Imagine getting pregnant at age 14 and becoming a teen mom, and an adult all at the same time. Fast forward to investing your income taxes to open up your first daycare facility in the heart of Georgia in less than 10 years at the age of 23!
Quite Impressive.
Sherri J. White’s story is one of profound courage, hope, and resilience. That one income tax investment became the catalyst for her burgeoning multi-million dollar empire that allowed her and her family to transition out of poverty–From there, Sherri became the owner and operator of an additional ‘Success Souvenir’ Childcare facility and her Executive Business Suite, ‘The Success Suites,’ located at Dogwood Park (which she and her daughter currently own the building and the block). Sherri also became the Author of her debut book, ‘Success Souvenirs’ a memoir that details some of her life’s most defining moments, and her popular children’s book ‘Mommy, I thought You Said Black was Beautiful,’ which she co-authored with her brother, Phillip White.
SHEEN had a chance to sit down with the resilient visionary to discuss her extensive knowledge and experiences in business to help entrepreneurs level up in success, creating generational wealth for her and her daughter, and what women’s empowerment is truly all about as represented through her extravagant Galentine’s Day Gala, and more.
Sherri, your story is so inspiring about how you overcame the odds as a young teenage mother at the age of fourteen only to become a multi-millionaire-serial entrepreneur. Can you please share your inspiring story with us?
I grew up in a not so wealthy household–My mom was an average everyday working woman. We left my dad at a very early age, so my mom became a single parent. And from there we relocated to the West Coast, which was Seattle, Washington and kind of moved down to Georgia, where life drastically changed for me. So, growing up, I didn’t have my father with whom I was used to prior to my mom and dad going their separate ways. And I was still kind of getting used to that, which of course, caused me to get into some things that were a little above my age range. I ended up meeting a young man, and we ended up becoming boyfriend and girlfriend at a very early age, and I ended up getting pregnant at 14 years old. So, moving along into the pregnancy, I hid it for a very, very long time for my mom. I hid my pregnancy for upwards to about six months, and then I finally told my mom. When I told her of course, she was very upset. We discussed different options, and we moved forward with the option of having my daughter when I was in the ninth grade. I went through high school facing many challenges as a single parent, but also as a high school student wanting to do the things that normal regular high schoolers do, but having to show up as a mother as well. I was an adult, I had a job, and I had a key balance in school–that was pretty much what my high school years looked like. I just showed up for my daughter and did the best that I could to balance teenage life. But really, I was a full-time mother–I was an adult at 14 years old. And from there, I graduated high school, and I was like, ‘Okay, I want to get as far away from kids in my career profession as possible,’ but of course, it was because of my experiences as a single mother. And so, I began to dip and dive in Corporate America and then it was while I was working with the school system where I was like, ‘Wow, I want to get back into childcare,’ which is what I credit for me being in the position that I am now in, and becoming so successful. Childcare has opened doors and other career industries. I used my tax return to start my multi-million dollar businesses–It was actually my career in childcare that catapulted that.
That’s so impressive! What lessons/obstacles as a young teen mom lead you to become the successful entrepreneur that you are today?
I think the obstacle that I give the most credit to that helped me be where I am today was just having to take responsibility. So just imagine having to make the same choices as a child with an immature mind frame,and you don’t know the difference between left and right. So the biggest obstacle that I give the credit to is learning at a very early age, how to choose priority over partying. It was that obstacle of choosing the right things that ultimately gave me that discipline very early on, to be able to in my adult life, choose the right thing, or choose the things that are going to set me and my daughter up for greater success, and to also allow generational wealth to creep into my family.
How did you launch and fund your two very successful daycare empires–Success Souvenirs?
At a very early age, when I worked at the daycares as a teen mom, I was already kind of being molded and groomed into being a business woman, and I didn’t even know it. To me, it was just a job. But at 14, when you’re following directions, and you’re doing exactly what somebody else is telling you to do, you’re being trained, and you’re being molded. So having that job early on, in addition to the choices and the obstacles, and all of the things that I was facing that I had to tackle head on, it kind of subconsciously was stored. So, I think it was all of those years, just being an adult that was just subconsciously waiting on me to activate those buttons. Earlier on, I learned how to be customer service oriented at 15, and I learned how to dress professionally, and I learned how to change a diaper. It was a collective thing. I honestly didn’t even know that I had it in me. Like I said, I wanted to get far away from anything dealing with owning a business and running a business as fast as I possibly could. But it was that grooming and molding that was already innately there. And I think it just kind of goes to show you that you become what you surround yourself with. I was surrounding myself with successful people. I was surrounding myself with business people, and it just organically happened.
You believe in ownership. What inspired you to acquire the building for the Offices of Dogwood Park and open your Success Suites, which offers cost effective conference rooms and business suites for emerging entrepreneurs?
What inspired me the most was my daughter. At the time when she first started her journey into being an esthetician, we were renting a safe space for her to provide services to her clients. When she got to a point where she was growing and she needed something bigger, we started going to these places to rent office space, and they were always very judgmental. They looked at her age, they looked at her finances, and they just didn’t believe in her mission or her vision. So, it was always a reason as to why she could not obtain a new space. Even though she had the money, even though she had the credit, even though she had the business plan, they just would not choose her. And it made me sad, because I was like ‘wow, it’s my daughter who is in a position to move forward and is ready to scale her business,’ and she is being denied.’ I can imagine how it is for the people who really are going out on a limb and trying to take that step, and they’re getting denied, they’re getting discouraged. They’re basically getting told that you don’t have what it takes to grow. And so, from there, I was just like ‘my babies’ feelings are hurt, my feelings hurt,’ and so that’s where the vision for my Success Suite came from. So I decided to buy the building where my daughter currently operates her business in, and we rent it out to other emerging entrepreneurs to give them the opportunity that we never had. It was important for us to pay it forward.
That is awesome! I know that your daughter is a very successful entrepreneur like you–As she owns 1/4 of the Success Suite with her Belle Lux Day Spa. Like mother, like daughter! What role did you play in helping your daughter achieve generational wealth?
The role that I would say, was just being a positive role model. I’m a firm believer in, you can lead a horse to the water, but you can’t make them drink. So, it’s your job to still lead that person to the water, whether they choose to drink or not. The role that I played was being present, showing up and making sure that my daughter not only witnessed what was going on every step of the way, but that she understood. I really took the time out to purposely give her what I had gained inadvertently. My honest contribution was just me being present and making her aware, and she picked up on those things. When it came down to getting the place, she had her own money, she had her own clientele, and she had our own vision. She decorated her own work space in the suite, and she really didn’t need me for anything. I just think all of those years of being a teen mom and working as hard as I have to work, finally paid off and I’m witnessing it through her.
Not only are you an amazing serial entrepreneur, but you are also an author! Tell me about your memoir, children’s book, and 2-part suspense novel.
My very first book was ‘Success Souvenirs Memoir.’ It’s a cute little coffee table book. It’s more of an inspiration story. It’s really short and sweet, and it just details the trials and tribulations of my life. So, moving forward to the children’s book, ‘Mommy, I thought you Said Black was Beautiful.’ That is a book that I co-authored with my brother, Philip White. It’s basically a book that expresses and talks about the many tribulations that children of our color face, the judgment, the harassment, and how we can have these conversations with our children to let them know that they’re beautiful. It’s our responsibility to continue to instill that in our children. The book is a constant reminder for all of our kids that black is beautiful, and no matter what your skin color is, you’re good enough, and will have the same stance and opportunity that everyone else has, if you just put your best foot forward. The two-part novel is a little riskier. It’s another book that I co-authored with my brother again, Phillip. This book is everything– it has a combination of Tubi mixed with Netflix. It’s funny, it’s exciting. It’s thrilling, honestly, it would be an amazing movie, but it is a bomb urban novel.
What does women’s empowerment mean to you, and what inspired you to create the Galentine’s Day Gala, the “Grammy’s for Women in Business?”
Women Empowerment means to me exactly what it says: ‘empowering other women to be the best that they can be.’ But I don’t mean it in a very cliche way. No, it’s all about literally putting them in a position where other people realize how great they are. To me, that’s what empowerment is. Because you can tell a person all day, ‘you’re great, you’re this and you’re that,’ and then walk away from them and they still don’t have a clue how to show other people how to be great in terms of climbing the ladder. But when you empower them, and you do something about it, and put them in a position of power, that’s what it is all about. So, women empowerment to me is all about putting your stamp of approval on another woman, saying that she deserves a chance and that she is worth it. What I started to realize was, because of what I did, and because I didn’t really have any popularity behind my name, or anybody stamping me saying that I was an official businesswoman, I would fly under the radar, people would literally overlook me, even if I was more qualified, and even if I was more fit for certain opportunities. And they would go to the person with a career that was louder, or they would go to the person with the career that was backed by an affiliation or a relationship with somebody who had celebrity status or was known. And so once again, I am always thinking of other people. I’m like, ‘I know, I can’t be the only person experiencing this.; From there, I created a coalition of women who want to be seen, who want to be recognized, and deserve to be recognized. Women who are not ashamed of being successful. So, the Galentine’s Day Gala was for every woman to stamp each other. We don’t need anybody with millions of followers to stamp us, we know who we are. And we all share a like-minded goal of working hard to get where we’re going. The movement just grew. There were more women that I could have ever anticipated, many that had the same struggle–the struggle to get good business or like-minded women to be in their corner just because nobody knew who they were. And that’s how the Galentine’s Day Gala was birthed.
Amazing! What advice can you lend to aspiring entrepreneurs?
The biggest piece of advice that I would lend to aspiring entrepreneurs is to be visible. A lot of people, when they’re starting their businesses, and they’re trying to do it on their own, they have a tendency to shy away from people, because they don’t want to be judged. They don’t want to be embarrassed if things don’t work out. And in their mind, it’s like ‘Okay, well, let me be real quiet about it. So that if it doesn’t work out, I don’t have to explain myself to a million people who probably didn’t believe in me anyway.’ No, the good thing about being visible is when you’re visible, you get people that can see your struggle and help you, and that could make all the difference between you being successful or not. And honestly, it’s not about how fast you become successful, all it takes is the right person to see you. So, latch on and attach to people who have what you already know, who have what you want, or who inspire you. Make yourself visible, visibility is everything. And the more visible you are, the more you can grow and the more people will want to know who you are.
What gives your life meaning, and what is next for you?
What gives my life meaning is knowing that I’m making a difference in other people’s lives. A lot of people get what I have and they just keep it all to themselves. I find true purpose in being there for people and helping them grow. I get purpose out of being there for other people as best I can because I know what it is like to not feel like I have someone in my corner. So, wherever I can help I do, and maybe sometimes a little too much. Maybe it’s not a good thing, but it genuinely does give me purpose, to know that others are okay. And what’s next for me? I’m looking forward to shining. I’m looking forward to spreading awareness about what I went through as a young teenage mother because I know there are so many others out there that are going through it, or that will go through it. So, if I can be a star in the sky for them that they wished upon every night, and pray that their situation turns out the same way that mine did, then that’s what I look forward to–being that person that people can say ‘wow, because she did it, I can do it too, and know that it’s possible.’
Keep Up with Sherri J. White:
@sherrijwhite
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Sherri J. White
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