Meet Camille Davis | Entrepreneur, Real Estate Investor, Mom of 4, and Mentor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Camille Davis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Camille, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I didn’t start what I’m doing with a plan of starting a business. I found what I am doing first as an intrigue and then something that I found myself to be very good at. I honestly think that it was divinely placed in my life. I was someone who followed the process that we are all taught to follow of going to school to get a degree and changed my major many times not really knowing what I wanted to do or what I would be good at but then fell into nursing as it was the “best” fit from all of the choices that were offered. After putting myself through school after many years, due to switching my major multiple times, I found myself in what I thought was my Dream Job and then like most Women saw the need to quit my Job to take care of my first child as my husband and I decided to start our family.

This was one of the hardest decisions of my life. I didn’t know that having a child would be such a life change for me and would cause me to feel so alone and lost and that I would have to recreate a new identity for myself. Don’t get me wrong I was happy to be so lucky to be able to be home and have the opportunity to raise the beautiful little ones that were sent to me but I also “gave up” a part of myself or I thought I “gave up” a part of myself. Little did I know that through this hard transition I would find the best thing that I could have ever found.

I had 4 babies in 5 years and just after I had my 3rd baby with all of them in diapers I had one of those moments where I had to admit to myself that I felt a little suffocated and had to admit that I wanted more. From this desire of needing something for myself to help me feel like “I” was still growing and not just helping my little ones to grow. I stumbled upon this secret side of real estate that at the time I have never heard of and that even today not a lot of people know about.

One day while driving my kids around in the van trying to get them to nap at the same time I started noticing a plethora of vacant homes in just my small neighborhood. In a matter of minutes I realized there were 20 vacant homes and this caught my curiosity and interest. I decided to write down the address of these homes and go home and research and find out what was going on with them. I then discovered that I could find a lot of information on-line which was even more mesmerizing. Out of the 20 homes that were vacant I soon found that 10 of them had different mailing addresses than the actual empty house addresses. I had a yellow note pad next to my computer and decided I would write them a letter and send it in the mail. Now this letter was quite embarrassing as it was hand written and not professional and all I said was I noticed your house that appears to be empty. I don’t know anything about real estate but that I was curious as to why their home was empty and that maybe there was something that I could do to help. About 2 weeks later I received a call on those letters and the first thing they said to me was, “You can have the house for $1,000 dollars. Give me $1,000 and the house is yours”. I was so excited to get a call and of course was completely shocked at the response and wondered was this even possible to buy a house for $1,000?

From there I found that it was possible and that was the start to the amazing life that I have today in Real Estate and therefore, have been able to create more than I could have ever imagined for my family with wealth in so many more ways than I ever thought possible.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My passion is helping others and being a problem solver. I have also learned that as I move forward with things as long as I have other people as the focus and how I can help them; then everything always works for the best. The more that I can take myself out of an equation and help someone else the more successful I become and the greater the reward for everyone involved.

I recently created Women’s Wealth Collective which is a program dedicated to empowering individuals to take control of their financial future. “Women’s Wealth Collective the focus is on Bringing like-minded Female Entrepreneurs Together”. Our purpose is clear: to provide you with the knowledge, tools, and support necessary to build wealth and secure your financial independence. Our goal is to help you unlock your full potential and achieve your dreams. My mission is simple: to empower business owners to improve growth and performance by providing uplifting networking and inspiring education. To educate, inspire, and empower you to create a legacy of wealth for yourself and your loved ones.

I began investing in single family real estate in 2011. My first home purchase was done “Subject to” (Best Kept Secret) where I taught myself how to do real estate and this has been my passion ever since. I love to say, “Get the Deed, Get the Deed, Get the Deed!” Through this amazing strategy, I replaced my income in two years and both me and my husband’s income in 4 yrs. Since that time, I have gotten hundreds of Deed’s to homes and continue to grow my portfolio to this day. Today I hold 60 single family homes as rentals that I purchased Subject to and manage myself. I am currently working on building 3 four-plexes (12 units) near the University of Houston where I plan to rent them out to students and families. Through holding single family homes, I have grown my net worth to just over 12 million dollars in holdings. I have been able to do this while raising 4 children, serving In my church and living the life of my dreams with my husband!

I recently began my own construction company (KC Construction, LLC) and I’m also a Real Estate developer.
My latest venture is helping home owners who currently cannot sell their home due to deferred maintenance or possibly just purchased the home and need to move. My construction company will do the renovation, get the home ready for the market, and then get paid when the home sells at the closing table.

I have been an Airbnb host for the past 6 years where I have been taking advantage of the booming short term rental market.

I have learned that there is always a solution to everything or that every problem can be solved. If someone tells me no or something is hard I want to prove to them and myself that I can find a way. I am determined to not give up when things get tough or scary. It has been hard to grow this and push against all the people that told me I could’t but when you have a vision and see a way then it doesn’t make it as hard to keep moving forward. I believe that I have learned to face my fear and do things anyway. There are no excuses really as to why we can’t do something. Excuses are just our fears that are holding us back which normally aren’t valid fears anyway. I am also one who takes action even if I don’t have all the details but enough to still move forward. I am a full-blooded entrepreneur through and through. Find something that you are passionate about and create something that fills a need or solves a problem for people around you, take action, and I believe there is no way you will not be successful.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would have to say show them new sights of Houston that they haven’t seen before. Something that they wouldn’t experience in another city. Something that makes Houston Unique would be their influences of all the different cultures from around that world and their good food. From going to a Professional Sports game to watching the arts through theatre there is a diverse amount of things to do to fit any friends need.

First, I would find out what my friend likes and is interested in before I would plan something. I think the key is spending quality time with loved ones is one of the most rewarding things you can do. I think going to a place where you can get away from distractions and see new sights is always fun but I also like adventure like climbing or skydiving or something that could be an adrenaline rush.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Mother’s Need all the recognition in the world for the sacrifices that they make for their little ones and the love that they show. They hold the world together in so many ways yet they are the first to think that they aren’t doing enough when really they are doing so much more and mean so much more than they ever realize. I also have to acknowledge that there is a higher being, God as our Father and Lord and his Son Jesus Christ, that know us better than we know ourselves and love us deeper than we could ever imagine. There is a plan for us to influence and shape the world around us. As we “everyone” grasp the relationship we have to this/his power then all will work out for the best possible good and we will truly live the life of our dreams.

Website: https://womenswc.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenswc/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/camille-davis-1709a627/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WomensWC

Image Credits
Christa Elyse (Houston Studio)