Meet Carlyn Fox Mccrory | Owner & Editor of The Scout Guide Dallas

We had the good fortune of connecting with Carlyn Fox Mccrory and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Carlyn Fox, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I’ve always been passionate about giving back to my community and making a meaningful impact on independently-owned local businesses. My entrepreneurial spirit was inspired by my grandfather and parents, who were all successful small business owners. Growing up, I witnessed firsthand the dedication and hard work required to run your own business.

Starting my own business was always a dream of mine, but I never envisioned it as a realistic possibility. My career began in advertising and marketing at a large agency here in Dallas, where I enjoyed the creative process and the thrill of seeing our hard work come to life. However, our client was a massive corporation, and despite the fun and excitement of working on large-scale campaigns, I often felt like just a small cog in a much bigger machine. This feeling persisted in my next corporate role—although the work was enjoyable and the company was great, it was another large organization where my contributions felt insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

I had admired The Scout Guide for years, appreciating both the beauty and quality of the guides as well as their mission to support local businesses and encourage community-focused shopping. When the opportunity arose to take over The Scout Guide Dallas as the owner and editor, I knew it was the perfect fit. It has allowed me to leverage my advertising and marketing skills in a way that directly benefits my community and makes a difference for local businesses. I also now have the freedom and flexibility to be my own boss and make my own schedule, which has been incredible for my work-life balance and spending time doing things that I love, like traveling and spending time with my friends and family.

As my husband and I plan to grow our family in the next couple of years, having the autonomy to manage my schedule is invaluable. It also gives me the chance to set an example for my future children by showing them the rewards of hard work and entrepreneurship.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The Scout Guide Dallas is an annual city guide dedicated to supporting local businesses in Dallas. We offer a unique and personalized advertising experience, with the goal of connecting independently owned businesses with their community, and join them together in one national network. We work with each of our members to curate the perfect ‘ad that doesn’t look like an ad’ for their business, and partner together on events and other projects throughout the year.

While there are many other advertising publications and opportunities in Dallas, we are unique in that we offer a full year membership with monthly digital and social promotion, along with the inclusion in the print guide, invitations to our member-only networking events and more. By joining the local TSG network, you are essentially sharing your customers with all of the other businesses in the guide. I believe the customer who shops at one of our featured boutiques, enjoys coffee at our featured coffee shop, and works with a our featured service provider is one that values quality, authenticity, and community. I am curating this guide to appeal to the same target customer, but from the different angles and industries of all of my clients.

In my first year as Editor, I’m so excited to grow the TSG name in Dallas, with the goal of making The Scout Guide Dallas a household name in our city. I am proud to show off the amazing small businesses in our community and help them grow and reach their goals as well.

Getting to this place in my career at this point is a dream come true for me. I worked my way up, starting as an intern in college for an advertising agency and worked hard for many years to climb the ladder there, gaining experience across various aspects of advertising, from TV to print to digital. Then I moved client-side to do content strategy and marketing for Neiman Marcus, where I learned so much about the luxury space and discerning customer, which set me up perfectly for TSG.

However, the journey hasn’t been without its challenges. Overcoming imposter syndrome has been a significant personal hurdle. Being younger than most TSG editors, it has sometimes been a struggle to be taken seriously, but I’ve overcome this by staying confident in my abilities and letting my work speak for itself. Through perseverance, I’ve learned that I’m capable of achieving success on my own terms. This experience has taught me the importance of self-belief, resilience, and the value of staying true to my vision.

Ultimately, what I want the world to know about The Scout Guide Dallas is that we’re more than just an advertising platform—we’re a community builder. Our mission is to uplift local businesses and strengthen the ties that bind our city together.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Dallas is such a special city with so many amazing restaurants and places to visit. We live in Knox Henderson area, and there are so many fun things to do around us! First I would say we should go on a walk on the Katy Trail and stop for a coffee and on the way at Berkley’s Market. Then we would change and go to brunch at either Greenpoint Oyster Bar or Hudson House. Then if it’s a nice day out, we would go to an outdoor patio or rooftop to hang out. In the summer, we love to go to The Swexan hotel or The Pool Club at Virgin Hotels Dallas and hang out and relax by the pool. In the fall, we love to go to Upside West Village, an adorable rooftop bar with heaters, shared plates, great drinks and an amazing view of downtown Dallas. For dinner, we love Honor Bar in Highland Park Village, or another favorite place of ours is Louie’s for a more low key night with pizza and martinis.

We also love the Summer and Fall concert series at The Arboretum, its so much fun to grab some friends and a blanket and some chairs and go see a live band while the sun goes down. They usually have food trucks there too so you can grab some food, or you can bring your own drinks and food. They have them on Thursday nights through the Summer and Fall and it’s a great activity for the whole family!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Shoutout to my parents for always supporting me and my dreams, no matter how crazy they may seem! and another huge shoutout to my husband, Connor, who is my biggest supporter and cheerleader and always know how to get me through the hard times.

Website: https://thescoutguide.com/dallas/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carlynmccrory/

Other: TSG Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tsgdallas/

Image Credits
Katherine Hughes
Carol Riell