Meet Kaci Scott | Owner & Creator of Western Grande

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kaci Scott and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kaci, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
My thought process behind starting my own business was actually to start a “hands off”/ passive income Amazon business until I realized I was sending all my customers to Amazon while they were taking a huge chunk of the profit. At that point, I made the transition turning Western Grande into a full time business selling through my website and shipping everything out myself. It was supposed to be a small, passive Amazon side gig and now it has taken me on a new, ever-evolving, ever-learning journey. It can be a rollercoaster of all things challenging, frustrating and exciting with the same emotional ups and downs as that of a job in sales. I’ve known since college I wanted to own a business but I had yet to reach the point where I knew how to start making moves until the last couple of years.

What should our readers know about your business?
Risk taking: how do you think about risk, what role has taking risks played in your life/career?

Risk. I would say it’s in my character to be a risk taker in life. When I saw an opportunity taking me off the proverbial beaten path like moving to L.A. or studying abroad in Spain, I took it. When it comes to risk in business, that can be a bit more intimidating for me. When dealing with money, I want to make sure I’m stewarding my money in the right directions which can give me an absolute analysis paralysis. In those moments, I have to remind myself that I can’t treat money like a limited resource and, in the industry I’m in, you have to spend money to make money. So those first couple start up years, you typically have a lot of money going out to build the business.

If you are a parent, what do you think the most important thing you’ve done as a parent in terms of the impact on your children?

Simply started. If I stood on the sidelines waiting to jump in the game, I wouldn’t be learning anything along the way. I have grown my knowledge in creating products so when I have an idea that comes to mind, I take a few steps in that direction to see the possibilities and then decide if I keep going or not. The impact this has on my daughter (and, God-willing, future children) is creating products for them and for other people’s children. It sets an example to take the steps even if you have cement in shoes and curiosity in your mind to move forward bravely and see your ideas through. You will never know what’s on the other side of it until you do. If you trip and fall along the way, you’re still further ahead than where you started and you can build again from everything you learned.

What is the most important factor behind your success/ the success of your brand?

My customers and creators in the Western industry. Honestly and truly. They inspire me more than anyone or anything. They make me fall in love with the products I created. I liked my blankets when I made my first round but it wasn’t until I started seeing how people styled them in their homes did I fall in love with them. It is such a privilege and a pleasure to have a little piece of something I created in their home. They style them in ways I never would have thought and it is gratifying to see how they use them in their family’s lives.

How to know whether to keep going or to give up?

Knowing whether to give up or keep going, I think, is a question a lot of business owners ask themselves quite often. I’ve seen other businesses in my industry close their stores and it’s not because they’ve “given up”, but more so because that business no longer made sense for them at that point in their lives. It wasn’t bringing more value than what it was taking. And I have a lot of respect for that. At the moment, my needle keeps point to keep going even though at times it wants to teeter to close shop when the fear starts creeping in! But for me, it’s still time to keep going because I have so many ideas and products coming that I want to see what comes of them! It makes me excited and it will be exciting for my customers and followers of Western Grande.

Work life balance: how has your balance changed over time? How do you think about the balance?

It’s more about priorities than balance. For me, as a new Mom, there is hardly a balance! It is taking each day as it comes and embracing the time I have to commit to the priorities in my business and household. As a parent, it really is late nights and early mornings while baby is sleeping or napping. It is coordinating with my husband to take her on feed runs to check cattle which is time well spent for everyone — their Father/Daughter time together and my time to put my head down and move the needle on all things Western Grande. Balance is rare. It’s more about setting your priorities each day.

What makes you happy? Why?

I’ve never known such joy than seeing my daughter grow each day. The happiness in that is truly unexplainable and I will forever feel it a privilege to experience it. When it comes to Western Grande, I didn’t expect the cheerfulness it has brought to my life seeing parents wrapping their babies in my blankets. I made baby blankets as a second thought after I found out I was pregnant so I didn’t think much into the future with them or how they would impact me on a personal level but it has been such a beautiful part of my business. Being able to pray over the baby blanket orders and the babies who they are intended for, I never expected to get emotional about that. I’ve seen the blankets in baby announcements, newborn photos, decorated in nurseries and even while they’re sick in the hospital and it feels like such an honor to me to have a little presence in the lives of my customers—to bring them comfort, in a way, during some of their most joyful and trying times.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We’re going to take the long weekend route by starting with breakfast at Press Cafe before taking the kiddos to the Fort Worth Zoo and then promptly dropping them off with the grandparents for an adult fun filled weekend!

Friday night starts at H3 Ranch for a drink sitting on a saddle at the bar before devouring a perfectly cooked steak. Bellies full and energy high we’re heading to a concert at Billy Bob’s followed by a bit of bar hopping down the old brick road in the Stockyards starting at the Brand Room and ending it with a quick Uber ride or a swift walk back to Hotel Drover.

Saturday morning, we’re waking up to a cattle drive in the Stockyards before heading to brunch at Mash’D on West 7th. We’ll snag a couple slices of cake from Susie Cakes for a late night snack and make our way over to Honeysuckle Rose Vintage where Tiffany has curated a store full of one of a kind pieces that appeal to any style– men & women! We’ll snack on some light appetizers and beer at The Flying Saucer before our reservations at Del Frisco’s Grille.

We’re waking up with coffee at Avoca coffee roasters and then brunch at Fixture and a long walk! Head home for a long nap before picking up the kids and your weekend in Fort Worth will have been lived to the fullest!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are many factors that have contributed to the building of this business… my parents as inspiration for having their own business my entire life. I’ve seen the freedom that comes along with the give and take it requires. SharkTank, the tv show, that has fueled my entrepreneurial spirit and shown me it’s possible to be a creator of products. And the biggest shoutout without hesitation goes to my “HusBlan” (my husband Blan)! I wouldn’t have had the courage to take start any of this without his support when I told him my idea of what I wanted to do. He’s the one who speaks into me and encourages me when I start questioning everything or when I’m stuck on a creative decision. He has great style himself so he is a trusted source in my corner. He is my partner in parenthood and the one to listen to the frustrations that come with any business. I couldn’t do any of this without him.

Website: www.westerngrande.com

Instagram: @WesternGrande

Image Credits
@RachelJoi @TheCanbyCountryCottage @WesternCouture @Marijka_dam