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An Inspired Chat with Steven Davis of Inland Empire

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Steven Davis shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Hi Steven, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: Are you walking a path—or wandering?
Honestly, it’s a bit of both. I’m definitely walking a path, but there are moments when that path leads me into a patch of fog. I can’t see what’s ahead or around the corner, and in that uncertainty, I begin to wander. Sometimes, I stumble over things I couldn’t see or bump into obstacles that my limited vision couldn’t detect. My arms are outstretched, feeling my way through a space where one of my key senses—clarity—is missing. In those moments, I become cautious. I slow down, move carefully, and heighten my awareness. Every sense sharpens as I try not to make decisions while my scope is limited. But the important thing is—I keep moving. Fog never lasts forever. It covers only a small part of the journey. There are pitfalls hidden in the fog—cliffs and sharp drops that can be disastrous if I move too fast or ignore the uncertainty. But if I respect where I am, ask for guidance, and move forward carefully, the fog always clears. And when it does, I find myself back on solid ground, often stronger and wiser because of what I learned navigating through it. So, to answer the question—yes, I’m walking a path toward something greater than myself. But along that path, I do wander at times. Those moments of wandering don’t last forever, and within them, I always find something valuable—insight, resilience, perspective. As long as I keep going, I always emerge a better version of myself.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Steven Davis, and I’m the founder and owner of TurnNBurn, a company built from over two decades behind the wheel of a semi-truck. I’ve logged more than a million miles hauling everything from flatbeds to tankers, and in that time, I’ve learned firsthand the physical demands drivers face every day. One of the most repetitive and overlooked tasks in trucking is cranking trailer landing gear. It’s slow, it’s tiring, and it takes a toll on the body over time.

This is where the TurnNBurn adapter comes in. It’s a patented tool that connects to a standard power drill and transforms the way drivers raise and lower trailer landing gear. In seconds, heavy cranking is done effortlessly. It saves time, prevents injury, and increases efficiency — something every driver and fleet can appreciate.

What makes TurnNBurn special is that it wasn’t designed in a boardroom, it was built from experience, out on the lot, out in the yard, by someone who’s lived the job. I wanted to create something that truly helps drivers work smarter, not harder. Today, we’re looking to expand across the country, partnering with fleets and retailers, and continuing to innovate tools that make trucking safer, faster, and more efficient.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who taught you the most about work?
I’d say my dad taught me the most about work. He spent his career with the phone company back in Atlanta, coming up during the civil rights era. As one of the first beneficiaries of affirmative action, he seized that opportunity and made the most of it. He worked hard, excelled at his job, and made very few mistakes. He taught me that what you put in, you often get back — and usually even more — as long as you stay consistent. Because of his dedication, he’s now retired, living comfortably in his dream home, driving his dream car, and enjoying the life he built through hard work. I look at that and think: at the very least, I want to earn that same kind of life for myself. And as long as I keep putting in the work, I know I can.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Whooo boy. Man. So I haven’t yet reached the level of success I know I’m destined for, but I’m far from struggling now. My wife and I have a beautiful home, we drive nice cars, we never miss meals, the bills are paid, and with a little planning, we can vacation when and where we want. Life is good. But the suffering I went through before getting here gave me a level of resilience and perspective that still drives me today. I was laid off in 2007 and didn’t work again until 2010 — right in the middle of the ’08–’09 financial crisis. I lost everything: my home, two cars, friends… everything. That was rock bottom. I kept asking myself how I could let things fall apart like that. I had to move in with people, borrow money, and ride public transportation again. It was hard. I remember one stretch when I had almost no food. I was living alone and decided to go back to school since I couldn’t find work. I sold an old truck my brother had given me and moved closer to campus so I could walk there if I had to. My money ran out right before the semester started, and I was waiting for my school funds to come through so I could eat and pay rent. That last week in December was brutal. I’d spent Christmas alone, eating the last of a plate my mom had brought me from their holiday dinner — I hate macaroni and cheese, but it was on that plate along with chicken, turkey, greens, and cornbread. I ate everything but the mac and cheese. When I ran out of “the good food”, I held my nose and forced myself to eat a spoonful of that cold macaroni every night, one spoonful a day. It lasted four days. On the fifth day, I went for a walk just to clear my head. As I was leaving my apartment complex, I saw what looked like a check on the ground. It wasn’t a check, it was an unsigned money order for $55. I couldn’t believe it. I took it to the local grocery mart, they cashed it, and I bought bread, lunch meat, cereal, rice, potatoes — enough to last until my school money came through in a week or so. Before finding that money order, I’d been alone, hungry, and broke — no phone, no job, no clear way forward. But I had journals, and I wrote constantly about what I was feeling and learning. I also had books — Shout out to Eckhart Tolle and his book “A New Earth” it really helped to tame my ego. Also “A Course in Miracles” published by the Foundation for Inner peace which helped me realize that, what has happened is not the now, so it doesn’t matter – and it doesn’t have to define me. Those lessons, along with the support of a few close friends and family members, helped me crawl out of that dark place and eventually become a business owner. Suffering taught me that I am stronger than I thought I was, and tougher than I ever imagined. Suffering also taught me that I was very fragile and also not as smart as I thought I was and I can be overconfident at times, not truly seeing reality.

That time showed me things success never could — like how to stay successful once you get there. I never want to go back to that place, but I’ll never forget it either. That was, without question, the hardest stretch of my life.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes, what you see is what you get.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. When have you had to bet the company?
Recently. We just finished a round of funding, and it went very well. So well, that people were sending me emails that I had never met telling me that they knew one of the persons who invested and loved our product. They wanted to invest also. Things are going really good at the moment.

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TurnNBurn

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