MANDATORY QUESTIONS
1. Kindly give our readers an introduction to your business. Please include what your business is all about, in which city you are located, and if you have offices in multiple locations/cities.
Smith & Davis Clothing is a family-owned shoe and clothing store that has served Fayetteville, Georgia, and the greater South Metro Atlanta area since 1965. We operate our store at 1552 Highway 54 West in Fayetteville, GA, and proudly serve surrounding communities including Peachtree City, Newnan, and Tyrone. We carry more than 200 carefully curated footwear and apparel brands — names like Brooks, HOKA, On, Birkenstock, UGG, Ariat, Carhartt, KÜHL, Johnnie-O and Columbia — chosen for craftsmanship, comfort, and lasting value. What sets us apart is our people-first, hands-on service, including free foot-scanning technology that matches customers to the right shoe for their foot shape, support needs, and any pain (like plantar fasciitis). We’re a one-stop local destination for shoes, apparel, and accessories for men and women of every generation.
2. Kindly give us a brief description of yourself (it should include your brief educational or entrepreneurial background and list some of your major achievements).
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3. What inspired you to (start a new business venture) or (make significant changes in an existing business)? How did the idea for your business come about?
Answer: Smith & Davis started in 1965 with a simple idea: treat every customer the way you’d want to be treated. More than six decades later, that principle still drives the business. The Davis family continues to lead with the same values that built it — honest advice, quality products, and genuine care for every person who walks through the door.
4. What three pieces of advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs?
1. Play the long game — build something that lasts, not something that just looks good this quarter.
The fastest path to money is rarely the one that builds a durable business or a reputation you’re proud of. Reinvest, delay gratification, and make decisions you’d still respect in twenty years. Wealth built in a hurry tends to leave in a hurry; what’s built patiently tends to hold. Smith & Davis didn’t hit 60 years by chasing trends — they compounded trust one customer at a time.
2. Your word is your whole brand — guard your integrity like it’s the asset it is.
When you’re small and unknown, honesty is the only real collateral you have. Do what you said you’d do, even when it costs you, even when no one would catch the shortcut. People can’t see your margins or your strategy, but they can always tell whether you can be trusted — and that reputation will open (or quietly close) more doors than any marketing budget.
3. Lead by serving — take care of your people and your customers first, and the success tends to follow.
The best entrepreneurs treat their team and their customers as people to be served, not resources to be extracted from. Listen more than you pitch. Give more value than you charge for. Handle your money and your commitments responsibly, because how you steward small things determines what you’ll be trusted with later. Ambition matters, but ambition without generosity burns out the people around you — and eventually you.
5. What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
Answer: The Davis family runs Smith & Davis Clothing, a family-owned clothing and footwear store at 1552 Highway 54 West in Fayetteville, Georgia — a fixture in South Metro Atlanta since 1965.
The business was founded in 1965 on a simple principle: treat every customer the way you’d want to be treated. More than six decades later, it’s grown into one of the most trusted clothing and footwear destinations in the area while staying family-run, and the Davis family still leads it day-to-day around the values of honest advice, quality products, and genuine care.
The current family leadership:
- George Davis — President
- Tony Davis — Vice President
- Jacob Davis
6. How many hours do you work a day on average?
Answer: Store hours are Monday–Saturday: 10 am – 6 pm
Sunday: 1 pm – 6 pm
Most of the team works 40-hour weeks.
7. To what do you most attribute your success?
Answer: Our success comes down to people. We put customers first, we take the time to listen and get the fit right, and we’ve built a knowledgeable team that takes real pride in understanding the products we sell — from fit and fabric to performance and durability. Sixty years of honest service and lasting relationships in this community is what keeps generations of customers coming back.
8. How do you go about marketing your business? What has been your most successful form of marketing?
Answer: We use a mix of digital marketing (SEO, Meta/Facebook & Instagram ads, and local listings management) alongside our email newsletter, FiveStars text messaging, and active social media (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok) to announce new arrivals, sales, and our popular tent sales. That said, our most successful marketing has always been word of mouth — the in-store experience and personal service our customers tell their friends, family, and even their podiatrists about.
9. Where did your organization’s funding/capital come from and how did you go about getting it? How did you obtain investors for your venture?
Answer: –
10. What is the best way to achieve long-term success?
Answer: Treat your team right and treat your customers right.
11. Where do you see yourself and your business in 5–10 years?
Answer: We’re focused on sustainable, healthy growth — diversifying our revenue toward higher-margin channels, strengthening our brand awareness and storytelling, and reaching new customers and demographics through smart digital marketing, all while keeping the personal, community-first service that’s defined us since 1965.
12. Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most?
Answer: Chick-fil-A because of their servant-hearted leadership style and the way they treat their guests.
RECOMMENDED QUESTIONS
How important have good employees been to your success?
Answer: Enormously. Our team is the heart of the business — our staff takes pride in understanding every product we sell, and our fit specialists take the time to listen and get it right for each customer. Customers regularly name our team members by name in their reviews, which tells us everything about how central good employees are to who we are.
How long do you stick with an idea before giving up?
Answer: It obviously depends on what you’re talking about. There is a balance between failing quickly and sticking with something out even after the fun wears off. In general, I would say make sure you do something long enough where you can see some real data before making a decision to stop or press in.
What motivates you?
Answer: Being able to provide for a team’s livelihood and to serve people with a quality product that improves their lives
What are your ideals?
Answer: People first, a legacy of trust, and service that feels like family. We believe every customer should be welcomed with kindness and genuine care, and that honesty and integrity build the lasting relationships that keep a business alive for 60+ years.
How do you generate new ideas?
Answer: We get ideas from our team members. Having the right team is so important. Making sure you have some people who are idea people is always important. Sometimes we also go outside and hire consultants to come in and look at things with a fresh perspective.
How do you define success?
Answer: Success is a profitable, enduring business that creates real value, treats every person with dignity, operates with unshakable integrity, and becomes a source of provision and generosity for others. Money and growth are evidence you might be doing it well — but they’re the fruit, not the root, and a business can post great numbers while failing the actual test.
How do you build a successful customer base?
Answer: By earning trust one customer at a time. We give people the time and attention to try things on, use our foot-scanning technology to find the right fit, and offer honest guidance rather than a hard sell. That “old-school” personal service turns first-time visitors into lifelong, multi-generational customers.
What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?
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What has been your most satisfying moment in business?
Answer: Every day is different!
What do you feel is the major difference between entrepreneurs and those who work for someone else?
Answer: Entrepreneurs are the tip of the spear. They’re not afraid to take risks and try something new to solve somebody’s problem.
What kind of culture exists in your organization? How did you establish this tone and why did you institute this particular type of culture?
Answer: Our culture is family. We’re family-owned and family-run, and we extend that same feeling to our team and customers — service that feels like family, rooted in kindness, patience, and genuine care. It’s the tone we’ve carried since 1965, and it’s why our team knows so many of our customers by name.
In one word, characterize your life as an entrepreneur.
Answer: Rewarding.
OPTIONAL QUESTIONS
If you had the chance to start your career over again, what would you do differently?
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How has being an entrepreneur affected your family life?
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What is your greatest fear, and how do you manage fear?
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How did you decide on the location for your business?
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Do you believe there is some sort of pattern or formula to becoming a successful entrepreneur?
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If you could talk to one person from history, who would it be and why?
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Who has been your greatest inspiration?
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What book has inspired you the most? (OR what is your favorite book?)
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What are some of the biggest mistakes you’ve made?
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How can you prevent mistakes or do damage control?
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What are your hobbies? What do you do in your non-work time?
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