Patricia Davis on Pioneering Change in Home Decorating

Hi, Patricia! Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business:

Hi, I'm Patricia. My background consists of forty-eight years in the fashion industry with upper management titles. I've lived all over the U.S. traveling to open new stores, supervising construction, and hiring and training staff for several companies. I have degrees from the University of Mississippi in business, fashion, and design. I'm from a small town outside of Oxford, MS called Abbeville. I'm a farm girl and I love the land. I'm grandma to 10, mother of 4, wife of 1, friend of many, and mentor of some. Over the years in addition to my full-time career, I have created seven companies. In addition to my interior design business, I am a professional dressmaker and fashion designer. Two and a half years ago I opened my brick and mortar 5,000 square foot showroom to house all my companies. It's a one-stop haven and cornucopia for all things creative in decor and fashion, selling fabrics, products and materials that are organic, natural, and sustainable. At sntHOME, our work is pioneering innovative change in the home decorating industry through our "Pure Conscious Design" principles, implemented in every project. PC Design is the mindful creation of spaces and places that are good for people and good for the planet. Education plays a vital role in what we do. It's critical consumers understand the negative impact the industry has on our health, environment and climate. Since opening, we have received several accolades including "The Best of Florida" Award Honourable Mention for Interior Design, "The Best of Clay" Fabric Store and Highly Recommended on Alignable to name a few. We are also Minority & Woman-owned certified as well as JESB certified by the City of Jacksonville.

Who are your customers?

Home owners, new home buyers, owners of second homes, and Airbnbs, commercial property owners, hotels, office buildings, etc. We work with builders, architects, stagers, realtors, and other interior design firms. Our client is anyone looking to update, refresh, renovate or decorate a space.

What made you take the leap to start your own business?

It was time to leave the retail and corporate world. I always had my companies and did work part-time throughout my career so they have always been there. I left the paycheck world to write my own for real.

Did you always know you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

Yes, I created my first company when I was twelve. I made all the cheerleader outfits for both the high schools in my town. You couldn't tell me nothing. I was the boss. What I overlooked was, that contract was a lot of work but, I got it done year after year.

Take us back to when you first launched your business; what was your marketing strategy to get the word out and did it go as planned?

Fifty years ago it was a different world. Community supported you and word of mouth was everything. There was no worries of state, national or global presence. Everyone knew you, your family , the need was there, instant gratification was not a thing so you do the work. Stories and ads in the local newspaper brought you the spotlight in lucrative and profitable ways. When I opened the showroom in 2021 (near the end of COVID) my focus was to solicit from an acquired customer database of previous clients, network, host events, use social media, write content and strategically run print ads. Did it go as planned, well I'm still working on it!

What is the biggest challenge you have encountered along the way so far and what have you learned from it?

The biggest challenge is to find funding and support for the things a small business needs. Marketing and reaching your ideal client has been a struggle as well. Trying to navigate your industry to figure out what your potential clients are doing is tricky. Are they on social media, do they read print-magazine, are they more interested in content, networking, etc. Deciding should your focus be local, national or global must be considered. There is no clear answer or magic formula.

What accomplishment are the most proud of to date in your business?

Becoming Minority & Woman owned certified and JESB (Jacksonville Emerging Small Business) certified as well as named "The Best of Florida" in Interior Design has been quite fulfilling.

Do you have any recent wins from the last year that you'd like to celebrate with our community?

We received a $10,000 grant.

What's next for your business? What can we expect to see over the next few years?

My next goal is to become a Federal Certified business to do contracting nationwide providing healthy and sustainable design in spaces and places you would not expect it to be in. In 2013 my soul tribe sister and I created a Sustainable Wellness Home in Eureka Springs, AR. It was a LEED (USGBC) certified home. We brought together all our friends (like-minded people) who owned companies that were organic and sustainable, decorated the home, stocked it with all things chemical and toxic free, created an organic garden and landscape. We opened the home for public, educational tours with the city every week-end for eight months and people came from around the world to tour. We had a chef committed to cooking only organic food and served samples to visitors. It was amazing. My goal is to open a home here in Jacksonville, FL on a grander scale.

What is your top productivity tip? 

Organization is key to getting the job done. Embrace multi-tasking and don't complain. When we complain we put those negative into our subconscious mind and they stay there forever only to impact the goals and desires we attempt to set for the future.

On the flip side, how do you avoid burnout?

I practice grounding in nature, meditation and my grandkids keep me centered (because of course they don't know what work is and it would take me too long to explain, so I just play and be happy cherishing the time I get to spend with all their little faces and smiles).

What is your approach to work-life balance / integration?

Listen to your internal rhythm and intuition. Know when it's time to stop working, take breaks. I turn off my work cell phone at the end of the day. I love living well (cooking-wine-gardening) and it takes time from my business to do that. I don't take anything too serious.

When hiring, what is your go-to interview question?

How are you today? (Be engaged with the question, you'd be surprised at what you can learn).

What is your favorite business tool or solution and why?

Mailchimp. Great for those last minute announcements.

What advice do you have for aspiring Entreprenistas?

When the going gets tough, and it will, be determined to stay in the game. You're the one who created it. Own it.

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