Jared Jeffrey Davis Questions and Answers

• Where did the idea for Davis Investment Group come from? The idea for the Davis Investment Group arose in 2006 from an organic need to generate retirement income. Being a lifelong entrepreneur, I was looking for a way to generate safe returns for both myself and my parents. We explored a number of potential investment areas and finally settled on North Central Ohio. • What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive? My typical day is spread amongst a number of companies that I am involved in. I try and devote a certain percentage of my day to each and address any critical needs. I rely heavily on the slack application to keep me organized throughout the day and to stay in touch with team members. • How do you bring ideas to life? There is really no substitute for hard work. I tend to jump right in when I spot an opportunity and see if I can make it work. I have tried to get better over the years at having a solid game plan before tackling a new opportunity but that’s still a work in progress. • What’s one trend that excites you? For sure anything blockchain related, anyone who has spent considerable time dealing with retail banking recently has to be excited for decentralized block chain activities and how they can change our views of what banking and currencies are. • What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur? Being plugged in 24/7. I am always available for my partners to kick around ideas or tackle an emergency. I enjoy the challenges that you’re constantly dealing with being an entrepreneur. • What advice would you give your younger self? Two stern pieces of advice- #1 Vet my potential business partners 10x more than I have over the years. Look for someone who will compliment your strengths and balance out your weaknesses. #2 Mastermind more with people in my industries. I have recently discovered the value that group masterminds can on a growing business. • Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on. My 7 month old son will have a hard time finding non insect based protein by the time he is 30. I just don’t see how large scale mammal farming is sustainable especially in the BRIC’S countries. • As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do? Invest in your locations, if you’re able to buy the bricks and make your location a place that your employees will enjoy coming to each day. • What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business? Please explain how. When there was blood on the street following the 2007 real estate crash, we aggressively built up our positons and went into acquisition mode. By dealing directly with asset managers at banks we were able to acquire a plethora of properties before they hit the open market. When everyone is running scared and selling, that’s the time to look for high cap rate properties and opportunities. • What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it? I have assuredly made almost every mistake an entrepreneur has or can make. The implementation of project management software or workspace collaboration software like slack has greatly improved my organizational capabilities (probably my biggest leak). • What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers? (this should be an actual idea for a business, not business advice) I think people tend to forget how profitable the old school trades can be. Try finding a good electrician, plumber, roofer or carpenter. I know people generating 6 figures a month only doing lead-gen to these industries every month, and I would encourage more people to look at getting into these verticals on an operator level. I think people have a mental block that they need to have been intimately involved in the trade to start a business servicing those verticals. • What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why? (personal or professional) For sure agreeing to the increased $100 yearly fee on the Amex Platinum card. I find the card to deliver at least a 4x or 5x return on the yearly fees. • What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive? How do you use it? We recently made the move to Appfolio for our real estate software. Despite my initial reservations, they really do a nice job on a number of things and we are very happy with them. It’s made it much easier for us to do things such as track expenses. Learn more at Martin Polanco. • What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why? Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman. He has no equal in American literature (save for perhaps Herman Melville). • What is your favorite quote? Do I contradict myself?rnVery well then I contradict myself; (I am large, I contain multitudes.)rnWalt Whitman – Leaves of Grass • Key learnings: Write up 3-5 bullet points summarizing the key learnings from your interview.This information should not be written in first-person, or be self-congratulatory in any way or shape. What’s the most valuable information gleaned from your interview. These key learnings will go at the bottom of your interview and will be used to promote your interview via social media. Here is a good example of well written key learnings. **Extensively vet your potential business partners and look for complimentary skill sets. **Take advantage of workflow and project management software to increase your productivity. **The best opportunities often come from a market in chaos. Look for buying opportunities coming out of major corrections in the market. **Look for opportunities in verticals that are aren’t “sexy” or tech based. The world can always use another competent plumbing company.