Local Voices
Symphoni Founder Lauren Davenport Named In Top 3 Finalists for Entrepreneur Woman of the Year Award
The St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual “Iconic Women of St. Petersburg – Celebrating Women with Vision Awards” program has announced its top three finalists, and Lauren Davenport, founder and creative director of Symphoni, is named in top three finalists for Entrepreneur Woman of the Year.
The Entrepreneur Woman of the Year finalists were selected from nominations submitted by business owners in the St. Petersburg community to recognize a woman who used her initiative, business idea and business plan, to start and lead a successful business.
“Being named as a finalist for Entrepreneur Woman of the Year is so exciting,” said Davenport. “Seeing my name listed next to so many incredible women is such an honor.”
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Davenport launched Symphoni as a boutique social media company in 2009 in Nashville, Tennessee. “It was the start of the social media revolution,” said Davenport. “I had a degree in Mass Communications and a knack for Facebook. Starting my company gave me a new, creative way to leverage my degree and the ability to do something I’m passionate about, helping businesses grow and succeed.
In July 2011, Davenport decided it was time to take Symphoni to the next level. She believed that businesses needed more than just social media marketing to succeed. They needed a website, advertising campaigns, business consulting, financial services, and more. After performing extensive nation-wide market research, she moved the company to St. Petersburg, Florida, without knowing a soul, to expand her company into a full-service advertising agency.
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Davenport’s vision and drive catapulted Symphoni from a solo-entrepreneurship to a dynamic team of 18 business and online marketing experts only 24 short months after moving the company to St. Petersburg.
“Her tremendous passion and upbeat personality is contagious,” said Courtney Parish, Content Strategist for Symphoni. “Lauren makes it fun to come to work.”
Last year, Symphoni expanded over 450%, more than 300% above the national growth average for marketing agencies.
Also under Davenport’s leadership, Symphoni has received national recognition for web design, including the Gold 2013 eHealthcare Leadership award for Best Overall Web Design.
Today, Symphoni helps both locally owned businesses and nationally traded companies find success with digital marketing.
Her advice to women who are thinking of staring a business: “Get positive. Decide that your business willsucceed. Make sure you have something to offer that makes people’s lives better or easier,” she says. “If you do, start telling yourself each day in the mirror that you will succeed. Your attitude will dictate your level of success.”
The Iconic Women of St. Petersburg – Celebrating Women with Vision Awards will be held on Wednesday, May 14, 2014 at the Hilton St. Petersburg, in Carillon Park.