBE
  • Newsletters
  • Give a Gift of ESSENCE
  • Magazine Tablet Edition
FOLLOW US
MORE ON ESSENCE
  • Home
  • Love
  • Celebrity
  • Beauty
  • Hair
  • Fashion
  • ESSENCE festival

ESSENCE.com is part of ESSENCE Communications, Inc.

Essence may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.

©2023 ESSENCE Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Essence.com Advertising Terms

Get The ESSENCE Newsletter and
Special Offers delivered to your inbox

By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Get The ESSENCE Magazine
by subscribing below
subscribe now