If you’ve shopped in Southlake Town Square, you know the name Kendra Scott. Back in 2002, this aspiring entrepreneur went door to door, selling her jewelry to local boutiques in Austin. Today, the business in her namesake has stores nationwide and is valued at over $1 billion. Amidst all of the excitement during her visit to Southlake last month, we caught up with the CEO-turned-author about her highly-anticipated new book “Born To Shine.”
I OPENED MY FIRST BUSINESS WHEN… I was 19 years old. At the time, my stepdad was battling brain cancer, and it upset me to see how irritated his head would get from rubbing against his scratchy baseball hats. I knew there had to be a better alternative, so I decided I could open a business selling all types of hats and some of the profits could go to cancer research. It was the perfect blend of my love of fashion and the opportunity to do good, which I feel is my purpose.
THE ENTREPRENEURIAL BUG BIT ME AGAIN… after I became pregnant with my son. Fashion was always a passion, but I didn’t know how to sew, so I turned to hand-crafted jewelry. Pulling apart different materials, mixing metals and reconstructing them to make something really beautiful that women could adorn was so fun for me.
I’VE ALWAYS LOVED… the bright, rich colors found in natural, semi-precious gemstones, but I could never find jewelry that appealed to me that was also affordably priced. Then when I was pregnant, I signed up for a jewelry-making class at a local bead shop, and I fell in love with the process of seeing my imagination turn into something tangible. And when I started seeing the joy my jewelry brought to friends, family — heck, even strangers — I knew I had something special.
I GOT MY BIG BREAK… during the 2008 recession. Up until that year, we were solely a wholesale business. The business world was looking bleak, and many of my clients were shuttering their stores. This made me realize that my business was relying on other businesses and that I had zero connection to our customers. For my business to survive, I had to do something drastic. I came up with a business plan, went to my local banker and asked for a loan to open our very first store in Austin. This completely changed the trajectory of my business, and we’ve been climbing ever since.
OPENING OUR FIRST STORE WAS… a surreal experience, and it was just as magical as opening the 100th. It brings me so much joy to see how the brand has grown and put so much good out into the world over the last 20 years.
THE KEY TO MY SUCCESS IS… I’ve stayed true to myself and my core beliefs, and that includes choosing kindness and treating each and every customer like family. We will never compromise on our commitment to our core values, and our customers and employees appreciate that. I believe that when you’re authentic and do good, success will follow.
ONE OF MY BIGGEST ACCOMPLISHMENTS… is my family. I get so much joy watching my three sons grow, learn and achieve their own accomplishments. Another would have to be launching the Kendra Scott Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute at the University of Texas at Austin. It was so important to me to create a community of diversity, inclusion and entrepreneurship. There are so many barriers women in business face, and I’m thrilled to see how many women we’ve already empowered since its unveiling.
I HOPE READERS TAKE AWAY FROM MY BOOK… that there is power in vulnerability. No one is perfect, and that is exactly what makes each of us special. If a single reader comes away feeling inspired to lean into their uniqueness and feels empowered to follow their dreams, then I’ve succeeded.
WOMEN ACROSS THE GLOBE CAN EXPECT… we will continue to spark conversation on female entrepreneurs and what the next generation of leaders will look like. There are so many smart, capable women out there, and I think it’s so important to empower them to pursue their dreams and make an impact, no matter what they may be.