North Texas Entrepreneur Rodesia Scott Basks In Governor Greg Abbott's Praise
by Robbie Owens | CBS 11
DeSOTO, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - Entrepreneur Rodesia Scott is bold, creative and a risk-taker.
"I feel like Wonder Woman-- I can take over the world!" adds Scott with an enthusiastic laugh. She also admits that her timing though, could seem daunting. She launched her DeSoto brick and mortar beauty supply store at the corner of Hampton and Wintergreen, in the middle of a pandemic this past June.
"I live by the motto: do it scared!" says the wife, mother, and Navy Veteran. "If you do it when everything is falling in line and in place, when the hard part comes along it's going to be tough! You don't know how to deal with adversity."
Adversity has already dealt Scott a very bad hand. In fact, it's how her "Lynn's Beauty Depot" was named-- for her late mother.
"My mom was murdered when I was 5 years old," shares Scott. "And as a young child, what could hit you harder than that?"
Having spent 14 years in the Navy, Scott says she knows how to keep forging ahead during tough times. She says she chose to open a beauty supply store because those items are essential-- and she wanted to provide a place where women of color could not only access the supplies they needed, but also have excellent customer service and advice from staffers who could relate to their unique needs through shared experiences. And when the Governor of Texas notices?
"It was very exciting...extremely exciting!" says Scott, "because in my mind, I'm like, `how did they even know about me?'"
She says staffers from Governor Greg Abbott's office reached out to her in advance, so she knew that that governor planned to mention her in his State of the State address Monday evening as a symbol of small business perseverance.
"Somebody was looking and paying attention, and when I got the call, I was ECSTATIC! I was proud as a woman, proud as a business owner, proud as a mom, proud as a friend... and it made me feel good about myself."
And while she's enjoying the praise-- Scott says the hard work continues. Competing with the big box beauty supply retailers nearby, is tough.
"It's a struggle financially, it really is-- there are ups and down in business! I just continue to put one foot in front of the other and continue to be strong, continue to be bold, and do what I do!"
And what Scott insists that she will do better that her big box competitors, is to offer excellent customer service, support for other entrepreneurs and give back to the community.
"We host 'Small business Saturday' and that's free," explains Scott. "We provide tables, chairs--all you need to do is sign up and bring your products."
Scott also is intentional in stocking her store with products from other black owned businesses. Her store is also unique in that they offer a drive thru service for pick up orders-- acknowledging the hesitancy that many shoppers have with even essential shopping. Still, she knows that if the community knows she's there fighting to provide good service for them, they'll work to be there for her.
"It's a wonderful feeling to know that people are watching, and people want to support Lynn's Beauty Depot, and people want to see Lynn's Beauty Depot grow... and that's what I want! It makes me proud to know that I stand amid big box stores, and I'm still striving!"
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