We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tamara Mitchell-Davis a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Tamara, appreciate you joining us today. Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later
If I could go back in time, I would have started sooner but with a very different mindset.
The business was officially formed in 2018, but entrepreneurship had been whispering to me long before then. I had attempted business ideas here and there, yet nothing seemed to stick. At the time, I interpreted those experiences as signs that things weren’t working. Looking back now, I realize they were not failures; they were lessons I simply hadn’t learned how to interpret yet.
Life looked very different for me back then. I was focused on building stability: working, advancing my education, being a single mother, and doing everything I could to create security for my daughter. Because of my circumstances, I couldn’t afford to take reckless risks. Every decision had to be calculated. “Playing it safe” was my means of survival, not a personality trait, because exploration didn’t always feel like an option when responsibilities were staring me in the face.
What I didn’t understand at the time was that building a business is not microwaveable. It requires patience, experimentation, and the willingness to stay in the process long enough to see what can actually grow. Earlier in my journey, the moment something didn’t produce immediate results, I would pivot to something new. I thought I was being strategic. In reality, I was interrupting my own momentum.
If I had started sooner with the perspective I have now, I would have given myself more room to explore, test ideas, and stay committed long enough to see the results of my efforts. I would have recognized that every step, every attempt, every pivot, and every lesson was preparing me for the work I do today. At the same time, I also believe timing matters. The experiences I had as an educator, leader, wife, and mother shaped the perspective I now bring to entrepreneurship. Those seasons gave me the wisdom to build something meaningful rather than chasing quick success.
So while part of me wishes I had started sooner, another part of me knows that the timing allowed me to grow into the woman capable of leading the business I have today. Every lesson, every delay, and every recalculation prepared me to show up with clarity, purpose, and the commitment to build something that creates impact, sustainable income, and legacy.
Tamara, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
At the heart of my work is one mission: helping women transform their lived experiences and expertise (stories and messages) into platforms for influence, income, and impact.
My journey into this industry didn’t begin with a business plan. It began with my own story and desire to help others. For years, I carried ideas, experiences, and lessons that I knew could help someone else, yet like many women, I questioned whether my voice truly mattered. Writing became the turning point. When I published my first book, I believed the goal was simply to finish it. What I discovered along the way changed everything. Publishing the book was not the finish line; it was the beginning of a platform. That realization shaped the work I do today.
As an educator and administrator in higher education, I’ve spent my career guiding others to see possibilities within themselves that they may not yet recognize. That same passion carried into entrepreneurship. In 2018, I officially launched TM Davis Enterprise, where I now coach aspiring and published authors, professionals, and entrepreneurs who want to turn their message into a book and then build with it. I help them position their expertise, expand their visibility, and build opportunities that extend far beyond the pages.
Through our programs, collaborations, trainings, and events, we guide women through three critical stages: writing with intention, positioning their message for influence (publishing), and building income streams that grow from the foundation of their work. Our services include book collaborations, coaching programs for authors and entrepreneurs, speaking and training, and platforms such as the Pen to Profit Conference and Author Awards; an experience created to celebrate authors while equipping them with strategies to grow their message into a movement.
The problem many people face is believing the goal is simply to publish a book. I teach my clients something different. Publishing establishes credibility, but what you build around your message is where the real opportunity lives. When someone learns how to leverage their story and voice, their experience becomes a powerful asset; one that can open doors to speaking, coaching, partnerships, and meaningful opportunities.
What sets my work apart is that I don’t simply teach people how to write and publish a book. I help them see the value of their story and show them how to build something sustainable from it. Many women I work with start their journey feeling uncertain, questioning whether their story is enough. Watching them become bestselling authors, launch businesses, step onto stages, and create platforms of their own is one of the most rewarding parts of my work.
To date, I’ve helped more than 140 women become bestselling authors, many of whom have gone on to expand their influence through speaking engagements, podcasts, businesses, and community leadership. Seeing them step into confidence and ownership of their message reminds me why this work matters.
Of all the accomplishments I’m proud of, from publishing bestselling books to leadership roles in education, the two things that mean the most to me are the impact we’ve made and the transformations we’ve been able to witness. Creating spaces where women feel seen, supported, and empowered to show up fully is what drives everything we build.
If there’s one thing I want people to understand about the brand and my work, it’s this: your experiences hold value. The lessons you’ve lived through, the wisdom you’ve gained, and the perspective you carry can create opportunities not only for you, but also for others who need to hear it. When you learn how to own that truth and build from it, you don’t simply publish a book, you create an ecosystem of opportunities that folds into your legacy.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
I’ve learned several lessons over time and had to unlearn the belief that everyone who enters a collaboration is committed to the same vision and impact that you are.
For a long time, I truly believed in the phrase “collaboration over competition”. I still do. Collaboration has the power to expand ideas, impact more lives, and create opportunities that one person alone may not be able to accomplish. But early in my journey, I assumed that if people came together around a project, we were all equally invested in the mission and the collective impact we could create. Over time, I learned that collaboration requires more than shared space, it requires shared vision.
The backstory behind this realization came through experience. As I began building platforms and creating collaborative opportunities for others, I found myself navigating situations where expectations were very different from reality. I had to learn that good intentions alone are not enough to sustain collaboration. There were moments where I had to make difficult decisions to cut ties with individuals because we were no longer aligned. That is never an easy place to be. Letting go of a collaboration or partnership can be painful, especially when you once believed you were building something meaningful together. But leadership requires honesty. It requires the courage to acknowledge when values, expectations, or levels of commitment are no longer aligned and the discipline to stay true to the vision you are building.
Another lesson within that experience was the importance of clear communication. Collaboration requires transparency about roles, responsibilities, and expectations from the beginning. Without those conversations, people can move forward with assumptions rather than shared understanding. The reality is that not everyone is comfortable having those courageous conversations, yet they are often the very conversations that determine whether collaboration can truly succeed. When collaboration becomes focused solely on individual gain, it loses the very thing that makes it powerful. The strongest collaborations are rooted in relationship, trust, and a shared commitment to the mission. Those experiences taught me three important things.
First, clarity is essential. Everyone involved must understand the purpose, expectations, and outcomes from the beginning.
Second, alignment matters more than availability. Just because someone wants to be part of something does not mean they are the right fit for the vision.
Third, staying true to your vision is non-negotiable. As someone creating opportunities for others, it is my responsibility to protect the mission and ensure the collaboration reflects the impact it was designed to make.
Today I still stand firmly in the belief of collaboration over competition. The difference now is that I approach collaboration with wisdom, discernment, and clear communication. When the right people come together with shared values and shared vision, collaboration becomes powerful. It expands possibilities and creates impact far beyond what one person could accomplish alone.
Sometimes growth requires unlearning assumptions and replacing them with intentional leadership. That lesson strengthened how I collaborate and how I continue creating spaces where people can come together in meaningful and impactful ways.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Resilience has been a consistent theme throughout my journey, but one season in particular stands out.
There was a time when I found myself questioning whether everything I had built was still working the way it once did. As an entrepreneur, you can have seasons where momentum feels strong, clients are coming in, opportunities are opening, and everything appears to be moving forward. Then there are seasons where things slow down, shift, or require you to re-evaluate what you thought was working. I found myself in one of those moments. Revenue was inconsistent, and I was carrying the weight of trying to figure out my next move while still showing up as a leader, educator, wife, and mother. Anyone who builds something meaningful will eventually face that crossroads where you have to decide whether you will retreat or rise.
For a moment, I had to be honest with myself about what was happening. I had built something powerful, but parts of the business needed to evolve. The easy choice would have been to shrink back, question my ability, or quietly step away from the vision. But resilience doesn’t always look like pushing harder; it often looks like pausing long enough to reflect, recalibrate, and rebuild with greater clarity.
Instead of walking away, I got quiet and leaned into the work. I began reassessing my offers, reconnecting with the mission behind why I started, and rebuilding systems that would allow the business to grow in a more aligned way. I had to remind myself of the same principles I teach others: progress over perfection and purpose requires commitment. That season taught me that resilience is not about avoiding challenges. It’s about deciding that the challenges will not define my ending.
Today, when I look at the platforms I’ve built and the more than 140 women we’ve coached to become bestselling authors, I’m reminded that the journey was never supposed to be perfect. Every obstacle strengthened my perspective as a leader and deepened my commitment to the mission. Resilience, for me, has been the decision to keep showing up, to continue building, serving, and believing in the vision even during the seasons when the outcome isn’t immediately visible. And I guarantee you, those are often the seasons that shaped me the most.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tamaramdavis.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drtamaramitchelldavis/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tamara.mitchell.355
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-tamara-mitchell-davis-mba-963609220/
Image Credits
Marlon McLeod
Nathan Pearcy