We were lucky to catch up with Ebony Davis recently and have shared our conversation below.
Ebony, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Looking back on your career, have you ever worked with a great leader or boss? We’d love to hear about the experience and what you think made them such a great leader.
Darlene Sledge is absolutely, positively one the best humans I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. Very seldom in life do we come across people who legitimately are who they say they are. So, in those incredibly rare moments your brain elicits a special emotional response, and you find that they’ve indelibly impacted your life for the better, that’s what Ms. Sledge has done for me.
Ms. Sledge is an amazing leader. She is full of passion and vigor. There’s never been a time when she wasn’t extending a helping hand to me or others. I truly learned quite a bit about myself as an induvial while under her tutelage. This was at a time when I was working in one of the largest housing authorities in Ohio, but the level of bureaucracy was different. If I’m being honest, I was very much green when it came to dealing with that particular organizational structure. Her background in the corporate world gave her a particular way of handling situations that I was less inclined to. Walking away from that position I was able to take a lot the business savvy she imparted, along with her being someone I consider a mentor and friend.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
As a person of many talents I often find it hard to express how I’ve come into all that I do. My range of talents is endless. I sing, act, write and design. I am a human think tank that obsesses over small nuances of business but doesn’t deal in technicalities. Sounds like a lot, believe me, I know. I just think at some point early in life I settled on the idea that as people we are dynamic and no matter how many times society tries to place us in a specific box; the reality is that no one will ever fit it in. That is unless the evolutionary process of life as we know it ceases to exist. With that in mind I’ve ventured to live my life under that philosophy, and it’s allowed me to stop placing limitations on what I can do or achieve. There is so much freedom in that.
My primary focus in business as it currently stands is the purchase and sell of real estate. I am currently a licensed real estate agent with Key Realty as a force to be reckoned within the field of property management. She was absolutely everything! I’m talking brilliant, driven, honest, fashionable and beautiful. After years of watching her exist as such a heroine; I knew no matter what my course in life, I was going to make her proud. It just so happens I followed in her footsteps a bit more closely than expected.
I think what makes me successful as a real estate agent is my wide range of talents. I’ve found that allowing all to exist cohesively under one umbrella is possible. I can create content for real estate and produce my own original audio with me on vocals. What a unique and personal touch to add in a universe of copy and paste! At least I think so. I can write my own marketing copies and present them to the public in a way that relates to them. How do I translate that to my clients? I let them know “hey you’ve got a published writer on your team to help you sell your home, check out my most recent work with Suavv Magazine!” Now that’s quite a sales pitch.
Additionally, my minor in photojournalism gives me an edge on the competition when it comes to taking high quality photos of homes. I’ve got the skills and the experience to not just take pictures but capture moments. The most important thing here is that I’m not limited in my ability to service others. It goes back to what I was saying about being dynamic. My mother was a giant force in my life. She was the push and the pull I needed. I want to be that for others and I know owning real estate can change lives. Why not prepare today for tomorrow?
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
Word of mouth. It’s the best way to build new business and maintain it. People relate to people. Point bank, period. As traditional as it seems it works. Yes, social media brings a new wave of clientele and access to people. However, even on those platforms people form opinions from watching you. I’ve found that people will refer you because they relate to you but have never even used your services themselves. And for those who have even better because now you already have established a bit of rapport with them through a mutual connection.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I am a mom of three. I was 20 when I had my oldest son. At the time I was still in college. I was only in my sophomore year and I knew I couldn’t do both. So my parents and I came up with a plan where I’d take one semester off and then go back and finish the next two years with no more time off. That meant I was commuting one hour going and coming, 2-3 days a week ,f or the next 2.5 years. Not to mention I had with a 21 credit hours courseload each semester. It was exhausting to say the least. During this time, I was also working part-time and participating in multiple internships.And Let us not forget that I still had a child I was responsible for as well. Of course, the help from my family made this all possible, but there were times when I wasn’t sure if getting my BA was ever going to happen. It was all so stressful ; having to watch my peers that started with me drop out year after year. Through it all, God remained a refuge and in the summer 2015 I received by Bachelor’s degree from Kent State University. I was reminded then just how far I can go, just how big I can dream and how faith is taking the first step even when you can’t see the whole staircase.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ebonysrealty.com
- Instagram: @ebonyd2d
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/public/Ebony-Davis
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ebodavis