Allison Davis | Live the Life You Love with Passion, Purpose and Empowerment
Allison Davis has managed to find the delicate balance between her career and home life while empowering entrepreneurs, businesswomen and moms on how to blend work life and family life. Read to find out more about this remarkable woman and how to live a life you love
Please give us a short background of who you are and what you do
A self-professed “go-getter” from an early age, I started my first business selling hand-painted t-shirts to my friends’ moms. In my early 20’s, I turned a hobby designing custom lamps from unusual antique stores finds into Thumprints, a wholesale lighting design company. I grew Thumprints into an international business and an established name in the home furnishings industry with high-end clients including Neiman Marcus and Wynn hotels. Ultimately, I sold the company 14 years later and stayed on as lead designer and brand consultant, which was a good balance. It allowed me to satisfy my creative energies, be a businesswoman and have more time with my son as a new mom.
A few years later, I found out I was expecting twins and made the decision to exit the world of design and pursue another entrepreneurial path that would allow me to work around my family and build a business that worked around our lives. Thumprints was my labor of love and first baby, so it was bittersweet, but I’m now filled with a sense of purpose that I didn’t have in my previous journey and I’ve uncovered my true passion: helping others discover their entrepreneurial spirits and be empowered through the world of entrepreneurship. I work with women and men with a focus on helping women create businesses that work around their families and build lives that they love.
Tell us about some of your amazing achievements?
I launched, established and sold Thumpints, my first business, by the age of 36. My lighting designs have been featured in numerous design industry publications as well as consumer magazines including GOOD HOUSEKEEPING. Thumprints’ designs have also been featured in TV shows and movies, most recently Daddy’s Home 2.
Thumprints was a Made in the USA Foundation Hall of Fame Nominee. The foundation’s Hall of Fame celebrates businesses that exhibit excellence in USA manufacturing practices and standards. Thumprints was recognized as an industry leader for Product Design and Portable Lamps as a Finalist for THE ARTS AWARDS two years in a row. THE ARTS AWARDS is a peer-nominated program for companies in the home accents industry. The recognition and achievements for Thumprints are rewarding, but much more rewarding is knowing daily that I’m helping people build passion driven careers, live with purpose and be empowered to create their own success and live life on their own terms.
How did you choose your niche and why?
I believe it chose me. My journey is one to which many women – especially moms – can relate. I spent my 20’s and early 30’s focused on building Thumprints and work always came first. As soon as my son was born and I held him in my arms, however, I knew I had a new job. My priorities shifted and I wanted to put my family first. Still, becoming a mother didn’t mean I’d lost my internal drive for achievement and success and to build the life of my dreams. This is a trend I see often with businesswomen and entrepreneurs today and I’m passionate about showing women that we can do it all. We don’t have to sacrifice our careers for our families, or the other way around. We can be businesswomen and ambitious entrepreneurs while putting our families and ourselves first.
What do you think is more important, motivation or execution? Why?
Execution. All the motivation in the world will not amount to anything if we don’t take action.
What inspires and motivates you? Why do you wake up every morning, get the work done and do
it all over again the next day?
I believe that passion + purpose = empowerment. Passion is the driving force that keeps us excited and gives us the motivation to do anything we set our minds to doing and, ultimately, to live a purposeful, fulfilled and meaningful life. Life is too short to not be passionate about what we do. It’s too short to not wake up with a sense of purpose each morning. It’s too short to not be empowered to take charge of our lives and enjoy the lives for which we work so hard.
Knowing what I offer can impact, enhance and change the lives of so many is what gets me going each morning. I continuously meet women of all ages, backgrounds, and experiences who have one thing in common: the desire for change. They inspire me and make each day an exciting adventure.
What is the secret to your success?
It’s something we all know and have control over, yet it’s one of the biggest struggles for woman entrepreneurs that I see. It’s believing in ourselves. With both of my businesses, I’ve believed in myself when I had no idea what I was doing or where I was going and when others doubted my journey. I trusted my gut, jumped in both feet and learned and grew along the way.
Consistency and perseverance have also been keys to my success. As an entrepreneur, it’s up to me to consistently work toward my goals and persevere through the ups and downs, the failures, the bad days and the good days.
Since you have become so successful, how do you handle haters or people that don’t support you?
What advice do you have for fellow female entrepreneurs?
I’ve learned to not let them influence my decisions and actions or distract me from accomplishing my goals. There are women and families around the world looking for a chance to change their lives. For me, the potential to enhance and impact their lives in a positive way far outweigh the negativity and doubt I may experience from a few.
Stay true to yourself. You have a message and there are people waiting to hear your voice. Share your message proudly and don’t let anyone stop you from following your dreams.
What advice can you give fellow female entrepreneurs on the same journey who want to achieve the same success as you?
Show up every single day.
Believe in yourself, even if nobody else does.
Have an open mind and be open to change.
Put yourself out into the world, meet new people, make new connections and build relationships. There are endless opportunities and doors that will open when you do.
Don’t compare your journey to anyone else’s. You are one-of-a-kind and your journey is unique.
Strive to do more than you did the day before and be more than you were yesterday. Push yourself
to reach your full potential.
What is the hardest thing about entrepreneurship that nobody told you?
With success comes failure. Those who are successful have failed the most and have the strength and tenacity to learn from each failure and the determination to do what it takes to always move forward.
What can we expect from you in the next 12 months?
Currently, I work with individuals in the US, Canada and Australia and will continue to expand globally. My vision is to help empower anyone who is ready to take charge of their life through the power of entrepreneurship and a turnkey business model that provides the infrastructure and support for success. My goal is to cultivate a community of women and men who inspire, lift one another up, learn from each other and grow together while building businesses that allow the freedom and flexibility to do more of what we love, focus on what’s most important to us, and live life to the fullest.
Get in touch with Allison
PHONE: 501.240.5174
EMAIL: allison@allisondavisbiz.com
Facebook: AllisonDavisBiz