Daughters Of Zion CNPP Grantee Announces Debra Savage – DeeDee’s Mobile Notary Services LLC & DeeDee’s Delectables and More As The DOZ CNPP Entrepreneur Of The Week- July 17 – July 23, 2022

Owner: Debra Savage

Business #1: DeeDee’s Mobile Notary Services LLC 

Business #2: DeeDee’s Delectables and More

Phone # (901) 480-0709

Elevator Pitch: “Trust God with all your heart and to lean not unto your understanding. Excellence is our signature.”

As part of our follow-up to the progress the Daughters of Zion CNPP grantee is making within Memphis, Shelby County, and beyond- we are highlighting the weekly Entrepreneur of the Week award. When asked why Debra Savage was selected as the entrepreneur of the week, Dr. Gerald Kiner, PhD declared, “Debra Savage is not just a dynamic business owner , she is a dynamic woman of God. She is a living legend. Debra is a first class woman that is a hero within her family and within our community. She is a caretaker for her son and for all her clients. I’ve used her services and I’ve experienced her out of this world personal touch first hand. Debra is one of the masters at our Saturday MasterClass and she is a master of providing exceptional customer services. I am a better person by having Diana Savage in my life. You will be too. She is most deserving of our Entrepreneur of the Week.

Debra Savage answered several questions for the entrepreneur of the week.

Q: You look amazing today who are you? .

A: My name is Debra Savage. At present, I have a mobile notary service and I am also piloting a food delivery service. My mobile notary services is DeeDee’s Mobile Notary Services LLC, and the food delivery is DeeDee’s Delectables and More. That’s homemade desserts, cakes and pies, and comfort food.

Q: How did you decide to have two separate and distinct companies?

A: Well, as the Lord gave me the vision for business about five years ago, He did not lay out all of the details. We started with the mobile notary business, and that was birthed because of a life changing event in my life that took place in 2017. I was a patient advocate for a large health care organization here in the city of Memphis and had been for about 12 years. I lost my job in February of 2017, and the Lord began to give me creative ideas and witty inventions. And the first thing that he gave me since I was a notary for the healthcare system, is to go ahead and to utilize that particular skill set for your own company. 

And because I had lost everything, one of the things that the Lord promised me was that he was going to restore all, and He kept saying, “Don’t fight the process.” I did not know what the process would be or entail, but even to this day looking forward almost five years later, I have not fought the process, and the vision, the dreams for the business was birthed out of the life changing event in 2017. 

Q. How are you so good at meeting your customer’s needs? 

A. Well, one of the things that I could say helped me in self-discipline and that is, I am a veteran of the United States Air Force. And, even prior to going into the Air Force I had a mom that trained me from a little girl, how to cook, how to be self-sufficient, how to navigate through life. She always stressed the fact that education is good, and to get your education, that once you do no one can take it from you. But she also taught me practical skills around the house. Housekeeping, house cooking… Caregiving was one of the things that I had to do early on as a child, because my mom was sick a lot of the time. 

And as a side bar, I was a caregiver for almost 40 years. Both of my children were born with sickle cell disease, and the oldest son, who now has gone on to be with the Lord in May of 2003, had a massive stroke when he was two years old. They had to remove five aneurysms from his skull and that left him in a wheelchair.  Well, not only was that bad enough, but I was three months pregnant with my second son, and going through a separation that led to a divorce, lost everything, and so on, so forth. So one of the reasons that I strive to give excellence services is because people are busy and there’s so much competition out here, and you’ve got to be the best at your game. And so, if I can meet your needs within an hour, that speaks volumes about my business. 

One of the things that I want to do moving forward in the business is to house the businesses in a building. One of the facets of that business will be in-house notaries, and we will also have a dispatch center where we can dispatch notaries, and they will be able to meet your needs within that 60 minute window.  I believe in promptness. I believe that if I’m on time I’m late. So, I believe that I should always be ahead of time and not behind time. And people appreciate that level of professionalism. 

Q: What’s another compliment you’ve received on your mobile notary service business that really has touched your heart? 

A:   Well, I’ve had several of my clients tell me, not only did I do a professional job, but they now consider me family, because word of mouth, as you know, is your greatest marketing tool. And so, those customers that I have serviced in the past, and continue to service now, have shared the word with their friends, with their family, with their church members, and so, it’s growing, it’s growing, and it is growing. 

Q. Tell us more about your catering business. How did you get the vision for that and how did you come up with the name for that? 

A. Well, first of all, DeeDee’s Delectable, DeeDee is my initials, Deborah Debra, and the Lord gave me that for business to use my initials of my first and middle name. As far as the cooking, my mom taught me how to cook. I was an only girl, I had three brothers, and my mom started me cooking. I would follow her around the kitchen all them time. My mom was a great cook and my mom wanted to own and operate her own restaurant.

So her anointing and gifts fell on me. 

Q. What’s the hottest item on your menu?

A. My chicken and dressing, and homemade gravy. 

Q. What do people say about your chicken and dressing and homemade gravy? What are some recommendations of dishes you recommend to future customers?

A. Do you make this in family sizes? Yes. As far as some of my other favorite dishes, homemade macaroni and cheese, my million dollar spaghetti sauce that we top over our spaghetti. Collard greens, mustard and turnip greens mixed together. Baked cabbage, candy yams, you name it, I can cook it. Fried corn, fried green tomatoes, fried pork chops smothered in that homemade gravy we talked about. 

And oh my God, how about that homemade peach cobbler that I put my signature on. And then I’ve got a signature banana pudding. But trust me when I tell you, you will be calling back, but you’ll want an extra order or a larger order, and we can do that, we can accommodate you. 

Q.How did you hear about the Daughters of Zion Community Navigator Pilot Program?

A.  I heard about the Daughters of Zion Pilot Program for weeks this past January on 95.7, I listen to them on a regular basis. When it said this was going to be held at the Jesus People Ministry, I live in the Hickory Hill area, so I am very familiar with your location. I’ve passed here numerous times. 

And as God would have it, I continued to listen to 95.7 and I continued to hear about this great program, I can definitely say great program at this point. And so, I began to take it seriously and the Lord began to speak to my heart and said, “You never know how I’m going to bless you. I have promised you that if you don’t fight the process I’m going to restore you because of what happened to you. 

So, finally, one Saturday against all odds I thought, I said, “I’mma go down here with the Jesus People Church .” What I can say now is, empowerment. Not only do you get wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and information, you get the anointing, you get ministry. You get camaraderie, you get empowerment, you get enlightenment. And then, because Dr Kiner is such an open person, he is not intimidated nor feels like he can’t share what God has blessed him with because they’ll surpass him. Dr Kiner gives us so much information. I love the 10 billionaire ideas that we’re given every Saturday. I love when we stand up and introduce ourselves, we introduce our businesses, and we encourage each other. 

The anointing that God has placed on Dr. Gerald Kiner’s life, it would behoove you, it would behoove me, and it would behoove us to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. To follow after this great man of God in the marketplace and in the business arena.

Q. What would you say to an individual prospective customer that says, “I need a notary, but why should I choose DeeDee’s Notary over anybody?” And that same customer says, “I need a caterer, I need great food. Why should I choose DeeDee over all the other great caterers out here?” What would you say to these two people for your Phase 1 and Phase 2 businesses?

A. Excellence is my signature for DeeDee’s Mobile Notary Services LLC. I am prompt, I am professional, and I consider myself an upscale business owner with reasonable prices. And I can be there within 60 minutes. I am professional, I walk in a level of integrity. The customer is always right. If there is a problem, you will receive a 100% money back guarantee.

I stand on my products. As far as my food, all I can tell you about that is to go to my Facebook page and look at the hundreds of photographs. Food and the appeal of food start with how food looks. I cook from my heart; I cook from a place of love and hope and help for other people. This is not just a vocation or a side hustle, but this is part of ministry, bringing people together for good times and good laughs and good food.