The EMPIRE of
KEVIN DAVIS
Learn How to Win !!!
by : Lorrie Irby-Jackson
It can be said that Kevin Davis , from an early age , knew what his goals were and what his destiny would be .
“ My parents weren ’ t business owners themselves , but when my father asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up , I told him , “ I want to be a businessman ,” said Davis in a recent phone chat with BWM . “ I wanted to own a Holiday Inn one day and spent my school years figuring out the steps to run my own business .”
Owning his own Holiday Inn was a lofty goal to have , one that he didn ’ t quite accomplish as an adult . But what the Wichita Falls , TX native has achieved , however , is a successful name-bearing State Farm insurance agency based in Dallas . Like many entrepreneurs , Davis didn ’ t have a clear-cut path to follow , but he knew that ambitions and an education would help him along the way .
“ During the time I earned my degrees [ at VA ’ s Norfolk State University and NJ ’ s Fairleigh Dickinson University ], I wrote papers researching the steps to run a business and get into franchising ,” Davis says . “ I don ’ t really think I ever had a mentor , but when I graduated from high school , I earned an ROTC scholarship and had a four year active duty commitment to the Army . I had gone in the Army with the same mindset that many young people have- four years is a long time to commit to something ! By doing that , I was soon a 22-year-old Army officer with 40 subordinates in charge of a platoon . It was an enriching experience and taught me that even younger people could have and own a business .”
Davis took more than a few other professional detours before entering the insurance business , including positions as an IBM customer engineer and owner of a 7-Eleven franchise . Neither were a good fit for Davis , especially when that franchise made more of a profit for the corporation than for him . He racked up over $ 100,000 in debt . But , these unfavorable experiences are important for the husband and father to share with young people , including his 17 and 20-year-old sons .