We were lucky to catch up with Ericka C. Davis recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Ericka C., thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.
My optimism comes from once being at the bottom of the barrel- overlooked, stepped on and treated like trash. I have conquered in more situations that would have broken the average individual. From being a 15 year old teenage, runaway to running the streets of Las Vegas from 17 to 24 years to becoming the successful corporate boss and entrepreneur that I am today. I am optimistic because I come from a praying family and I know that my real strength comes from a much higher power than myself.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Professionally, I work as a legal project manager for a renewable energy company. This makes me responsible for things such as budgeting and reporting, software purchasing, installation and change management, working with internal and external stakeholders while reporting directly to the company’s Chief Legal Officer. Prior to this I worked for close to 15 years as a paralegal and independently as a Nevada notary public.
My experience in working diligently with legal documents, in public speaking and oratory led me to want to become a wedding officiant. In Las Vegas where my business initially began in 2015 it was an easy business opportunity in conjunction with my current offerings. So much so that I married 101 couples in 2016!
Of every business venture I have ever done being a wedding officiant is by far my favorite. I genuinely love my couples, their stories and being apart of their ‘ever after’ stories.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
1. Listen to what your couples or clients want. As a wedding officiant, I customize each ceremony per my couples request. There is no such thing as traditional unless this is what they want. Prayer or none, personal vows or I do’s- the day is theirs so I make it a point to ask all the necessary questions up front. This leads me to #2.
2. Create a questionnaire that puts you in the know of what your client wants and needs. I created my questionnaire first based on questions I found researching other officiants. Over a short period of time I learned to reformat my questionnaires based on ceremony types and couples needs. Which leads me to #3.
3. Time. It takes time to learn anything new. Even after the course work or training is done it will still take time to acclimate to a new way of thinking, doing, being. Be gracious and kind with yourself and others. Yes time should be respected and valued and when you are not in control of those things remember it will be okay.
What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
My biggest area of growth in the past 12 months has been truly learning to invest in myself. For years I have made my success on doing the best yet sometimes minimum required. Always polished to perfection yet I wasn’t elevating to the higher levels I wanted. Last year I reached out to one of my wedding officiant idols – yes I have a wedding guru I look up to! She worked with me in 2 sessions and identified where I wanted to go in my business, how to accomplish it and immediate steps to take to see change. I took my time implementing the changes and as opportunities presented themselves I did not hesitate to act.
Two things from this- find someone in your industry that is successful whether locally or a celebrity to learn from and do not be afraid to pay for their time. Second, a second and even third pair of eyes overlooking your independent business is the only way to separate your feelings from your success. Sometimes we get so caught up in our way of thinking that we stand in our own way when it comes to elevating.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.expertiseweddings.com/services
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ExpertiseWeddings/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ExpertiseWeddings/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/expertise-services-weddings
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@expertiseweddings
- Other: erickadavis
