Behind the Brand: Rebekah Scott Designs

Rebekah+Scott+took+on+the+challenge+of+not+only+being+a+mom%2C+but+also+running+a+successful+business.+Scott+looks+to+start+selling+an+even+wider+variety+of+products+in+the+future.

Rebekah Scott took on the challenge of not only being a mom, but also running a successful business. Scott looks to start selling an even wider variety of products in the future.

SHANELL PETERSON Reporter

Rebekah Scott calls herself a “mom-preneur.” This is because she manages a successful line of purses and accessories while taking care of her family. 

“I thought if I can do something at home and make money, then I can raise our children at home and not take them to a daycare,” Scott said.

She has been running Rebekah Scott Designs for 12 years. She started in 2004 when she decided to make Christmas presents for her family and friends.

“I didn’t have any money for gifts, but I had fabric for my sewing machine,” Scott said. “Then I started getting orders on my answering machine.”

Family has always been a priority for Scott. Family members like Peggy Eggers and Sarah Jensen, both of whom live in Volga, are part of her business. Eggers, Scott’s mom, is a seamstress and Jensen, Scott’s twin sister, travels with Scott to art shows.

Scott has a love of sewing and exhibited a goal-oriented nature since a young age. Jensen and Eggers recalled Scott making clothes for her Barbies and an icy-mint colored suit for 4-H.

“At 8 years old, she was selling stocking caps off the playground until they told her she couldn’t sell them,” Jensen said. “She’s always had an entrepreneurial spirit.”

As Scott’s popularity grew, her nights became longer and longer. She sometimes found herself pulling all-nighters to manage the demand for her products.

“I employ around 20 women now to help me keep up,” Scott said.

These women do tasks from accounting to social media management. By employing women with strengths in these areas, Scott said she is able to focus on her strengths.

“You need to hire someone who is smarter than you to help you realize your vision,” Scott said.

Scott sells her products in 22 places around South Dakota.

“The products are well made, and people just love them because you can design them,” said Erin Hegg, a sales representative for the Brookings area. 

Customers pick the model of bag they want, which are all named after people who have positively affected Scott in some way. Then, they pick a fabric, the leather used on the bag and the inside lining colors.

“My favorite part is the insides because of all the pockets,” Hegg said. “The other thing about them is they’re washable. You can’t beat that.”

Scott is not simply a businesswoman and mom. In addition to her purses and accessories, Scott manages a podcast on her website called The Encourager and offers one-on-one coaching.

“I’ll help you feel successful at both work and mommy-hood,” Scott wrote on her website. “Together we will create a vision for where you want to be in business and in life. Then we will develop specific action plans and goals to get you there and develop your business skills along the way.”

This is a new venture, but Scott thinks it is a piece of the future for Rebekah Scott Designs. She wants to open a line of home products like pillows and window treatments. But no matter where her business takes her, she wants to make sure she maintains the consistent quality Rebekah Scott Design customers have come to expect.

“Rebekah stands behind her product,” Hegg said. “She believes in what she makes.”