In this episode of Ventures, my guest Foxy Davison and I discuss her journey as a community advocate and venture-builder in Seattle’s Central District and beyond. Foxy has a remarkable ability to listen and serve, and we - as fellow entrepreneurs - have many things to learn from her about how to pay attention to our communities. In addition to hearing about her entrepreneurial pursuits, we also discuss how to focus and step back from opportunities that might otherwise seem important, and how to effectively develop an internal compass in order to say yes and no to the appropriate things.

You can watch this episode below or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts (search for “Ventures”).

In this episode we cover the following:

2:27 - Quick intro and background.

3:18 - Where did Foxy first begin to realize that she had entrepreneurial drive and passion?

8:02 - In terms of “paying attention to your community”, where did she first begin the process of spinning up new ventures and helping others with theirs?

10:58 - Raising awareness and support for those afflicted with Sickle Cell Anemia.

13:55 - What lessons did Foxy learn about her community while working as a 4th grade teacher at T.T. Minor?

16;30 - What was Foxy up to in St. Louis when she moved there?

18:14 - When she moved back to Seattle (late 2000s), what types of entrepreneurial ventures was she up to?

20:45 - What is/was Clean Greens up to? What is their mission? (Bring fresh food to the Central District, and provide jobs for the local community)

22:09 - What aspects of the change of the Central District over the past couple of decades were good and not-so-good?

24:22 - The Cortona Cafe story

27:48 - Lessons for entrepreneurs: listening to our community. Where does Foxy’s story take her after Cortona?

36:26 - What is Work Release? What kind of effort was/is Foxy doing in that world?

40:03 - Knowing when to say “no” and when to step away. What advice does Foxy have?

43:33 - Brainstorming ideas for different programs in the work release world? How did she and her team come up with the idea and test/validate it?

46:42 - Lessons to be mined from raising kids.

47:22 - What kinds of ventures is Foxy passionate about in her short to medium future?

54:56 - Final words for the entrepreneurs/investors listening in about how to better listen to their markets and communities.

56:29 - FYI - the best way to reach Foxy is via direct email: foxyandjason@q.com  

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