Black Excellence: Black Mother & Two Daughters Own Every McDonald’s in Compton

Patricia William’s passion for ownership was first rooted by inspiration from family members who had McDonald’s franchises. Patricia and her then-husband decided to open their first McDonald’s store in Compton in 1984. Shortly after the purchase of the second store and her divorce, she used additional funds to open up five new stores. Upon raising her two daughters and working two jobs, she took a three-year long training program to become a certified McDonald’s owner.

As a single mother, Patricia faced many obstacles trying to maintain a stable household for her daughters as well as working to maintain ownership of her stores. Her vision was simply to dedicate and lay out a solid foundation for herself and her daughters. Although Patricia’s daughters, Nicole Enearu and Kerri Harper-Howe, initially had other career plans, they decided that becoming their own boss like their mother was the ultimate level of success.

Enearu changed her career upon completing the McDonald’s franchise training program for owners and purchased her first store in the early 2000s. She then went on to become the first female, African American Chair for the McDonald’s Southern California Regional Leadership Council. Her sister, Harper-Howe was a lawyer who provided legal and human resources assistance to her mother’s franchise. However, upon the completion of the McDonald’s Next Generation training program she decided to join in on the family business as well.

The opportunities for both sisters provided a direct path into following their mother’s footsteps. Patricia William’s and her daughters now own a total of 13 stores and have hired more than 700 people in the Compton community. As a unit, they preach the importance of giving back to their community. In addition to providing jobs, they have offered numerous scholarships for students within their non-profit organization called the Williams/Enearu Organization.

Stories like this are a reminder that investing in family legacy can impact current and future generations. I feel as though us as a black community are finally transitioning our visions to strive towards building generational wealth. Although it may seem impossible at times, it is important to keep persevering and it is equally important to support each other!