YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR KJERYN DAVIS

KJERYN DAVIS:

Chasing Her Dreams

by Carla Howatt

Being in Kjeryn Davis’ presence is to feel as though you have been pulled into a warm embrace of positive energy. Whether she is talking about her business or her family, the joy she experiences from the life she has created radiates from her.

Creating her life was intentional and came from discovering the things that made her jump out of bed in the morning. Growing up in the fourth generation of her family to live in Camrose, Alberta, she knew everyone in town, and they knew her. While comforting, she knew if she wanted to date anyone besides her second cousin, she would need to move. A Dream Come True

Doing What She Should

Prior to being a business owner, she was successful in a finance position. The money was good, but she knew she wasn’t working in her area of passion. However, she was a single mom to a three-year-old child, and she had to be careful about the decisions made; it wasn’t just all about her any longer.

She realized the job she was most happy in was bartending. She enjoyed the people, and it came naturally for her. She realized she had internalized some of the stereotype’s society has around people who waitress or bartend past a certain age. She wondered how a service position would define her. As a single mother, she felt she had something to prove and that to do that, she needed to be a professional. She went into finance because she thought that was what she had to do.

After returning to the field, she quickly realized she wanted to not only serve people in a restaurant or bar, but she wanted to own it. It was then that she decided she would open a bar.

As she explored what she would need to do in order to make her new dream a reality, she discovered that banks wouldn’t give money unless it was an existing business, a franchise, or unless she had a lot of collateral. Not one to let that stop her, she sat down and wrote what she categorizes as a kick-ass business plan. She focused in on the typical arguments and concerns investors might have and explained why she would succeed.

Then, she set out to raise the money herself. She sold five per cent shares to two different people and is proud that she has paid them dividends on their investment.

The most freeing place to be is when you have nothing to lose

Seven years and three Sylvan Lake restaurants - Does, Bukz and Bukwildz - later, she is thriving and loving what she is doing. She credits her success to her mindset. “There are enough people out there that will tell you how you will fail,” Kjeryn explains. “So, you need to be your biggest champion in your own mind.” She goes on to say that she would recommend cutting anyone out of your life that is negative. “You will have enough thoughts around how you could fail you don’t need others telling you that.”

Quieting the Voices

People will always be prepared to tell you why you will fail, and you may even battle those internal voices yourself. For Kjeryn, she deals with those voices by quickly and ruthlessly putting them in their place.

“… you need to reaffirm for yourself every time…” she talks about a time when she bought the restaurant next door to hers. The voices in her head started questioning her decision, and she began to think “Oh Kjeryn, you can’t do two restaurants!” she recounts. “I’m like ‘stop it! Yes, you can!” and every time she would begin to go down the “what if this” or “what if that” road, she would tell herself to stop it.

Owning three restaurants in Sylvan Lake is not the end of the road for this positive woman. She sees a time, probably about five years down the road, when she has a succession plan in place, she is a mentor in the restaurant world, and a consultant. A keen interest in municipal and provincial politics may even see her running a campaign.

Whatever Kjeryn decides to pursue, there is no doubt that she will make it happen and do so with a smile on her face.

She is diligent in discarding and disregarding the negative thoughts because she believes that, unfortunately, it is very rare that people pursue their dreams. It is rare that they push themselves and that is because of the fear and negativity around the “What ifs”. Instead, they should be focusing on their dreams and positivity. It is easy to be negative and it takes work to be positive.

“The most freeing place to be is when you have nothing to lose,” Kjeryn explains. “What’s the worst that can happen to you? You literally have nothing to lose.”

So why does she work so hard for this success? The answer is and will always be, her family. Her husband stays at home with their two young babies, and she wants to make them proud. She wants to be a role model to her children about what is possible if you have the right mindset. She also wants to set that example for others by having a positive impact through showing others and her now 13 year-old daughter that she is not a victim of her circumstances.