Erika Davis, CEO, Davis Management Group

1. Tell us about your background and your inspiration for starting your own business?

Erika: After spending a few years working for a small government contractor and serving in meeting and event management roles, I had hit a glass ceiling. Tired of my voice being silenced and my value unappreciated, I wanted to start my own firm, creating a safe space for women, particularly women of color, to thrive and grow personally and professionally in a supportive environment.

I incorporated and received my 8(a) certification, and, unexpectedly, the US State Department contacted me to handle events for their Global Women’s Issues Office. Funny enough, when I received the emails from them, it looked fraudulent, so I just ignored them. Finally, they called me, and we had our first contract and have never looked back.

2. How has your business evolved?

Erika: At first, I handled everything, with finances my biggest challenge. Like many small businesses, I used credit cards and borrowed money to cover expenses. I didn’t understand the complexities of government contracting and compliance, nor the consequences of noncompliance. We were fortunate and remained compliant and the debt was paid.

We’ve grown into a mature company, with a deep understanding and competence in government contracting, financial management, and compliance. Now, we are a team of 25 diverse, talented professionals sharing the load and continuously striving and achieving.

3. What are some unique challenges you’ve encountered as a black and woman-owned business in the sector

Erika: As a black woman, I have faced discrimination, walking into offices and seen their surprise. I’ve been dismissed, and my voice and opinion hasn’t always mattered. My challenges aren’t unique and mirror what other women of color face in business and life… Starting my own business has allowed me to create a supportive working environment for other women and find my own way, as a woman of color in business.

4. How does your business contribute to the communities you serve, domestically and internationally?

Erika: When I think of communities, I think of family, friends, and neighbors lifting each other up and helping each other out. No matter the need, we are going to be there, supporting and helping.

During my very first event in Tunisia, around the time of the Arab Spring, I met women from Egypt, and other countries, who had been sexually assaulted, beaten up, and their families threatened because of their activism for women’s rights. They were amazed at our team working as professionals, showing what women can achieve when given the chance.

Shocked and inspired by these brave women, I committed myself, and my company, to creating a supportive environment for women’s growth. It’s amazing to witness women moving from surviving to thriving. Allowing, enabling, and celebrating women being the best they can be, personally and professionally –thriving– strengthens their families, neighborhoods, communities, and countries. This is the community I support and serve. DMG, also, contributes to Girl Talk and any other charities focused on raising up young girls and women.

5. How do you see your business impacting the future landscape of black and women-owned enterprises?

Erika: As the chair of SBAIC, I have a great opportunity to encourage others who look like me to venture out of their comfort zone. and see the world. Raised by a single mom, we didn’t have a lot of opportunity to travel, and it has been life-changing for me.

Also, young women and women of color, typically without the resources to travel internationally, need to be exposed and experience other cultures. Even though we complain about this country, it is still the greatest country on Earth, and travel provides a greater appreciation of what we have here and how we must protect it.

6. What personal qualities or values have been most instrumental to your success as a CEO?

Erika: I care about each of our team members, the whole person and not just what they can do for DMG. I want to know what’s going on in their lives, helping them if I can. Where I see potential, I want to see it flourish, by helping them gain confidence from solving a problem independently grow professionally. When I first started, I didn’t know what I didn’t know and didn’t know a lot. Now, I am confident that, regardless of the challenge, we will endure. It’s what women do, after all.

Davis Management Group team members at DMG’s Holiday Party, December 2023

7. How can the wider community best support Black and women-owned small businesses in this sector?

Erika: Just because we’re women, or because we’re black, doesn’t mean our voices shouldn’t matter. We should not be diminished by our gender or our skin color. Our experiences and our capabilities make us experts in our areas, and we deserve respect and a seat at the table. Just because I don’t necessarily look like you or do things like you, doesn’t mean I have no value or am irrelevant. It just means we’re different, and diversity makes us stronger and more resilient, particularly in business.

8. What advice would you give to other black- and women-owned small businesses?

Erika: Start with what you’re good at, do good work, and surround yourself with strong, striving, trustworthy people. Hire good people and treat them well. Be good to your customers and build lasting trust, so they see you as a reliable, go-to source. Just be good across the board, right? The whole sphere, client, customer, staff, everyone you touch—be good to them.