July 25, 2024 • 18 mins
Sherri J. White started as a teen mom and then turned into a multi-milloinaire mogul dominating being a businesswoman and also leaving a legacy for her daughter.
Host: @alexandriaikomoni
Host: @alexandriaikomoni
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
What's up, guys. It's yourgirl, Alexandria Ikamoni in the studio with
the one and only Sherry Jay.Whye. How you doing today? How
are you? I'm doing well,Thank you. Happy to have you in
studio, by the way, happyto be here. You look fabulous.
You just came from Turkey. Bythe way, you just came back from
Turkey. Nine days. Fortieth birthday, Happy birthday. Yeah. How was
(00:23):
the trip? Oh my gosh,it was the most amazing trip. Yeah,
I'd ever been on. I explored, I lived, I took some
risks, I had a lot offun. Yeah, favorite part of the
trip. One thing a part ofthe trip would have been the horses.
I did a horse run shoot whereI'm walking in the middle of like fifteen
horses and I could be trampled atany moment. But it's like a photo
(00:47):
op and it was a video.And I had on this scant, which
is a skirt and pant with thistrain and it was just amazing thing that
really really was something that I wasscared to do, but it came out
amazing. Yeah. I loved thatfor you all. So forty birthday trip,
such a fun time. It seemslike but why Turkey out of all
places? You know, I wantedto go somewhere, but I didn't want
(01:07):
to go anywhere cliche. I'm oneof those people that kind of goes away
from the crowd. So you seethe Bollies and the Thailands and the you
know things that yeah, and it'slike, you know what, I wanted
to do, something that was justdifferent. Why I would kind of have
to figure out an itinerary, findmy own way and explore. And Turkey
just popped up on the radar oneway or another, and that's where I
(01:29):
landed. I love it. Ilove it, and I saw the pictures
on Instagram look like a fun timethough. I'm happy you had a blast.
But let's talk about it. Forthose who do not know, Miss
Sherry J. White is a teenmom turned multi millionaire before the age of
thirty. You're forty out before thirty, you made a few ms I did
all glory to god Mine. Ilove it. You gotta give him the
(01:52):
praise there, But tell me moreabout how you really went from you know,
being a young mother to owning honestlya empire. You know, it
really started with I guess my positioningat a very early age. I had
my daughter at fourteen years old,but her side of the family was they
were in the daycare industry, soeverybody had this mind frame that we ain't
(02:13):
getting ready to keep this baby forfree, and we ain't getting ready to
watch this baby. It's your child. So early on, you know,
I had to work at their daycaresto earn my keep. And during that
process, and during that time Ididn't realize, but I was being molded
and groomed and kind of positioned subconsciouslyto be the boss that I am today.
And you know, worked for them, learned many things that I didn't
even know I was learning, learneda lot of responsibility, and then just
(02:37):
moving forward in life when it wastime for me to do my thing,
I had so many skills and somuch knowledge that I didn't even know I
had, and I really got ahead start. So starting early allowed me
to finish even earlier and build alot so quickly because I was already in
tune with what I needed to do. Yes, I love that. So
just a quick question there, becauseit seems like you hide some kind of
(02:59):
support to say even though they youknow it didn't come for free. Kind
of cause seel like you had anice support system behind you to really help
you through those years. I did, I really did, you know?
It was the right type of supportsystem. It wasn't that we're going to
clean up your mess support system,you just go do your thing. It
was we're gonna do exactly enough sothat you can do what you need to
(03:19):
do and we have your back,but you still got to stand on your
own two feet. So it wasa very strong support system. And at
the time, I was just like, why y'all can't just keep the baby?
But as I'm an adult now,I realized that I see why they
couldn't just keep the baby, becausethat's what turned me into the woman that
I that I am today. Ilove it, and the woman you are
today owned daycarees. You got thetraining, you got the understanding, but
(03:43):
you could have opened any any otherbusiness that you wanted to. So why
did you decide to stick with thedaycare? You know what? I started
working for Atlanta Public School System andI was an executive assistant to the principal
at a high school, and Ijust felt like, I'm like, every
job I get seems like has somethingto do with kids, and I was
working there, I wasn't making muchmoney, and it was just kind of
(04:05):
like, well, I'm gonna dothis and I'm gonna be around kids,
I might as well do what I'veseen. The people that taught me were
doing extremely well, and I sawthat at a very early age, and
I think that's how I transitioned back. I knew it, and I didn't
know that I had a passion forit, but I did, and it
was like, if I'm gonna doit, I might as well just do
what I know. Yes, yes, well you know other businesses as well,
(04:26):
from books to co spaces. There'sso much going on real estate,
I believe, tell me more aboutall the other things that you also have
going on, because it's not justone avenue. No, I'm not a
risk taker, but I believe inmyself. And I'm also a believer that
when God plants a seed or avision in your mind, you have to
act on it, especially if it'ssomething that you just can't shake mentally.
(04:48):
So once I got the daycare businesseswhere I wanted them to be, instead
of sitting back with my legs foldand saying, oh, I've made it,
let me lay in the lapse ofluxury, you know, indefinitely.
I decide to, you know,put some of the skills that I utilized
along the way, a lot ofthe money that I made. I know
I was going to need some typeof backup plan, and so one backup
(05:08):
plan turned into two backup plans turnedinto three backup plans. And the real
estate part, I'm licensed in bothGeorgia and Florida. Yes, that came
from the fact that I had startedbuying property and I was like, well,
I'm paying these realtors all these fees. I'm like, well, I'm
gonna be buying and investing in properties. Yeah, let me get my license
so that not only can I helpmy family and friends, I can keep
money in my pocket and save onreal estate. That's how that came.
(05:30):
And then the co space came from, or the suites and things like that.
When it was time for my daughter, who is twenty five now and
also an entrepreneur, she almost havinga hard time. People didn't believe in
her business or business plan enough toeven want to lease her space when it
was time for her to expand andgrow. So I said, okay,
well, if she's having this problem, and we're okay, imagine that people
(05:53):
who really aren't okay, you know, they're having this problem. Yeah,
so I said, okay, notonly are we going to help each other,
Me and my daughter going to helpher expand and get repositioned, and
I'm going to help other people andteach her how to help other people as
well. So that's where the cospaces came from. The books. It
was just one of those things likeif I can tell people how to do
it, here you go. Thisis and I've always been a very very
(06:17):
very big advocate of English literature writingand I'm very well spoken. My degree
is in communication, so that's wherethat came from. And then the Gallantine
Fake Gala, which is the Grammysfor Women in Business. That just came
from being a woman that flew underthe radar for so long to where it's
like if you're not a big nameor attached to some big celebrity or have
(06:41):
these big celebrity friends or clienteles,like people they they don't pay attention to,
and it's like, wow, youknow, I could be qualified,
amazing professional and have all of theskill set I need to help somebody or
to gain this client or this contract, But because nobody knows who I am,
or I'm not attached to somebody,or I don't look you know,
(07:03):
apar, They're going to go toa person less, skill less, willing
to help and give them their moneyand time just because they have a name
or an attachment. And so Isaid, well, I know I'm not
the only one going through this,So let me create something for women like
myself, who are prominent women inbusiness, who work hard, and who
if they just had a coalition ofwomen that believed in them, they would
(07:25):
just be amazing and be able tonetwork and grow. And that's where that
came from. And it grew sofast. Yes, and it's amazing.
It's one of the hardest things thatI've ever had to do, but it's
one of those things that the rewardfrom it, and not from a financial
standpoint, because I ain't never madeit die, but just from seeing the
women make these connections and years laterthey have businesses together and their friends.
(07:46):
It. Yeah, it's very fulfilling. It's fulfilling, it's powerful. You're
doing great work for the ladies becausewe need our flower, especially here in
Atlanta. Or we're doing so manyamazing things. You gotta get that recognition.
So it's great that you are gettingthe unsung heroes. If you will,
there's a chance to really get somespotlight and get their flower. So
I love that. I want togo back to the coworking space with your
(08:07):
daughter. How does it feel tocollaborate with your baby on a business?
I think that's so cool. Sohow does it feel and how is it
like working with your daughter on somethingso fantastic? Truthfully? Well, generational
wealth is important to me because nobodygave me anything. Yeah, And I
felt like the best way to instillwork ethic and you know, a generational
(08:31):
type of mindset was to be incollaboration. You know, you can tell
a person to do something all daylong, but can you show them how
to do it? So with mydaughter, I felt like, if I
can show her the rope, andif I can not only show it to
her, but allow her to gainsome type of benefit from what I'm showing
her, I think she will bemore willing and more open to getting the
(08:54):
torch when it's time for me topass it along and running with it.
So it feels really good to knowthat she has first hand knowledge from the
best to do it okay, andI don't have to depend on the world
to teach her. I don't haveto depend on, you know, anybody
else to show her what I alreadyknow. So it feels really, really
good because every day I see hergrow and her learn and her you know,
(09:16):
exhibit something that she's learned and pickedup not only for me, but
just being in business and going throughtrials and tripulations along the way. So
it was very important because you know, when I leave, I don't want
to leave in vain. I wanther to be able to carry it.
Yeah, and you're giving her alegacy for her to carry, which is
fantastic that a lot of moms shouldbe doing out there. So I love
(09:37):
that that's the most important thing.Yes, And I just I'm curious to
know, because you've been really kindof molding and training her from a very
young age, what are some ofthe biggest lessons that you've given her that
you feel like this is has reallymade her into the type of business woman
that she is today. One ofthe biggest lessons that I think I've given
(09:58):
her and that I know that sheunderstand stands fully now, is sometimes your
passion isn't going to be what paysyou. But it doesn't mean that you
don't follow your passion. It justmeans you gotta follow your passion while finding
something that's gonna pay hello, becausethe bills ain't gonna pay theirselves, not
at all. So she's in thebeauty industry. That's her thing, that's
(10:20):
what she loved. But in termsof the lifestyle childcare has provided us,
you know, at a really earlyage for her, you can't compare the
two as apples and oranges. Sowith the beauty industry, you'll make a
few dollars, but it's going tobe inconsistent because there's slow seasons. People
not you know, getting waxes,they not getting facials, it's cold,
they want all the hair, youknow. So I had to teach her
(10:41):
that it's okay to follow your passionand do what makes you happy, but
you also got to have some typeof plan, be in a basket to
know, Okay, this is whatI'm doing because I love it, but
this is what I'm doing because it'staken care of. So I think that
was one of the biggest things Itaught her early on, how to have
multiple streams of income so that ifone ain't working, the other one is,
(11:05):
and I think she appreciates that now. Yes, yes, as a
younger person myself, I also learnedthat lesson early on because I love I
heard. Don't get me wrong,but I'm also in real estate because like
you said, Bill's got to getpaid paid, So I get it one
hundred percent. And it's great thatshe has somebody like you to really just
train her mold her in that way. I had my parents, but not
everybody's fortunate enough to get that.Absolutely. Yeah. So in talking about
(11:28):
that generational wealth here, what advicedo you want to give to people who
are thinking about doing something or startingsomething to create that generational won't for themselves,
but haven't taken the leap of faithyet. I think they need to
make sure that they fully understand whatthey're doing, whatever career, whatever industry,
whatever leap of faith they're about totake. If you are depending on
(11:48):
that to create a legacy or generationalwealth for you and your family, you
need to master it because the generationalwealth part comes in with you teaching them
what you know. You can't teacha person what you don't know, and
you can't expect for them to carrythe torch if it's not lit, and
a part of being able to lightthe torch is knowing what to do.
So research, research, research,get some experience, and just build it
(12:11):
up to the point where when it'stime for you to pass it on,
you're passing it on as a blueprintand not just as a hobby that you
were doing that you might have investeda time and money into. It.
Needs to get blueprint so that thenext person that grabs that blueprint can follow
it and execute it effortless. Ilove that great advice there. So just
speaking on more advice for people whoare entrepreneurs, starting off, what tips
(12:33):
can you really give them to helpget to their level of success so they
desire to get to I think firstand foremost you need to learn yourself.
Learning yourself and knowing exactly what you'recapable of and what you're trying to accomplish
is extremely important. And then furthermore, learning who's interested in those two things,
who's interested in who you are asa person, and who shares commonalities
in terms of goals and just thethings that you want out of life.
(12:56):
If you can learn yourself, learnwhat your goals are are, and then
find people to get on that train. With you. That's how you build
your business. People buy into people, not really products. If people believe
in you, you could sell apiece of gum off the floor. If
they believe that that piece of gumis gonna turn into twenty dollars in some
kind of way, they will buyinto it. But the only way for
(13:18):
you to do that is to knowyourself and know what you're capable of.
I know, start from within onepercent, Starting from within and having that
belief in yourself. So we lovethat now you, like you said,
had a birthday, now forty,But tell me more about what you think
is important as far as lessons thatyou did learn in your thirties. You
know what I've learned in my thirtiesis that I cannot please everybody. No,
(13:43):
you can't. And I've learned inlife that trying to please everybody,
you're taking away from yourself. Ifyou're spending all the time that you have
in the world trying to please otherpeople, where are you making yourself happy?
And I think they say something inyour mind once you forty, it
clicks and you just don't care anymore. I honestly feel like a couple of
weeks leading up to my fortieth birthday, I transitioned into that I just don't
(14:07):
care anymore because I spent my wholethirties trying to show everybody I'm a good
person. I can do this.I'm great, I'm helpful. No,
I'm not arrogant, I'm not overthe top. No, I am all
of those things in a good way. Yes, And I just learned as
long as I'm happy with me,the rest will flow. And I also
learn when you're really really happy withyourself, that's when the best things in
(14:28):
life happen for you. And that'swhen you can identify the opportunities that are
really for you because you know whoyou are and what you need and you
can really just see it, likeyou can feel the glow, you can
see the happiness and how true toyourself you are. So I think it's
amazing because, like you said,people say it clicks, and I'm taking
a word for it, so Iget there. So that's exciting. Okay,
So with forties, what's to come? What do you want to accomplish
(14:48):
in your forties? Are you gonnarelax a little bit more, let your
daughter take over or I am she'smore receptive to the childcare industry. At
first, she was like, no, listen, I've been seeing you do
this since I was five years old. I don't won't be bothered with kids.
But again, it's what feeds thefamily, it's what allows us to
live a certain way, to giveback, to do all of the amazing
things that we do. So she'smore receptive to us. So now she's
(15:11):
literally like in a mini boot camp. It so where she's learning all the
tricks and trades of the business.And I, honestly, I've worked.
I've been to appeared since i wasfourteen, so I've had responsibilities for as
long as I can remember. Ithink going to Turkey and just kind of
reflecting on the previous thirty nine yearsreally opened up a portal to where I
really want to live in my forties. I don't care what anybody has to
(15:35):
say or what they think about whatI'm doing. I'm not obligated to anybody,
and I want to exercise the rightto live. I don't feel out
of all the amazing things I've done, i've actually ever lived. Yeah,
that's what I'm looking forward to.I'm excited. You gotta live, gotta
live it up in your fort theysay your forties is your thirties are more
money too, so you know yougotta enjoy those times. I love it.
(15:56):
Okay, So I am curious though, you know, I, as
a teen mom, what lessons didyou learn that you really just want to
share with other people in similar situations, or just advising them on their journeys
as well. Don't be ashamed ofhaving a child as a teen parent.
I mean, it's not a mistake. It's just something that happens in your
(16:17):
life that will mold you to bewho you're supposed to be. I know
a lot of people have a childat an early age and they feel like,
Okay, life is over, soI might as well not even try
anymore. It's me this baby.I'm stuck. I'm not going to be
anything. No, because again,that baby will teach you resilience. That
baby will teach you a love thatyou never knew. That baby will teach
you motivation, It'll teach you responsibility. It'll end up being everything that you
(16:42):
need. So if I could sayone thing and give any type of lesson
to teen parents out there, wouldbe use what you're going through being a
teen parent as fire to catapult youforward in life. No matter how hard
it gets, it's going to berewarding. Yes, yes, and you
are a proof that you can doit. You're a proof that it can
be done gracefully. So we thankyou for those words of wisdom. So
(17:06):
we have a few more months offof this year's Yes, it's so yeah,
it is insane. Yeah, whatdo you have to come this for
the rest of the year. Whatdo you have going on? You know
what? I am in work mode, like I said, because I'm training
my daughter. Yes, but I'malso just going to continue to learn the
new me and this new me thatreally don't care, okay, and I'm
(17:27):
looking forward to that. I'm like, do I want to travel? Do
I want to open more businesses?Do I want to buy more real estate?
I don't know. Whatever the daybrings when I wake up. And
that's a really powerful place to bein because every decision that I get to
make moving forward is going to bewith me and mine. I've set everybody
else up in my family. Mydaughter's good, my mother's good, my
immediate family, everybody has been placedwhere they need to be placed. So
(17:51):
I'm just looking forward to really doingthe things that I want to do for
me and one thing, what doyou want to do for you this year?
I gotta know. Okay, Sothere's this building that I'm eyeing.
Oh yes, five thousand square feetcity of Atlanta needs a lot of work,
but the building really speaks to meand I believe it belongs to me.
So that is my goal for thisyear really from in the next ninety
(18:15):
days to obtain that building and turninto a daycare cent Okay, about to
ask what is it gonna be usedfor? What's exciting? We need more
daycares in the States, Like Iknow, there's issue with funding and people
not having enough options and overcrowding.So I think it's great you're putting one
in the city of at last.Yes, absolutely, yeah, Well we
love it. And how can thepeople follow you? By the way,
they want to say connected? Soyou can follow me on at Sharry J.
(18:37):
Lovely on Instagram and also www dotSharyjwhite dot com, which is my
website. I love it. Thankyou so much, Missherry J. White
for coming into the studio. Thanksfor having me. Yes, we appreciate
you coming in once again. AlexandraKaimoni with iHeartRadio
What's up, guys. It's yourgirl, Alexandria Ikamoni in the studio with
the one and only Sherry Jay.Whye. How you doing today? How
are you? I'm doing well,Thank you. Happy to have you in
studio, by the way, happyto be here. You look fabulous.
You just came from Turkey. Bythe way, you just came back from
Turkey. Nine days. Fortieth birthday, Happy birthday. Yeah. How was
(00:23):
the trip? Oh my gosh,it was the most amazing trip. Yeah,
I'd ever been on. I explored, I lived, I took some
risks, I had a lot offun. Yeah, favorite part of the
trip. One thing a part ofthe trip would have been the horses.
I did a horse run shoot whereI'm walking in the middle of like fifteen
horses and I could be trampled atany moment. But it's like a photo
(00:47):
op and it was a video.And I had on this scant, which
is a skirt and pant with thistrain and it was just amazing thing that
really really was something that I wasscared to do, but it came out
amazing. Yeah. I loved thatfor you all. So forty birthday trip,
such a fun time. It seemslike but why Turkey out of all
places? You know, I wantedto go somewhere, but I didn't want
(01:07):
to go anywhere cliche. I'm oneof those people that kind of goes away
from the crowd. So you seethe Bollies and the Thailands and the you
know things that yeah, and it'slike, you know what, I wanted
to do, something that was justdifferent. Why I would kind of have
to figure out an itinerary, findmy own way and explore. And Turkey
just popped up on the radar oneway or another, and that's where I
(01:29):
landed. I love it. Ilove it, and I saw the pictures
on Instagram look like a fun timethough. I'm happy you had a blast.
But let's talk about it. Forthose who do not know, Miss
Sherry J. White is a teenmom turned multi millionaire before the age of
thirty. You're forty out before thirty, you made a few ms I did
all glory to god Mine. Ilove it. You gotta give him the
(01:52):
praise there, But tell me moreabout how you really went from you know,
being a young mother to owning honestlya empire. You know, it
really started with I guess my positioningat a very early age. I had
my daughter at fourteen years old,but her side of the family was they
were in the daycare industry, soeverybody had this mind frame that we ain't
(02:13):
getting ready to keep this baby forfree, and we ain't getting ready to
watch this baby. It's your child. So early on, you know,
I had to work at their daycaresto earn my keep. And during that
process, and during that time Ididn't realize, but I was being molded
and groomed and kind of positioned subconsciouslyto be the boss that I am today.
And you know, worked for them, learned many things that I didn't
even know I was learning, learneda lot of responsibility, and then just
(02:37):
moving forward in life when it wastime for me to do my thing,
I had so many skills and somuch knowledge that I didn't even know I
had, and I really got ahead start. So starting early allowed me
to finish even earlier and build alot so quickly because I was already in
tune with what I needed to do. Yes, I love that. So
just a quick question there, becauseit seems like you hide some kind of
(02:59):
support to say even though they youknow it didn't come for free. Kind
of cause seel like you had anice support system behind you to really help
you through those years. I did, I really did, you know?
It was the right type of supportsystem. It wasn't that we're going to
clean up your mess support system,you just go do your thing. It
was we're gonna do exactly enough sothat you can do what you need to
(03:19):
do and we have your back,but you still got to stand on your
own two feet. So it wasa very strong support system. And at
the time, I was just like, why y'all can't just keep the baby?
But as I'm an adult now,I realized that I see why they
couldn't just keep the baby, becausethat's what turned me into the woman that
I that I am today. Ilove it, and the woman you are
today owned daycarees. You got thetraining, you got the understanding, but
(03:43):
you could have opened any any otherbusiness that you wanted to. So why
did you decide to stick with thedaycare? You know what? I started
working for Atlanta Public School System andI was an executive assistant to the principal
at a high school, and Ijust felt like, I'm like, every
job I get seems like has somethingto do with kids, and I was
working there, I wasn't making muchmoney, and it was just kind of
(04:05):
like, well, I'm gonna dothis and I'm gonna be around kids,
I might as well do what I'veseen. The people that taught me were
doing extremely well, and I sawthat at a very early age, and
I think that's how I transitioned back. I knew it, and I didn't
know that I had a passion forit, but I did, and it
was like, if I'm gonna doit, I might as well just do
what I know. Yes, yes, well you know other businesses as well,
(04:26):
from books to co spaces. There'sso much going on real estate,
I believe, tell me more aboutall the other things that you also have
going on, because it's not justone avenue. No, I'm not a
risk taker, but I believe inmyself. And I'm also a believer that
when God plants a seed or avision in your mind, you have to
act on it, especially if it'ssomething that you just can't shake mentally.
(04:48):
So once I got the daycare businesseswhere I wanted them to be, instead
of sitting back with my legs foldand saying, oh, I've made it,
let me lay in the lapse ofluxury, you know, indefinitely.
I decide to, you know,put some of the skills that I utilized
along the way, a lot ofthe money that I made. I know
I was going to need some typeof backup plan, and so one backup
(05:08):
plan turned into two backup plans turnedinto three backup plans. And the real
estate part, I'm licensed in bothGeorgia and Florida. Yes, that came
from the fact that I had startedbuying property and I was like, well,
I'm paying these realtors all these fees. I'm like, well, I'm
gonna be buying and investing in properties. Yeah, let me get my license
so that not only can I helpmy family and friends, I can keep
money in my pocket and save onreal estate. That's how that came.
(05:30):
And then the co space came from, or the suites and things like that.
When it was time for my daughter, who is twenty five now and
also an entrepreneur, she almost havinga hard time. People didn't believe in
her business or business plan enough toeven want to lease her space when it
was time for her to expand andgrow. So I said, okay,
well, if she's having this problem, and we're okay, imagine that people
(05:53):
who really aren't okay, you know, they're having this problem. Yeah,
so I said, okay, notonly are we going to help each other,
Me and my daughter going to helpher expand and get repositioned, and
I'm going to help other people andteach her how to help other people as
well. So that's where the cospaces came from. The books. It
was just one of those things likeif I can tell people how to do
it, here you go. Thisis and I've always been a very very
(06:17):
very big advocate of English literature writingand I'm very well spoken. My degree
is in communication, so that's wherethat came from. And then the Gallantine
Fake Gala, which is the Grammysfor Women in Business. That just came
from being a woman that flew underthe radar for so long to where it's
like if you're not a big nameor attached to some big celebrity or have
(06:41):
these big celebrity friends or clienteles,like people they they don't pay attention to,
and it's like, wow, youknow, I could be qualified,
amazing professional and have all of theskill set I need to help somebody or
to gain this client or this contract, But because nobody knows who I am,
or I'm not attached to somebody,or I don't look you know,
(07:03):
apar, They're going to go toa person less, skill less, willing
to help and give them their moneyand time just because they have a name
or an attachment. And so Isaid, well, I know I'm not
the only one going through this,So let me create something for women like
myself, who are prominent women inbusiness, who work hard, and who
if they just had a coalition ofwomen that believed in them, they would
(07:25):
just be amazing and be able tonetwork and grow. And that's where that
came from. And it grew sofast. Yes, and it's amazing.
It's one of the hardest things thatI've ever had to do, but it's
one of those things that the rewardfrom it, and not from a financial
standpoint, because I ain't never madeit die, but just from seeing the
women make these connections and years laterthey have businesses together and their friends.
(07:46):
It. Yeah, it's very fulfilling. It's fulfilling, it's powerful. You're
doing great work for the ladies becausewe need our flower, especially here in
Atlanta. Or we're doing so manyamazing things. You gotta get that recognition.
So it's great that you are gettingthe unsung heroes. If you will,
there's a chance to really get somespotlight and get their flower. So
I love that. I want togo back to the coworking space with your
(08:07):
daughter. How does it feel tocollaborate with your baby on a business?
I think that's so cool. Sohow does it feel and how is it
like working with your daughter on somethingso fantastic? Truthfully? Well, generational
wealth is important to me because nobodygave me anything. Yeah, And I
felt like the best way to instillwork ethic and you know, a generational
(08:31):
type of mindset was to be incollaboration. You know, you can tell
a person to do something all daylong, but can you show them how
to do it? So with mydaughter, I felt like, if I
can show her the rope, andif I can not only show it to
her, but allow her to gainsome type of benefit from what I'm showing
her, I think she will bemore willing and more open to getting the
(08:54):
torch when it's time for me topass it along and running with it.
So it feels really good to knowthat she has first hand knowledge from the
best to do it okay, andI don't have to depend on the world
to teach her. I don't haveto depend on, you know, anybody
else to show her what I alreadyknow. So it feels really, really
good because every day I see hergrow and her learn and her you know,
(09:16):
exhibit something that she's learned and pickedup not only for me, but
just being in business and going throughtrials and tripulations along the way. So
it was very important because you know, when I leave, I don't want
to leave in vain. I wanther to be able to carry it.
Yeah, and you're giving her alegacy for her to carry, which is
fantastic that a lot of moms shouldbe doing out there. So I love
(09:37):
that that's the most important thing.Yes, And I just I'm curious to
know, because you've been really kindof molding and training her from a very
young age, what are some ofthe biggest lessons that you've given her that
you feel like this is has reallymade her into the type of business woman
that she is today. One ofthe biggest lessons that I think I've given
(09:58):
her and that I know that sheunderstand stands fully now, is sometimes your
passion isn't going to be what paysyou. But it doesn't mean that you
don't follow your passion. It justmeans you gotta follow your passion while finding
something that's gonna pay hello, becausethe bills ain't gonna pay theirselves, not
at all. So she's in thebeauty industry. That's her thing, that's
(10:20):
what she loved. But in termsof the lifestyle childcare has provided us,
you know, at a really earlyage for her, you can't compare the
two as apples and oranges. Sowith the beauty industry, you'll make a
few dollars, but it's going tobe inconsistent because there's slow seasons. People
not you know, getting waxes,they not getting facials, it's cold,
they want all the hair, youknow. So I had to teach her
(10:41):
that it's okay to follow your passionand do what makes you happy, but
you also got to have some typeof plan, be in a basket to
know, Okay, this is whatI'm doing because I love it, but
this is what I'm doing because it'staken care of. So I think that
was one of the biggest things Itaught her early on, how to have
multiple streams of income so that ifone ain't working, the other one is,
(11:05):
and I think she appreciates that now. Yes, yes, as a
younger person myself, I also learnedthat lesson early on because I love I
heard. Don't get me wrong,but I'm also in real estate because like
you said, Bill's got to getpaid paid, So I get it one
hundred percent. And it's great thatshe has somebody like you to really just
train her mold her in that way. I had my parents, but not
everybody's fortunate enough to get that.Absolutely. Yeah. So in talking about
(11:28):
that generational wealth here, what advicedo you want to give to people who
are thinking about doing something or startingsomething to create that generational won't for themselves,
but haven't taken the leap of faithyet. I think they need to
make sure that they fully understand whatthey're doing, whatever career, whatever industry,
whatever leap of faith they're about totake. If you are depending on
(11:48):
that to create a legacy or generationalwealth for you and your family, you
need to master it because the generationalwealth part comes in with you teaching them
what you know. You can't teacha person what you don't know, and
you can't expect for them to carrythe torch if it's not lit, and
a part of being able to lightthe torch is knowing what to do.
So research, research, research,get some experience, and just build it
(12:11):
up to the point where when it'stime for you to pass it on,
you're passing it on as a blueprintand not just as a hobby that you
were doing that you might have investeda time and money into. It.
Needs to get blueprint so that thenext person that grabs that blueprint can follow
it and execute it effortless. Ilove that great advice there. So just
speaking on more advice for people whoare entrepreneurs, starting off, what tips
(12:33):
can you really give them to helpget to their level of success so they
desire to get to I think firstand foremost you need to learn yourself.
Learning yourself and knowing exactly what you'recapable of and what you're trying to accomplish
is extremely important. And then furthermore, learning who's interested in those two things,
who's interested in who you are asa person, and who shares commonalities
in terms of goals and just thethings that you want out of life.
(12:56):
If you can learn yourself, learnwhat your goals are are, and then
find people to get on that train. With you. That's how you build
your business. People buy into people, not really products. If people believe
in you, you could sell apiece of gum off the floor. If
they believe that that piece of gumis gonna turn into twenty dollars in some
kind of way, they will buyinto it. But the only way for
(13:18):
you to do that is to knowyourself and know what you're capable of.
I know, start from within onepercent, Starting from within and having that
belief in yourself. So we lovethat now you, like you said,
had a birthday, now forty,But tell me more about what you think
is important as far as lessons thatyou did learn in your thirties. You
know what I've learned in my thirtiesis that I cannot please everybody. No,
(13:43):
you can't. And I've learned inlife that trying to please everybody,
you're taking away from yourself. Ifyou're spending all the time that you have
in the world trying to please otherpeople, where are you making yourself happy?
And I think they say something inyour mind once you forty, it
clicks and you just don't care anymore. I honestly feel like a couple of
weeks leading up to my fortieth birthday, I transitioned into that I just don't
(14:07):
care anymore because I spent my wholethirties trying to show everybody I'm a good
person. I can do this.I'm great, I'm helpful. No,
I'm not arrogant, I'm not overthe top. No, I am all
of those things in a good way. Yes, And I just learned as
long as I'm happy with me,the rest will flow. And I also
learn when you're really really happy withyourself, that's when the best things in
(14:28):
life happen for you. And that'swhen you can identify the opportunities that are
really for you because you know whoyou are and what you need and you
can really just see it, likeyou can feel the glow, you can
see the happiness and how true toyourself you are. So I think it's
amazing because, like you said,people say it clicks, and I'm taking
a word for it, so Iget there. So that's exciting. Okay,
So with forties, what's to come? What do you want to accomplish
(14:48):
in your forties? Are you gonnarelax a little bit more, let your
daughter take over or I am she'smore receptive to the childcare industry. At
first, she was like, no, listen, I've been seeing you do
this since I was five years old. I don't won't be bothered with kids.
But again, it's what feeds thefamily, it's what allows us to
live a certain way, to giveback, to do all of the amazing
things that we do. So she'smore receptive to us. So now she's
(15:11):
literally like in a mini boot camp. It so where she's learning all the
tricks and trades of the business.And I, honestly, I've worked.
I've been to appeared since i wasfourteen, so I've had responsibilities for as
long as I can remember. Ithink going to Turkey and just kind of
reflecting on the previous thirty nine yearsreally opened up a portal to where I
really want to live in my forties. I don't care what anybody has to
(15:35):
say or what they think about whatI'm doing. I'm not obligated to anybody,
and I want to exercise the rightto live. I don't feel out
of all the amazing things I've done, i've actually ever lived. Yeah,
that's what I'm looking forward to.I'm excited. You gotta live, gotta
live it up in your fort theysay your forties is your thirties are more
money too, so you know yougotta enjoy those times. I love it.
(15:56):
Okay, So I am curious though, you know, I, as
a teen mom, what lessons didyou learn that you really just want to
share with other people in similar situations, or just advising them on their journeys
as well. Don't be ashamed ofhaving a child as a teen parent.
I mean, it's not a mistake. It's just something that happens in your
(16:17):
life that will mold you to bewho you're supposed to be. I know
a lot of people have a childat an early age and they feel like,
Okay, life is over, soI might as well not even try
anymore. It's me this baby.I'm stuck. I'm not going to be
anything. No, because again,that baby will teach you resilience. That
baby will teach you a love thatyou never knew. That baby will teach
you motivation, It'll teach you responsibility. It'll end up being everything that you
(16:42):
need. So if I could sayone thing and give any type of lesson
to teen parents out there, wouldbe use what you're going through being a
teen parent as fire to catapult youforward in life. No matter how hard
it gets, it's going to berewarding. Yes, yes, and you
are a proof that you can doit. You're a proof that it can
be done gracefully. So we thankyou for those words of wisdom. So
(17:06):
we have a few more months offof this year's Yes, it's so yeah,
it is insane. Yeah, whatdo you have to come this for
the rest of the year. Whatdo you have going on? You know
what? I am in work mode, like I said, because I'm training
my daughter. Yes, but I'malso just going to continue to learn the
new me and this new me thatreally don't care, okay, and I'm
(17:27):
looking forward to that. I'm like, do I want to travel? Do
I want to open more businesses?Do I want to buy more real estate?
I don't know. Whatever the daybrings when I wake up. And
that's a really powerful place to bein because every decision that I get to
make moving forward is going to bewith me and mine. I've set everybody
else up in my family. Mydaughter's good, my mother's good, my
immediate family, everybody has been placedwhere they need to be placed. So
(17:51):
I'm just looking forward to really doingthe things that I want to do for
me and one thing, what doyou want to do for you this year?
I gotta know. Okay, Sothere's this building that I'm eyeing.
Oh yes, five thousand square feetcity of Atlanta needs a lot of work,
but the building really speaks to meand I believe it belongs to me.
So that is my goal for thisyear really from in the next ninety
(18:15):
days to obtain that building and turninto a daycare cent Okay, about to
ask what is it gonna be usedfor? What's exciting? We need more
daycares in the States, Like Iknow, there's issue with funding and people
not having enough options and overcrowding.So I think it's great you're putting one
in the city of at last.Yes, absolutely, yeah, Well we
love it. And how can thepeople follow you? By the way,
they want to say connected? Soyou can follow me on at Sharry J.
(18:37):
Lovely on Instagram and also www dotSharyjwhite dot com, which is my
website. I love it. Thankyou so much, Missherry J. White
for coming into the studio. Thanksfor having me. Yes, we appreciate
you coming in once again. AlexandraKaimoni with iHeartRadio
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