boss la·dy 

/BAWS LAY-dee/

Being a “Boss Lady” isn’t just any ordinary job. It represents a woman who goes fiercely lives her life, goes after what she wants, and shares her unique gift. The biggest indicator of deserving this title is someone who wants the life of working for herself and pursuing it endlessly.

Sometimes it can look like taking care of her young children.

Or has the confidence to believe in herself.

Or has a unique sense of fashion.

Or travels…because she always promised herself she would.

And that is exactly what Kate Davis has done. The all-women team at Pickett's Press interviewed Kate for "Boss's Day". Below are some excerpts of that conversation.

1. Favorite color combo right now?

Gray and Pickett Pink, of course!

2. Have you always been interested in design? What grabs your attention first within a stationery line?

3. What do you love most about what you do?

There is nothing like making clients happy creating unique and beautiful designs for special occasions, weddings or events. I love working with clients to achieve exactly what they want  – hearing how they love the quality and design, getting emails from clients and I can feel them smiling ear to ear when they thank us for getting them exactly right, and especially working with a bride by adding something custom and special to her day.

4. Where would you most like to travel? Where have you been? Where do you want to go?

I love traveling and travel all the time! This winter we are taking the family to Egypt and the Red Sea, and I can’t wait. Last spring we went on Safari in Tanzania.  You can read about some of my favorite places to travel on the Davis Designs blog https://www.davisdesigns.com/blogs/travel

5. What is the last thing that inspired you?

My daughter, who said yesterday that she wanted to invite a girl from her class over to play, someone I’d never heard of before.  I asked why and she said “because she doesn’t seem to have any friends”.  Above all, being nice is one of the most important things we teach and learn at home or in the workplace, and my 10-year- old shows me that every day!

6. Most favorite stationery trend? Least?

I am always going to favor a simple classic motif, printed well, on good quality cardstock. Nothing beats simplicity and good quality if you are going for an elegant look. As for my least favorite, I am not a fan of digitally printed watercolor backgrounds on wedding invitations.  They were so original when that trend first happened but now they are everywhere.

8. What advice would you have for someone looking to start their own stationery business?

Make sure you have a lot of time! When I started my business from home on my dining room table, I had newborn twins and a 2 ½ year old.  Obviously there was a benefit to working from home with these tiny children, but I learned that if I tried to respond to emails about playdates, deal with vacation flights, dinner reservations with friends, and answer all the texts on my phones I would never have been able to focus on what needed to be done.  I rented a small office space literally around the corner from my apartment building on 73^rd and Lexington on the 2^nd floor, shared it with a friend who was also starting a business, and after I put the twins to bed I would “escape” to the office and just not allow myself to answer anything except work related business.

Kate Davis, President and Founder of Pickett’s Press, LLC, is a native New Yorker who graduated from Harvard College with a BA in Art History in 1997 and from Harvard Business School in 2003. She resides in Manhattan with her husband, Andrew, her three children, Barrett (13), Whitney (11), and Jack (11) and their dog Charlie.