World Shaper

“If you want to shape the future, be an entrepreneur,” states Stephen Davis, SBA ’06, and
founder of Take OFF Luggage.

Davis started his academic career with a vague notion of going into business. He quickly honed in on marketing and the power of branding. In addition to earning his marketing degree, Davis says his time at Oakland University taught him independence and helped prepare him for entrepreneurship.

“OU helped me learn how to figure out a way, even if you don’t see a way,” Davis reflects. “I learned when to go with your gut.”

These lessons were applied when Davis started Take OFF Luggage in 2022. The self-funded
business was born out of real-life frustrations of baggage fees that were sometimes more than the plane ticket. With a simple but powerful idea in mind, Davis reached out to over 100 luggage manufacturers until he found one that could make a carry-on with pop off wheels.

“You take off from work, take off on a flight and take off the wheels from our luggage. I wanted a name that would stick with customers. I can contribute some of that to Oakland,” Davis explains. How successful have his branding efforts been? Successful enough to capture the attention of Oprah Winfrey who added Take OFF Luggage to her 2023 List of Favorite Things. The list was published on November 1, giving Davis a record-breaking month in an already record-breaking year.

Most importantly, it was the Oprah team that found him. A feat that is not surprising considering that Davis uses an influencer model that has Tik Tok videos getting up to 11 million views. “We are a social brand, a viral brand,” Davis says. “Word spreads.”

As the business explodes, Davis continues to learn “on the fly” from hiring and managing people to accounting, customer service, inventory and capital management. Although there are challenges and a lot of work, Davis says he’s most proud of the freedom his position gives.

“I’m the driver. My decisions make the wheels spin,” Davis says, offering this last advice to those that may want to follow in his footsteps. “Entrepreneurs shape the world but you have to believe in yourself. If you don’t, you’ll quit when things get hard, and things will get hard.”