Growing up, Mychel "Snoop" Dillard had always felt success was her destiny. But it was more about figuring out where to put her energy and focus.

“Like everybody else, as kids, we're always asked, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ I would always say that I'm going to own several businesses,” says the now 41-year-old entrepreneur to BET. Though the Detroit-born Dillard’s path to where she is now is as winding as it was heartbreaking and inspiring. 

A secret pregnancy at 14 thrust Dillard into adulthood faster than most. She didn’t tell her family until she was seven months along. “I got pregnant the first time I had sex,” she says,  “I was pretty sheltered growing up.”

Her daughter arrived the summer before senior year, soon after her mother pushed for adoption, landing the child in foster care for four years. Dillard pressed on to Vanderbilt University at 16, graduating at 20 without a clear path but armed with grit.

While campus life offered a welcome change of pace, it was the act of reclaiming her daughter, Katara Dillard, from the foster care system that changed everything: motherhood fueled her, even as her focus wandered in classes.

“It was when I graduated from college at age 20, and it was just like, instantly overnight, I'm thrown into this role, but it was amazing; being a parent was something that I truly enjoyed,” Dillard remembers.

Though Dillard still had a lot of growing up to do: post-grad, financial advising sharpened her market savvy, and working in real estate followed. But it was "Snoop"—her bold alter ego—who emerged in Nashville during one of Dillard’s early promo jobs that set her on a unique path. “Yeah, ‘Snoop’ — that’s how I got into more entertainment types of things. That’s what made me discover what I really had love for,” Dillard says.

At 24, after networking and observing the bosses who made the kind of money she sought, the enterprising Dillard launched her own lounge, though it was far from an overnight success story. 

“Listen, it was like grand open and grand closing,” she laughs, recalling the rapid open-to-close venture. Though it wasn’t in vain, the setback taught Dillard that hospitality was her calling. It’s also what led to her business partnership with 2 Chainz in Atlanta, where the two own Esco, a restaurant and tapas bar.  

Over the years, Dillard's ventures have only multiplied, as the founder of Dillard Hospitality Group (DHG). From restaurants, lounges, and salons to being the creator and star of “Snooping for Love” on Tubi, it’s clear she refuses to limit what the serial entrepreneur can do. 

Heartbreak and Rebirth

Though on October 2, 2022, Dillard’s world stopped, after her daughter’s untimely death at only 22-years old. “I found my daughter deceased. So then that's a whole level of trauma as well,” she says. “It really made me slow down; at one point, I really didn't want to go on anymore. I really didn't know if I ... I really want to live. I went through so many different emotions, so many different waves of different things, really just some dark times during that period.”

Katara was Dillard’s only child, and for a time, her businesses struggled, and some hard lessons were learned. Though it was the constant outpouring of love and support from friends, family, and fans online that helped her get back on her feet. “I probably took about two years off work, to be honest. I did a lot of traveling. I kind of ran away a little bit,” she says.

Knowing part of her story, fans also encouraged her to write a book, an idea she’d long mulled over. Though now was the right time.

“A lot of people would reach out to me on social media, saying, ‘Snoop, you really inspire me to keep going. 'I lost this person. I lost that person,’" she said. “A lot of times, once somebody's already successful, you don't really see them go through something super crazy like that. That’s how I knew it was time to write a book.” 

Her autobiography “Who Is S.N.O.O.P” spotlights her journey post-success and in unvarnished truth. Although the mourning still hits Dillard in waves, she’s stepped into a new era and has even picked up some new hobbies to help her along the way. 

“I found a love for travel, and I was able to just kind of submerge myself in that. I got into other hobbies, like gardening. I have a huge garden in my yard now that's on my property that's dedicated to my daughter,” she says. 

Dillard's path—from teen mom secrecy to an empire-builder honoring her daughter—is a testament to the kind of Black resilience we know too well. 

When asked what advice she’d give to other Black women wanting to pivot into entrepreneurship, she says, “Invest in yourself. Don't just try to go out there and will it. You know what I'm saying? There are so many people who have already done it, invest in mentorship and learn how to do it the right way from somebody that's already doing whatever it is that you want to do, research, and educate yourself.”