Terresia Scoble's Entrepreneurial Spirit
- Geena Matthews
- Feb 24, 2020
- 4 min read
When you hear the word, "entrepreneur", what do you think of? Do you think of a young, polished professional walking through an urban city, endlessly pitching their ideas to executives? Do you think of someone honing their invention until it is practically perfect? You may imagine a different entrepreneur than I do, but rural entrepreneurs, such as Teressia Scoble, appear to have the most intriguing stories and experiences.
Terresia and her husband began a business called Hydro Groom. Hydro Groom is a parent company of Best In Show Trolleys, which manufactures trolleys, airline approved crates, crates for home and dog show use, and supplies which correspond with crates. They are currently the largest manufacturer in the U.S. for dog show trolleys. While this already seems to be a unique idea for a business, what makes Terresia's story unique is how her business began. Below are some highlights from my interview with Terresia.
GM: If you could, please tell me a little about yourself.
TS: Okay. Well, I met my husband 1991 and he was already involved in manufacturing for the dog shows. I had pets, but I had never been around dog shows or anything, so I became intrigued with the products that he was manufacturing, so he had brought a product to the United States to make it. So we had met, started dating, and then decided to get married, so his company that he had in Australia, he sold it and we came to the States in 1998 and started making our products here, and it has just really taken off...Right now we have 9 employees and are getting ready to hire 2 more, and we ship all over the world.
GM: I know you said that after you met your husband, he was really into this, but you had not really done dog shows before, so...what really drew you to getting on board with him and getting into the dog show business?
TS: Well, it was him because he was my husband, but my background had been in Human Relations. Also, I had owned different kinds of businesses. I had owned concession businesses, and I had owned other kinds of businesses. But after I met him, one of the first things I did was we started franchising mobile dog bathing businesses, and we did that for a few years. But I have just always kind of been an entrepreneur, and the fact that this was a new product, and I believed so much in the product, I got very involved in it because I knew that I could make the business grow.
GM: I know you mentioned earlier the transition from Australia to the U.S. and what your business had to go through with that, and I realize that many business owners often look towards bigger cities when expanding or relocating. So, what really led you to Rockingham County, specifically Reidsville?
TS: Well, my family was from the Reidsville area...we sold our business in Australia and came back here because my mother was real sick, as it turned out, she passed away before we were able to get back. But, because of that, with my 2 sisters and I, we had her estate to settle, and I just couldn't walk off and leave all of that in their hands. So, my husband and I made the decision that we would start here and see how things went, and then we might move. But as I say, we just kept growing and growing, and we're very happy here and we have great employees. When it comes down to our product, we can make it anywhere, because we ship all over the world, it's not a product that we sell that most of the people in our area use because we don't sell to the general public, we sell to dog show people. So, they come to us...we could make our product anywhere, but we're right here in Reidsville, and that's where we're going to stay.
GM: Lastly, do you have any words of advice for someone who just simply has an entrepreneurial spirit?
TS: This is my honest opinion: If you want to go into business for yourself, whatever business you're going to have, it has to be one that you believe in from your heart. Its got to be in your heart in your soul, or else you won't make a go of it. I believe wholeheartedly in the product that I sell. When I'm talking to people, if they come up to me and they want one thing, and I know absolutely that's not going to work for them, I tell them. But, you have to have a product that you believe in because people will know if you're not telling them the truth, if you're not honest with them. But it just has to come from your heart--not your brain. It has to come from your heart if you want to be successful. Your brain follows your heart--I honestly believe that.
From my interview with Terresia, I gained a deeper understanding of what it means for an entrepreneur to lead with purpose. Since Terresia believed in her product and her husband, she handled the risk of relocating from Australia with strength and perseverance. Although you may not yet be an entrepreneur whose business continues to grow, I hope that Terresia's story inspires you to listen to your heart and to not be afraid to take a risk.
I would like to thank Terresia for giving me the opportunity to interview her. Please check out Hydro Groom at hydrogroom.com.
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