Takuya Davis, CEO of Phoenix-based recruitment firm Mitsuoka & Company, taps into his wealth of knowledge from decades of experience starting businesses and opening franchises to now help pave the way for others, coaching and consulting individuals on the path to start-up success.
Today, serial entrepreneur Takuya Davis sees the world of businesses and start-ups through the lens of a seasoned professional. But, in order to have acquired adeptness to map out successful business plans and implement tactics to avoid missteps, he first had to go through the gauntlet himself. His story gives you a glimpse into what makes him the business-building dynamo and valuable mentor he is today.
In addition to being a CEO and start-up whiz, Takuya Davis is an avid world traveler, destination golfer, and dedicated family man. He is a perpetual mover and shaker, realizing early on he would never be satisfied to live a quiet life defined by one clear-cut career path. Born in Okinawa, Japan, hopping across the US; first to California, then to Seattle, his military family keeping him on his toes, moving through the states. Being on the move inadvertently taught him how to pivot, build from the ground up, and start from scratch with each new school and friend group. By the time he and his peers were going to college, Davis’s innate flair for starting businesses presented itself when he began running his own painting business through a franchise company called, College Pro. While he attended college classes intending to become an Orthopedic Surgeon alongside many of his friends, he had the unrelenting feeling that the medical field wasn’t going to be his ticket to happiness. Transitioning to a degree in business, he spent every moment between studies until graduation dedicated to his painting business, given multiple awards by the company for his performance. His reputation earned him an offer from the Franchisor for College Pro, and before long, he was on the move again – this time Boston for an exciting new venture, which would be packed with “lots of failures and some successes, to say the least,” according to Davis.
That move to the east coast led to him meeting his wife (and forever business partner). With his business expanding rapidly, he began branching out, opening a recruiting business with many of the same team members that he still has in his recruiting company today! As he built business after business, he saw the common thread that led to success. Davis says, “I learned over the years that the number one capital I could have were the people around me, not the money or anything else. It’s really the people. Regardless of which business venture, I have realized success has always been the result of putting the right person in the right seat, especially the roles making decisions around people orientation.” While he currently runs a roofing and solar business, he’s been an avid entrepreneur, owning and running businesses ranging from tanning salon, sportsbar, flooring franchises, and a recruitment firm– Davis explains despite this variety, saying; “I’m simply in the people business.”
The pandemic presented numerous challenges within his many companies, from social-distancing laws to soaring costs of lumber. Still, he took the wisdom he imparted from his greatest mentors, his parents, to turn a bad situation into a positive one. Witnessing his parents pushing through their struggles, being thankful for the things they did have, and finding opportunities even in hard times was imprinted upon Davis and inspired him to react differently than others when it came to the pandemic lockdown. Davis says, “We used the opportunity created by the pandemic to work virtually and found we could make more appointments with clients in our home improvement businesses than we have ever imagined. We could reach a larger client base with zero travel time or expense using virtual appointments. We quickly innovated our marketing methods to adapt to the changes, leveraging technology to our advantage. Instead of closing our doors, we doubled down on our recruiting efforts hiring more people than ever, knowing there was a lot of talent out there looking for work.”
Helping companies navigate giant hurdles is just one of the aspects Davis coaches his clients through. Staying true to his credence that having the right people in your corner is paramount to success, when he starts working with businesses on how they can improve, he first focuses on analyzing the people on the team. Davis speaks on his process, saying, “I begin by finding out the personal goals of each individual – such as career, financial, physical, spiritual, emotional, short and long term goals, to see how they are aligned with the goals, core values and vision of the organization. Assessing the team and getting crystal clear on the company’s long-term goals and vision set the stage for creating a one, three, and ten-year plan with actionable steps. Then, with the right synergy between team members and the organization, it is much easier to steer the ship towards the desired destination.”
Reach out to Takuya Davis for Executive Coaching, Consulting, Entrepreneurship, and Start-Up Support by visiting him on LinkedIn. For help building a team aligned with your values, contact his recruitment firm, Mitsuoka & Company.
