PowerShift: Charlynda Scales

With the three generations preceding her consisting of former armed forces members, it was no surprise to Charlynda Scales when she found herself a member of the Air Force and serving for 11 years. Before starting off on her Air Force path, though, Charlynda grew up on a special, multi-use sauce that her grandfather Mutt made from his own secret recipe. After he passed away and left the recipe to Charlynda alone, she took it upon herself to create the Mutt’s Sauce brand, which she eventually pitched on Shark Tank. At the time, though, she wasn’t ready to leave her position as an actively serving Air Force member to take on her business as her primary focus, and so she did not receive an offer. Later down the line, she made the transition to full-time entrepreneur and took part in the Bob Evans Farms “Heroes to CEOs” contest, where she won a $25,000 grant for her business and a mentorship session with contest co-host Daymond John. Today, Mutt’s Sauce serves as a testament to Charlynda and her family’s legacies as veterans.