We were lucky to catch up with D. Scott recently and have shared our conversation below.

D. , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

Whew chile! Execution is always the difference between who is just talking and who is actually doing. I own a house that I originally started renovations on last year, in 2021. After a year of theft of services by 2 different contractors and the house being burglarized by one of the contractors (legal still pending), I had given up. There was a moment I completely walked away from the renovation of that house that would house all my brands and my dreams.
A week later I had a meeting with chef Bobby Anderson in Buffalo. The meeting has nothing to do with my business. At the end of the meeting I told him I would see him at his cafe. He said he had problems staffing and was focusing on his other locations. He asked if I knew somebody that could occupy the space. The catch was that they had to serve coffee to the employees of the building. My business plan, (several sheets of lined paper and blank paper) was already set for my house. I used that plan for the cafe. It was an easy transition. There is also the fact that the renovation is down the street from the cafe. It was perfect.
For 3 weeks we cleaned and moved things in and out of the cafe. We patched walls and painted. Then a team of people came in and fired the entire staff for the building. This left me confused within a 3 week period. We renegotiated a contract with the new team.
I had to find a merchant account that worked for the business and learn how to use it. I had to perfect how I was going to make and store the dough for the beignet. I had to revamp 716CBD and allow Black House Growers and the Black House family of my brands to take center stage. It was important for me to source the coffee for the cafe from New Orleans or brands that had causes close to home for me.
The idea for the renovated house was the original plan. Since that couldn’t be completed I had to keep it moving when this opportunity arose. I’m thankful. Now all my brands are able to be housed in one space. My whimsical dream of owning a cafe still came true but it took a different route, literally down the alley. We launch Black House Beignet on November 1st. A day where we pay homage to the ancestors that came before us.

D. , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m D. Scott. I’m a serial entrepreneur. I will do a billion things until I make a billion dollars. I’m in several industries. I’ve published 6 books and counting. My podcast “Stay in your Lane: with D. Scott has been on air for 9 years and is on iTunes. The latter were done for me to work through my mothers death and to help others struggling with mental health. I’m 2018 I started 716CBD as a more holistic approach to healing. At that time I became a certified reiki healer. In 2021 I started Black House growers in response to the lack of Black farmers and to be able to sustain. Black House is in reference to my house actually being all black. I always wanted a black house. Now I am growing a brand based on a childhood dream of owning a black house. Black House beignet started because 2021 and 2022 was full of so much foolishness that I had given up. My plans were thwarted. The fact is I still had a plan. I was able to use that plan on a different location.
I’m proud of myself for keeping it moving. I’m proud I didn’t actually quit. I do all of this being the mother to a college freshman. I want people to know I followed my dreams. I want people to know I kept my full time job. I’ve been there for 13 years. Your dreams don’t work unless you do.
My 716CBD business is now a registered trademark. It was also the recipient of the of a grant from the Black Farmer Fund. My business was the only one in western New York that received the grant. I stayed pretty silent about it. I went to work that night like I always do.
My products are all about wellness and healing. My 716CBD products include luxury items, such as bath bombs, sugar and salts scrubs, beard oils, mud masks and shea butters. Black House growers is the farming portion. We have raised farm beds and are in collaboration with experienced farmers to prepare for spring. The goal is to grow farm to table at some point. Black House Beignet will use some things grown from Black House Growers for the gumbo and some of the flowers for the products for 716CBD.
A larger farm is in the works but again, I don’t like to talk about things. I like to DO things. That farm will be used to educate the next generation about sustaining on their own land. Now that I think about it, my whole brand had been about us sustaining and our health. That’s it. Whether it’s mental health, physical health, emotional health or daily health, we need to be able to persevere and sustain on this earth. I feel we have suffered enough. I know that I have suffered enough. So I work. I never had too much time to wallow in pain or loss. I’m tired of seeing us having to endure pain. It’s time for us to start enduring health, wealth and happiness. I’m also a contributing writer for Noir Womens Wellness magazine. The alignment.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn that all people that look like me, really aren’t for me. All skinfolk ain’t kinfolk. We watch people get ridiculed in the press or in our communities for who we hire and who we do business with. Early on I made a conscious decision to hire certain people to help me. One of the largest L’s financially, emotionally and mentally came from a man that I grew up down the street from. He was known to do work on houses. Licensed and everything, so I thought it would be great. He knew there would be press and a video crew present to document the work. When I got the grant I went into contract with him. He did very little work. Showed up rarely. Never brought receipts and lied about how money was spent. I always need my receipts. Last Halloween we changed all the locks. Hours later a glass block window was ripped out of my house, contents were taken from the house. Police came and took a report. It’s been almost one year and they never even called me to investigate. They did however bring me in because the assailants girlfriend said I robbed her, 6 months later. Within 3 days ,I had to turn myself in because a blonde woman walks into a police station and lies on me I am questioned over groceries. That was a low point for me. Not only did they rob me, now I’m being accused of stealing her groceries. They stole over $25,000 from me and the grant. I learned very quickly that we are all NOT the same. Racism still exists. Being a woman and being in business does NOT afford me to be polite all the time. The next contractor did some work, he too never finished the job. He didn’t look like me. He booked too many jobs that were more important than mine. At this point lawsuits are the only thing some men understand. That’s what I learned.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

All of my businesses throughout time were my side hustles. I’m a divorced mother of a son. He’s in college now so I’m thankful. People take for granted things like, insurance, job security, steady income and being a responsible parent. Quitting my job and praying that people are going to buy any of my products because I had a good few months is careless and irresponsible. I’m not afforded that leisure. It was just my son and I. His father contributed but I didn’t have a partner in business or life. I couldn’t afford to do that to my son. We need to normalize people working until they don’t have to. We need to stop assuming peoples businesses aren’t successful because they keep their other career. Until I make what I make in a year and can put it in the bank…. I will be at that job. I wouldn’t want to leave my job of 13 years at this big age to have a few good years and then have to come back in my 50’s. I’m 47 not 27. All my businesses started with a need to be able to leave something to my son. Some of us leave this realm and owe people money or a debt. I didn’t want to do that. I wanted to leave a legacy and a name.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.blackhousegrowers.com
• Instagram: @716cbd
• Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tNxDGetzBdY&t=1567s
• Other: Www.Blackhousebeignet.com Grand opening November 1st. YouTube clip is from an interview in Atlanta with Cash Color Cannabis. Www.716cbd.com Any other questions, please reach out. I hope all is well with you.

Image Credits
Myself. D. Scott Noir Womens Wellness Magazine.