Who?
Ben Davis, founder of The Gents Place
Where?
Dallas
What?
Davis opened the first The Gents Place location in Frisco, Texas, in 2008. He describes The Gents Place as an, “ultra-premium men’s grooming and lifestyle club. Imagine a country club meets a speakeasy meets a barbershop.” In addition to a normal haircut, the barbershops also serve drinks, provide services for straight-razor shaves and shoeshines and include cigar-smoking patios and other perks. The Gents Place has more than 150 franchise locations planned over the next five years.
One of the best books I have ever read is…
The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance by W. Timothy Gallwey. I saw an Instagram post from Tom Brady after he won a Super Bowl, and he said that this was the book that gave him his mental toughness. It’s written for the tennis player, but it applies to all aspects of life.
A quote I love is…
“There are three kinds of people in life. There are people who follow the rules. There are people who break the rules. And there are people who make the rules.”
I enjoyed watching…
Tony Robbins’ I Am Not Your Guru on Netflix.
My favorite pick-me-up is…
A half-caff coffee. 
I love listening to…
Lewis Howes’ podcast, The School of Greatness.
Something everyone should try at least once is…
Attending a Tony Robbins Unleash the Power Within seminar. That’s an experience that took me out of my comfort zone. Everyone I know who has attended says it’s changed their life.
COURTESY OF THE GENTS PLACE
My secret weapon is…
My mindset. I have a belief that your emotional state determines your decisions, which determine your destiny. Every time I’m stuck, I connect those dots and remind myself that if I stay in that state, I’m going to end up making a poor decision with a poor outcome. I’m always focused on adjusting my state.
I’m inspired by…
Happiness. I’m constantly seeking out truly happy people and pushing others aside.
Growing up, I looked up to…
Athletes—Michael Jordan in particular because he had the mental game down better than anyone else.
I value…
Positivity. I like people who view everything as half-full. You get what you focus on. You have to focus on what you want.
COURTESY OF THE GENTS PLACE
My aha moment was…
When my son had an open-heart surgery that saved his life. It was six months before I started the business. I moved my family out of a big house into an apartment. When I got that call, I realized there was absolutely no turning back. From that moment, I knew there was nothing that could save me. I had to make my own way.
The best part about being an entrepreneur is…
Having control—being able to wake up every morning and knowing that if I don’t want to go to work, I’m not going to work. I have 100 percent control over what I do.
Related: My Way: 13 Things That Make My Life Beautiful
This article originally appeared in the September 2017 issue of SUCCESS magazine.
