We recently connected with Season Davis and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Season thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
Personally my mission is to build. Build business, build future entrepreneurs, build my community, build my son, building is my mission. Helping people see that anything is truly possible no matter where you come from, what you have or have not been given. By building and helping others I achieve my goals. I achieve those goals through people. As we know and it has been said, “it takes a village”.
At the Cheese and Chocolate Queen shop in Old Town Spring our shop allows many small batch artisans, musicians and artists the chance to get their mission, what calls to them, out and into the hands or ears of the consumer. The idea is to support one another, similar to that of a ESOP (people owned organization). The vendors pay a very small amount each month to showcase their products, the contract is for six months and each month they are given a sales report and tips on how to help their business and hopefully their sales. It’s expensive to operate a shop when you have one product or even a few sku’s. Maybe already operating in one part of the city and would like another location. This gives us all the opportunity to be a part of a huge small business effort.
My mission is to build Cheese and Chocolate Queen shops throughout the United States, in small, touristy, walking communities. Often in our community there are many amazing hobbyists with a dream of being an entrepreneur. They just have some sort of roadblock. From someone wanting a cute cheese and chocolate, epicurean grocery store who picks up the franchise option to the homemaker creating amazing jams, to musicians and artists, our shop will be a place all can come to and be a Cheese and Chocolate Queen/King!
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Season and I have been an entrepreneur since I was ten. I had a dog walking business, and then added babysitting once I was of age and certified. Credentials are important! I have always been interested in business and with that in mind attended Rockford Business College and obtained a double Associates Degree in Marketing and Management. I also obtained student loan debt, which I was motivated to payoff. I started my career as a Recruiter in an amazing staffing company. After a few years I grew and was offered an opportunity in the Healthcare industry as a Director of Human Resources, I was 26. This opportunity expanded my horizons. I went back to school after ten years to Judson University for a Bachelors Degree in Human Resources and transferred from Illinois to Houston with the company.
I’ve been in Houston now for 12 years. I eventually left the company I transferred to Houston with. I decided to go back to Judson five years later for my Masters Degree and more student loans. During this time of working as Director of HR and going to school I created an indoor playground for kids from the ground up as part of the Masters project. It was exciting and the biggest project of my career that I was personally involved in. Then due to unexpected human behavior from outside influences the project complete and successfully operating was closed and dissolved. I was devastated. Now relieved! I learned so much!
A business plan can only be so good, then there is the human aspect that cannot always be predicted. As an entrepreneur I want to help others avoid pitfalls, think through options and do this in a cost effective way. In 2019 I started Your Personal Season, a non-profit focused on helping small businesses in our community and beyond! Check it out www.SeasonDavis.com for more information and how to help!
Often many small businesses do not have the support they may need to stay in business. It’s part of my build to help others. The “why” I am here on the earth. I am here to help others build their dreams and teams while I am building mine. I love school, mentoring, and coaching.
The Cheese and Chocolate Queen shop offers internships and mentoring opportunities to business students and culinary students who are interested in opening their own restaurant/retail location. The Cheese and Chocolate Queen shop in Old Town Spring is the first of many to come bringing local entrepreneurs together under one roof!!
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
Funding is always tricky if you don’t have money just sitting around to invest in a business. As for this single mom, and for the Cheese and Chocolate Queen shop in Old Town Spring, I took a chance on myself. The company that I worked for allowed up to two loans to be taken out on my 401K. The risk in the market itself, as well as the investment of my hard earned money for retirement years made this choice pretty easy. I’m not retiring anytime soon and might die tomorrow… Thank the Lord, I obviously am still alive to write and share…
I have worked hard for that money and it was sitting there losing money due to the market. The company I worked for had a hefty retirement match. As long as I continued to work for them, I was paying myself back and they were paying for my business investment as well! This was the right path for me to take to get this concept off the ground.
The only downfall to this, was when I left the company the loan became due. If not paid in full, would count as taxable earnings for the year. Still not a terrible investment when the first year in business many are losing money which ultimately resulted in a wash.
This ease of financing has not always been the case in the past businesses I own. Each business is unique and has had complications. Funding is never easy when you think you don’t have financial backing.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
One thing anyone who knows me will tell you, I am resilient.
About five years ago, I went into business with a friend. We opened an indoor play park for children. Created it from the idea in my head, put it to paper and started putting the plan to work. Built the park from the ground up with no prior experience. It was super exciting, super stressful and worth every painful moment.
I was working full-time and completing my Masters program. My project for the program was to create a business plan. While creating the business plan, I actually began creating the business. I vetted franchises, I visited playgrounds with my son. I spoke with friends about what I was doing and before I knew it, I had a partner. Found and leased property, started building.
Financing became hard, then Hurricane Harvey hit, and we finally opened, only to have issues with my business partner and ultimately close due to exhausting financing. It was sad, it was an ego bust. I felt at first I had failed, but not long after the business was liquidated and the dust settled, I learned a lot.
I learned that it wasn’t over. That business was, but being an entrepreneur was not. I went back to work with a good company and in my free time helped others with their business needs through my non-profit consulting company www.SeasonDavis.com.
Then one day a friend needed work. I wanted to help her. I thought of ways I could. My career has always been focused around putting people to work. Finding opportunities. I’ve always loved snacking and small bites. The charcuterie and cheese seen was something I followed on social media. Just like that, I pulled the trigger and created the plan and I started the Cheese and Chocolate Queen Shop.
I’m ready for anything. I get one life and I want to live each of those days the best I can. I want to help people. I am ready to bob and weave! I am ready to put in the work it takes and the rejections I may face. You can too!!!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cheeseandchocolatequeens.com
- Instagram: cheeseandchocolatequeen
- Facebook: cheeseandchocolatequeens
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seasondavis/