Janet Harrison – The Founder Bio

A Storyteller. Leader. Passionate problem solver. This is how one would describe Janet Harrison (aka Jan when referred to by family and friends), as a businesswoman, an advocate and a mother.

She is not one to sit on the sidelines, and it is this commitment and drive that led her to founding Portelle: A cashback platform that provides a stage for women-owned businesses to share their creations and their stories with the world, ultimately helping them thrive, while offering consumers an avenue to easily search and shop women-owned businesses.

The Journey

But despite her thrilling career, she also witnessed injustices, specifically for women, both at work and in life. Having always been aware of the plight of women on so many fronts and having been someone who experienced sexual harassment and misogyny herself during her career, it became important to be part of change, to champion women’s rights on all fronts. And as a mother of two black daughters, and because of this, she never lost sight of the inequity that BIPOC women face.

Jan’s resume, indicative of a true renaissance woman in today’s world, showcases how important it is to advocate for one another, especially among women. From her early work as an actress to founding the Off-Off Broadway Theater-Studio, to becoming an expert in fine art by Black Americans, to becoming a Head of Content Development for Morgan Freeman’s Revelations Entertainment, and ultimately the CEO of Goathambeach, Jan was able to see how important it was to champion projects and people she believed in.

These experiences coinciding with world events – like the renewed attack on women’s rights to access birth control – are what rooted her in her next venture, co-founding Garnet News, “Today’s News from a Woman’s POV”. From award-winning female novelists, authors and poets to well-accredited journalists, Garnet News created opportunities for women to ply their craft and, through The Op Ed Project, to be mentored as writers. For three years, she bootstrapped the company, only to have it shut it down because of lack of funding.

Jan, just like so many other women, dreamt big, only to fall short because they lack the access to resources needed to build and scale their companies. But little did Jan know that the universe had much bigger plans for her. Now, she is seeing those plans come to life with Portelle – so that women don’t have to fall short anymore. Portelle will enable women to support women, of all colors, ultimately bringing about real change in business and in life.