Nelson Davis is President of The Making It Institute and Nelson Davis Productions both based in Los Angeles. He was born in Andalusia, Alabama and grew up in Niagara Falls, New York. Nelson’s fascination with business began with stories of his Grandfather who owned a small general store in the racially segregated south before he was born. From a young age, Nelson felt that controlling your own destiny was based on having your own way to make a living.

Before satisfying his entrepreneurial urge and becoming the sole owner of his own business, Mr. Davis was a partner in several small businesses. The first was a Submarine Sandwich shop, “Fat Albert’s”, which grew from one location to a chain of 14 stores. Another was Pioneer Aviation in Van Nuys California, which was a pilot training and aircraft maintenance facility.

On his way to business ownership Nelson loved working in the media. Prior to becoming a programming executive for the NBC Network in 1980, Nelson honed his television skills with a variety of projects. Freelancing as a host and producer in Los Angeles he worked on such diverse projects as a series for PBS, commercials for presidential candidate Ronald Reagan, and a film in Africa. At NBC for 4 years, he moved from Broadcast Standards on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson to Director of Daytime Programming for the network.

Nelson frequently speaks on the subject of small business and entrepreneurial pursuits. His inspiring speeches have been delivered to audiences from Washington DC to San Francisco. They include The Edison Institute, Anheuser-Busch, University of Southern California, the Port of Long Beach and others. His favorite subject is “The Wisdom of 1000 Entrepreneurs.”