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

Hi Justina, how do you think about risk?

Risk is such a loaded word. It almost immediately makes you think of what you might lose or have to give up to win or be successful. But at its core, the risk is about betting on yourself and your ability and capacity to see a goal through all the way. As entrepreneurs, we face tons of setbacks. You get started, so sure and confident your new idea or new approach is the answer. But, pretty quickly, you get knocked into reality by a customer or the multiple adjustments you have to make as you navigate your way to product-market fit. I believe in taking risks. I’m always curious to see where my idea can go and explore how the strategies I develop with my team will work or need to be adjusted. It’s fun and crazy but rewarding because if the plan works, you achieve the goals or success you’re searching for, and if it does not work, you learn the lesson and prepare for the next step or new strategy adjustment. You can’t lose if you keep trying and decide never to give up. So taking a risk or rather betting on myself has been my road map to success.

What should our readers know about your business?
I came up with Omodé Play and Create (pronounced uh-muh-day) after having my daughter and son. I was at home with them and just working on a project, and it was so hard to work at the same time or get a moment to myself. So my initial instinct was how do we give parents a short break just in short doses to keep kids engaged in a fun but productive way that was not necessarily the television or a smartphone. So I came up with short and fully engageable classes for kids to learn and play and I’m excited that even in these tough times, we’re doing just that! We’ve had to make adjustments because of Covid 19, but we are currently offering everything from second languages to explorative classes for younger children, imaginative play, and much more. The children get together with old friends and new friends to learn and play, deepening bonds with one another while parents get some time to themselves. It’s happening virtually right now as we continue to build both our online and offline community to ensure families receive the benefits of both learning and engagement styles.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
So many choices! We’d start with Ponce City Market, of course. There’s just a wide array of places to eat and shop; we could spend an entire day there. I enjoy walking trails and hikes, so Sweetwater Creek State Park is a great one. A couple of other places to eat – Krog Street Market, I love Drip in Glenwood, Metrofresh for lunch in Buckhead, or a quick bite at the General Muir. Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are so many people who played a role in getting me to this point. I started my first business right out of college. I had the confidence to do that at such a young age because my parents surrounded me with so much positivity. I have a big supportive family so, shout out to my awesome parents, sisters, brother, husband, daughter, son, and niece! Shout out to organizations and initiatives I’ve been lucky to be a part of, like Atlanta’s Women’s Entrepreneurship Initiative, Atlanta Tech Village’s It Takes A Village Pre-Accelerator, and the Georgia Women’s Chamber of Commerce! And one last shout out goes out to my team and wonderful mentors.

Website: https://omode.co

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justina-olatunde-davis-b34312143/

Twitter: twitter.com/omodevillage

Facebook: facebook.com/omodevillage

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