From Struggles to Success: D'andre Scott on Building a $3M Business Empire

D’andre Scott, a 41-year-old father of three, has turned his life around from past mistakes to become a successful entrepreneur. After changing his life in 2010, Scott became certified in multiple crafts and worked his way up to being a construction superintendent, overseeing projects ranging from $8M to $75M. His last project was TSU’s new library. Toward the end of the pandemic, Scott founded Urban Goodz, which has grown to a $3M valuation, operates in multiple states, and has won several awards in business.

Scott’s inspiration to start Urban Goodz stemmed from observing that minorities make up over 57% of all spending on platforms like Amazon and DoorDash but rarely own such platforms. Urban Goodz aims to bridge this gap by being a hybrid of Amazon, Shopify, and DoorDash, with the goal of becoming a major player in the $10T e-commerce market by 2030.

Drawing from his own experiences, Scott emphasizes the importance of authenticity and representation in business. He built Urban Goodz to level the playing field for minority-owned businesses and believes in being true to oneself, especially when pitching to investors. “One of the most important criteria that VCs look for is that they invest in the Founder or Founders. So be your true self because it is better to fail as you than to try and fail being someone you’re not, when you were enough in the first place,” Scott advises.

Representation is crucial to Scott, as he believes that a business becomes an extension of one’s identity. “It will become what you are known for, and most times, when people are introducing you, it’s among the first things that will be mentioned,” he says.

Success for Scott is not just about Urban Goodz becoming a household name but also about helping other minority business owners across the country succeed. He defines success by the impact his platform has on these businesses.

To the next generation of black entrepreneurs, Scott offers this advice: “Find a problem and solve it. The hardest part of being in business is starting in the first place. Don’t wait for it to be perfect because that will never happen, which will prolong the process, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes because they will happen. Keep on pushing.”

Looking ahead, Scott’s goal is to raise capital to expand Urban Goodz into six new markets over the next two years, starting with Atlanta. With 54 potential new franchisees in the pipeline, Urban Goodz continues to grow, with plans to add to their team and further their mission of supporting minority-owned businesses.

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