Meet Jamese Davis | Business Woman

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jamese Davis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jamese, how do you think about risk?
Taking risks has helped me walk into doors and onto paths I never thought I’d end up. I always try to make sure they are calculated as they can be. Like when I was working a corporate job out of college, Unhappy, in a town where none of my family was, completely unfulfilled with what I was doing with my life. That was more than enough for me to quit that job and bet on myself to try something new.

One thing I knew for sure is that job did more harm to me than not and was not at all the direction I wanted to go. So I quit! When I quit, I made sure I had a plan and used my resources to get opportunities in other occupations. Shortly after that I decided that working a Job was not the best thing for me. I didn’t enjoy the anxiety I felt while being micromanaged and had to be on someone else’s time. So I decided to enroll in Barber school. Barber school didn’t come out of nowhere though. I had been cutting hair in college as a hustle. Over time the money had gotten good but even still I never thought I would pursue barbering. After quitting job after job, I didn’t know what direction I wanted to go, but I knew for sure it wasn’t going to be working for a company. With my back against the wall, I chose to do barbering because I was good at it and partly enjoyed it.

I finished school in 9 months I finished school. Went straight to working at a barbershop That some of my old colleagues had opened. A year after that I had the opportunity to open my own barbershop. Even though I didn’t feel ready to own a business , I dove in. For 5 years I ran a barbershop where I was able to give at least 10 barbers a safe and stable place to make good income. It also served as a community pillar in Hawthorne, Ca. Owning a shop allotted tons of business and volunteer opportunities.

If I hadn’t taken that initial risk on myself quitting my first ever job out of school, I would be extremely unhappy and likely nowhere close to achieving the success I have thus far. Taking risk has been top 3 things that have leveraged my life.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Barbering is my art. My skills are the reason behind so many smiles and boost of confidence. The perk of being a woman in this industry is that I often get lots of creative control. Me: “Okay what kind of cut are we doing today?” Client: “IDK , what do you think?”

Clients trust me with their look and I love it.

I am also a Drummer. When I decided That I wanted to play drums, I invested in the tools then created an Opportunity to play with other musicians. During the Pandemic I created a Livestream concert series (ShopVibezs Live) in my barbershop. I contacted musicians, sound engineers and videographers, offered them a rate that could afford and went on to do 10 episodes.

I recently picked up Dj’ing and have quickly made strides and already on the way to earning residencies at local bars and restaurants .

I have been able to continue to excel at whatever it is that I have desired thus far. I usually go with things I am naturally skilled at. I visualize what route I want to go, Then I do my best to connect the dots to make them happen by utilizing resources and getting around people already doing what I desire. I often take advice from those people too because they have already passed the step I am at. Nothing is ever easy but its always worth it. I navigate through challenges by identifying my part in it. I then assess what I can do different to get a better outcome. It usually concludes to things like lacking consistency, organization and not being open to change.

I have learned that as a creative it is important to get around the culture whatever it is you are pursuing . There will always be someone who is better and knows more than you but that shouldn’t intimidate or make you envious. Instead, build connections with those people. Learn from them.

I want people to know that knowledge breeds confidence. Whenever you are feeling incapable of anything, do some research on it. Sharpen your knowledge or skills. That will give you the confidence to take risks & trust yourself to fulfill them. Treat people how you want to be treated because it will always return. Everything I do is about my freedom and happiness. When I feel happy and free, my energy is contagious.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Okay so I recently took a trip to Barbados and I just think every person like me (black) should experience it. We would eat fresh fish and grilled veggies on the water everyday. Drink rum punch, but also grab a bottle of Hennessy White in the airport on our way in because rum is too sweet sometimes.

We’d hand out in a area the call “the gap” which is where the bars and young people are.
I would most def take her on the tour around the entire island because its amazing.
We’d also have to swim with the turtles.
Other than that, the beach is so peaceful that we’d probably become beach bums.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are two people that come to mind aside from my mother that I would give credit for who I am turning out to be.

My College counselor that met when I went off to Summer Bridge at Fresno State. Her name is Tawanda Kitchen. She poured love into me when I was lost in college. She gave me a safe space to FEEL. She waS a first generation college student like me so she could relate to me more ways than not. She wrote letters of recommendations for me when I needed them. She literally grabbed me by the hand and took me to church and gave me the confidence I needed to push through college. She let me know that I was beautiful and that success and anything I desired was going to happen for me. I will never forget her. Our relationship showed me how important it is to reach back to help guide those who are on the path you once walked.

Dr. Cedric Hardamon is the next person. He was an educator, businessman and cultural leader in Fresno, Ca. He gave me and my friends jobs through his educational afterschool program while we were in school. He made us take it serious and educated us along the way. He drilled accountability into our heads and didn’t let us slack because his program was filled with black kids and he cared how we represented ourselves. He was the first person I met that was truly black and proud. Mr. Hardamon always complimented his young black staff, letting us know we were special and brilliant. He called me an innovator. I can’t lie , I didn’t even know what that meant at the time. Now, almost 10 years later, I realize that is exactly what I am, and he helped put it into my conscious.

I will never ever forget Dr. Tawanda Kitchen & Dr. Cedric Hardamon!

Website: www.crowndbarberlounge.com

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Youtube: www.youtube.com/shopvibezs