ROCKINGHAM — Cavassine Wall knew she wanted to be an entrepreneur, she just wasn’t sure what to do.
So she prayed.
Earlier this week, Wall opened The Best Choice Healthcare in Village Plaza on Rockingham Road, next to Richmond Pediatrics.
Thursday evening, the Richmond County Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to welcome the new business, attended by members of the Chamber, local dignitaries and Wall’s friends and family.
Chamber President Emily Tucker said she was about to leave for vacation when she received a call from Wall about the opening.
“This young lady was so excited on the other end of the phone about her new business venture,” Tucker said. “I talk to a lot of young entrepreneurs and this young lady had it together. She knew exactly what she wanted.”
But it didn’t start that way.
Wall, who holds a Masters degree in Educational Psychology from Capella University, had worked in the home-health field before becoming a teacher.
“I wanted to open up my own business, so I began to pray and said, ‘Lord, what am I going to do?’” Wall recalled. “So I had to sit down and think about what I was going to do.”
When she decided on home healthcare, she again went to God and said if she got approved by the state for that business, she had faith that’s what he wanted her to do.
“I got approved, so here I am,” she said.
Wall began the journey in October of 2019 — with several false starts.
“I started, I gave up, I started again, I gave up and I started again and I gave up again,” she said.
Wall was also keeping it a secret from everyone but one friend because God told her she had to “move in silence.”
She said she started riding around looking for buildings and thought she had one lined up, but never heard back from the property owner.
“I got my son in the car one day, I said, ‘Son, let’s go. By 12 o’clock, we’re going to have a building,’” Wall recalled. ‘By 10:30, we had this building.”
She said she received “a really, really, really good deal” on the lease, plus two months rent-free to get on her feet.
What started out as tears of fear, doubt and sorrow have now turned into tears of joy.
Wall said her goal is to give back to the community by helping others, especially seniors.
“I want to provide the best services to seniors …and I want to make sure their services are rendered well,” she said.
The Best Choice Healthcare offers: respite services; in-home aide services; companion sitter services; and Community Alternatives Program services for children and adults with disabilities.
She currently has five employees but is looking to hire certified nursing assistants and personal care assistants.
“In life, everybody is either living, dying or growing, and this is a great example of growth,” said Bob Young, vice chairman of the Chamber and plant director at American Woodmark. “During dire times, she’s taking a risk, putting herself on the line and it’s so enjoyable to see it.”
Wall was also welcomed by Rockingham Mayor Steve Morris, who ran Helms Jewelers for more than 40 years.
“You’ll grow to love it, and there’ll be some days you’ll say, ‘Why in the world did I do it?’” he said.
Morris encouraged the youngsters in the crowd to look to Wall as an example.
“I doubt she grew up in house that had a million dollars laying around that would allow her to go into business and have no worries,” he said. “Most of us have to borrow money when we do things like that — but you can do it, too. “Every single person standing here, if you have a desire and you’re willing to work, you can do it.”
Richmond County Commissioner Don Bryant, also a longtime business owner, commended Wall on the name of the business and said the only reason his 103-year-old mother is still alive is because of health services.
“So there is a major importance for what you’re offering,” Bryant said. “And I appreciate what you’re trying to do.”
The Best Choice Healthcare will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday starting Monday, June 29.
For more information, call 910-719-4117.
