Sylvia Escontrias: Sold on being a successful businesswoman

Sylvia Escontrias caught the business bug as a teenager.

“I remember telling my parents when I was a sophomore in high school that I was going to get a job at the mall,” she said. “They laughed and told me not to let my grades drop. They probably thought I’d quit in two weeks, but I never did.”

An inner drive has helped Sylvia enjoy success in the business world.

From the days of selling furs at Palais Royal to Sylvia’s current rising status as an independent distributor for It Works! beauty and wellness products, drive and persistence have paid off.

Those attributes have helped her succeed professionally and survive personally.

With an eye toward opening her own boutique one day, a young Sylvia gained experience while working for a number of retail clothing outlets including Foley’s, Gap, Contempo Casuals, Paul Harris and County Seat.

She was promoted to acting district manager for County Seat, where she was a leader in training store managers and in loss prevention.

“I enjoyed it, but it was a lot of hard work and long hours,” Sylvia said. “When my daughter was about 4 1/2, I realized that I was missing way too many firsts. I needed to do something different, so I ended my retail career.”

Changing roles
She tried substitute teaching because of the flexible work schedule. But when Sylvia saw that it was becoming more of a full-time role, she switched direction again.

It began as temp work handling printing and collating duties at food distribution giant Sysco in Houston. In short order, Sylvia was hired full time and rose through the ranks into management. Her 15-year career with Sysco culminated as a supervisor in financial services over the claims department.

“About five years ago, I realized I was just tapped out on what I was doing. I was tapped out on hiring, tapped out on reviews, tapped out on raises,” Sylvia said. “I thought, I’ve made a lot of money for someone else. Now it’s time to really do something for myself.”

It wasn’t quite her dream of owning a brick-and-mortar boutique business, but Sylvia was excited to become an entrepreneur and join the growing world of direct sales.

First, she was a representative and distributor for Scentsy fragrance products. “I was buying the stuff anyway. I figured I might as well start selling it, too,” Sylvia said.

Three years ago she changed to It Works!, an up-and-coming business in the direct selling industry. It didn’t hurt that Sylvia was hooked on the all-natural, plant-based health and wellness products.

Sylvia hasn't let cancer stop her.

Cancer battle
About five months into the venture, however, her life was turned upside down. An annual mammogram led to a diagnosis of breast cancer.

“When the doctor told me, I was in denial. I did not want to believe it. I was frozen. I was numb,” Sylvia said. “It was hard to tell my family. I didn’t know what I was going to do.”

For about a month, Sylvia refused to schedule a follow-up appointment. But after lots of family support “and pressure,” she finally met with an oncologist and opted for a partial mastectomy.

“Unfortunately, they found a lot more once they got in there,” she said. “Then I went through the full gamut of chemotherapy and radiation. It was tough.”

Sylvia lost all of her hair, her eyebrows, her eyelashes. Considering her love for fashion, that hit her especially hard.

“I never thought that I would miss sitting there with my head in a shampoo bowl and having someone wash my hair,” she said. “You take those things for granted.”

Parental guidance
Throughout the cancer experience — Sylvia continues seeing her oncologist because “we know that something is still going on” — she has been buoyed by traits learned from watching her parents.

She credits her mom and dad, Mary and Manuel Escontrias, for a strong work ethic and inner drive that have benefited her in business and in life.

Manuel enjoyed a 38-year career as an engineer at Exxon Mobil. He also made a mark in the local community as a city councilman, Goose Creek CISD trustee and Lee College regent.

Mary, who worked in the banking industry, has battled diabetes for years. As she began losing her eyesight, she was forced to retire.

“She’s legally blind and she has to be in a wheelchair or a walker most of the time,” Sylvia said. “That’s been one of the hardest things for me because my mom is my best friend. But she’s still a fighter.”

Mary and Manuel Escontrias

Sylvia also followed her parents’ example by getting involved with community organizations. One such effort is Women Empowering Change, which focuses on personal development, business resources and networking for women.

Recently, Sylvia was named Business Professional of the Year by the Houston group.

Work-family balance
Being on her own schedule in direct sales has given Sylvia the flexibility to better deal with her health issues and to be there for her family, including her daughter, Ashly.

“This is really the new age thing, allowing parents to work and provide while staying home with their kids,” she said. “Some people who might not be able to be in the ‘regular’ workforce, like those with disabilities, also have the opportunity to create their own stream of income.”

On most days, you will find Sylvia connecting with people about her business on Facebook and Twitter. She is a big fan of Facebook Live, where she puts her outgoing personality to use.

“I believe that when you’re a small business entrepreneur, you have to connect. You have to collaborate. You have to be out there and network. To make it work, it’s really up to you,” Sylvia said.

“You can’t ever give up. It’s so easy to say, ‘Oh, well. I gave it a shot, but I couldn’t do anything with it.’ So many people do that. But nobody ever said it was going to be easy. Nothing truly worth achieving in life is.”