Dawn Dickson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dawn Dickson
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Dickson-Akpoghene in 2020
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| Born |
Dawn Dickson
January 1, 1979 Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Ohio State University |
| Occupation | Businesswoman |
| Known for | Founder and owner of PopCom |
| Spouse(s) |
Frederick Kevbe Akpoghene
(m. 2019) |
| Children | 1 |
Dawn Dickson (born January 1, 1979), also known as Dawn Dickson Akpoghene, is an American businesswoman, inventor, author, and investor. She is famous for starting two companies: PopCom, which makes smart vending machines, and Flat Out of Heels, which sells rollable flat shoes.
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Early Life and Education
Dawn Dickson was born in Ohio in 1979. Her family was very entrepreneurial. Her mom ran a daycare from their home, and her dad worked on remodeling houses. They even had a business that took down old buildings.
When Dawn was a kid, she started her own small businesses. She sold candy, old toys, and even lemonade. This showed her early on how much she liked business.
Dawn went to Ohio State University and earned a degree in journalism. Later, she studied information technology at DeVry University. She was also chosen for a special program called Milestone Makers, which helps experienced business owners grow their companies.
Dawn's Career Journey
After college, Dawn worked at Nationwide Insurance as a business analyst. This meant she helped the company understand how their business worked and how to make it better. She also managed online marketing for some of their agents.
In 2002, while still working and studying, Dawn started her first company, TheUrbanStarr.com. This website shared information about local fun events and entertainment in Ohio. It even streamed music and videos before YouTube existed!
In 2005, Dawn started her own consulting business. She helped other companies with their online marketing and business plans. She moved to Atlanta and then to Miami. During a tough economic time in 2008, she closed TheUrbanStarr.com.
Flat Out of Heels: A Smart Idea
In 2011, Dawn had a brilliant idea for a new product. She had been wearing high heels all day at an event and her feet hurt. She looked for comfortable flat shoes at the airport but couldn't find any. She saw many other women walking around barefoot because their feet hurt too.
Dawn's solution was to create "Flat Out of Heels." These are rollable flat shoes that can fit easily into a purse. The idea was to sell them in vending machines, so women could quickly buy them when their feet got sore. She raised $1.3 million from investors to make this idea happen.
PopCom: Smart Vending Machines
To sell her Flat Out of Heels shoes, Dawn started a company called Shoe Vending International, Inc. This company later changed its name to PopCom in 2017. PopCom's goal was to build special vending machines.
Dawn found a supplier in the United Kingdom and put her first Flat Out of Heels machine in the Atlanta airport. More machines followed in places like nightclubs, hotels, and casinos. In 2014, Dawn was invited to appear on a TV show called "Your Biz Fix" with Marcus Lemonis. After the show, she decided that PopCom should build vending machines for more than just her shoes.
In 2020, Dawn received a patent for the PopShop Digital vending machine. This means she officially owns the design for her smart vending machine.
PopCom has been very successful in raising money. In 2019, Dawn used a new way to get investments called "equity crowdfunding." This allows many people to invest small amounts of money in a company. PopCom raised over $1 million this way. By 2022, PopCom had raised a total of $6 million from more than 10,000 investors!
Because Dawn used new technologies like blockchain (a secure way to record information), she was asked to speak to a special committee in the US Congress in 2020. She talked about how blockchain could help small businesses.
Other Cool Projects
Dawn also hosts a podcast called BARS! Podcast. On this show, she talks about what it's like to be an entrepreneur, which is someone who starts their own business.
She also owns a yoga studio in Columbus, Ohio, called Nia Studio. She named it after her daughter.
Awards and Recognition
In 2022, Dawn Dickson received a special award at the United Nations. It was the Technology Pioneer Award from the Women's Entrepreneurship Day Organization. This award celebrates women who are leaders and innovators in technology. The US Congress also recognized this important award.
Books by Dawn Dickson
In 2021, Dawn released a book with her co-author, Frederick Kevbe Akpoghene, who is also her husband. The book is called Started in the DM: Using Social Media to Find the One. It shares their story of how they met through Instagram messages and gives advice on how business people can use social media for dating.
Dawn also signed a deal with Penguin Books to publish a new book called Built Differently. This book was released in 2023.
