We were lucky to catch up with Devora Wooden recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Devora thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?

The long lasting impact I plan to leave for my loved ones as well as the people I inspire to understand that anything is possible and wonderful successes can happen to anyone from any walk of life but loving the journey to get there is where the legacy lives.

Devora, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I was born to be an Entrepreneur. A natural problem solver with ability to inspire professionals to produce beautiful results.

During intermediate school ages, I began being mentored by the most intellectual woman in my family; Renata Wooden, Esq. Shortly after i began my mentorship, i became the law office receptionist and filing clerk for her private law practice in Newark, New Jersey. Over the next 8 years, I watched how professional care for a person can translate into love, ultimately saving a life. As I grew within the Law Office of Renata Wooden, Esq. from receptionist to Legal Secretary, i gained extensive administrative, office management tools by the time I left for college in 1996.

During my time at Johnson C. Smith University I was laser focused on completing my undergraduate studies in Business Management gaining my Bachelors of Science in 2001.

Beginning my career as an Organizational Consultant in Charlotte North Carolina in 2001 with a profound passion for black owned business and an unmatched love of beauty so I created my consultancy brand to reflect my life’s journey, which is to beautify the world around me. I spend the next 5 years organizing and operating small to mid-size businesses.

Although fulfilling, I wondered – how else can I beautify lives?
I opened my first brand Dig Deep LLC. Beautiful Accessories for Beautiful Women in 2007 focused on retailing and rental service for Fashion & Vintage accessories later adding handbags. I catered to every woman I could through collaboration & consultation. I worked Fashion Show, Film sets, Runways, Photo projects and beyond. While providing these unique products to women, I started to understand that “We Need More” so I began giving more of my professional side to creative endeavors.
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In 2012, again I asked myself – how else can I beautify lives?
As a Business Consulting, I have effectively worked to expand the perspective of what personal styling and business support means offering an array of specialty beauty & business services throughout the New York City fashion community & beyond that include:

Accessory Styling & Wardrobe
Business Management
Creative Consulting
Project Management
Social Media Management
Website Design

Currently, I am growing several DSW Agency brands of my own as Life & Style Resource.
DSW Agency presents:

– 1 Seven One Eight Perfume Brand
– DSW Neat By Design Home Organization with Think Energy partners
– DSW Style Lab in collaboration with Amazon

“Success in entrepreneurship is not just about having a great idea; it’s about the courage to take the first step, the persistence to keep going, and the vision to see what others cannot.”

Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?

As a small business owner, I take pride in funding my own business. Since 2007, I have always used the income earned as professional to fund my creative projects. Whether, I have to purchase products to sell on my e-commerce platform or pay for processes for my services offering; I fund everything

In 2014, I wanted to open my first jewelry store and thought how do I fund this? I could not afford a brick and mortar in the heart of New York City. So I took on high paying professional position to gain capital for my next creative project which was titled Beautique 18! A fashion accessory boutique located in NODA area of Charlotte, North Carolina & it was a success for several years

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

The most effective strategy for growing my clientele is word of month. This strategy is fail safe due to the fact that my professional impact ignites recommendations to and/or referrals from past clients to potential new ones.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://dswagency.square.site/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dswagency/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DevoraWooden/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devorawooden/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@dswagency