Exclusive Interview with Dawn Dickson: Flat out better
What’s good people? It’s your boy Trav Dave and I’m back with another Mixx Magazine exclusive interview. I’ve known this person for a long time and I’ve always been inspired by her hustle. She’s helped create a jumping nightlife in Columbus, Ohio that was outside of the box and built her brand from the ground up. She’s never scared to take chances and capitalize on ideas; she has started a business that’s perfect for women on the go. Ladies, wearing heels all day can put a serious strain on your feet. So, she came up with an alternative that’s stylish, comfortable, affordable and can fit inside your clutch bags. One time for Flat Out of Heels CEO – Dawn Dickson.
You started Flat Out of Heels in 2011. What sparked the idea?
I was out at an event and of course, I had on heels. My feet were hurting, I had flip flops in my car, but I was dressed up, so it wasn’t a good look to put them on. So my first thought was there should vending machines with shoes in them so when women are out, they can go to the vending machine and change their heels into something more comfortable. To my knowledge, there wasn’t anything like at the time. The next day I keep thinking about it and I started doing research to see if there were any products out there on the market that met my needs. This is when I set out to create something that was stylish and affordable with easy access for women and that’s durable and compact for a purse or handbag.
There are 168 hours in a week. How many hours do you think you work?
Sitting down working on the computer, probably 4-5 hours a day, but being on the phone, skype and business meetings that can be up 12 hours a day. I’m usually always available unless I decide to take personal time. I’m always up working and moving even when it looks like fun I’m working.
How much do you sacrifice to be a successful business woman?
I sacrifice being in one place for a period of time. I travel 80% of the time, so I’m never in one spot for too long. I don’t have a routine. I’ve never in a place longer than a week or two.
How important is it to you to work with other women entrepreneur and empowering them?
For me, it is definitely important to work with other women, especially in a business where I’m raising capital knowing that women, particularly black women receive .02% of all funding in investment money from a venture capitalist. So it’s important for me to stay connected with other women entrepreneurs and hopefully, they see the strength in our numbers and the potential progress. I also know the things that I do will open the doors for other women that will follow behind me and I hope I can make the path a little easier; that would make me feel good.
I see via social media that you go to a lot of business conventions. How important is it for you to attend these conferences? How do you feel social media has helped your brand?
I’m a speaker so it’s a big part of my networking, at least 90% of the time I’m speaking at these events. So all the people that I see in the green room that I admire I can sit there and talk to them and build relationships because they view me as a peer. The conferences are a way for me to build my net worth, brand, and my network.
If you had one piece of advice for someone just starting out, what would it be?
Think big and trust yourself. Don’t limit yourself to local ever. Look into building a larger brand and large business because it can be done. Trust yourself and stay on course.
Please, tell the people where they can purchase Flat Out of Heels?
Flatoutofheels.com and we’re on amazon.com, shop.com, and twitter, facebook
And Instagram is @Flatoutofheels and our email is info@flatoutofheels.com
