Shaundell Newsome is founder of Sumnu Marketing, which recently was honored with a Business Excellence Award from the Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce and named the Small Business Administration Family-Owned Business of the Year for Nevada. Newsome participated in this year’s Small Business Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C.
What is the best business advice you’ve received, and whom did it come from?
My mentor, Ray Wilkinson, said: “Do what you say you are going to do.” That’s very simple — manage expectations.
If you could change one thing about Southern Nevada, what would it be?
I absolutely love Southern Nevada but I would love to enhance entrepreneurial exposure for our elementary and middle school children. I believe we need to reach them early. If you can’t get a job, create one. I started my first business at 14 years old.
What challenges do small-business owners face in Southern Nevada?
Things are getting a lot better for our small businesses. However, we still have a challenge with access to capital for innovative and technological companies. Smaller and minority-owned companies still struggle with contracting opportunities with government and public agencies. We are working toward solutions in that area.
What issues did you address at the Small Business Leadership Summit? What policies do you think need to change to encourage small business?
We addressed opportunities for small businesses to compete in a global market, access to capital with major banks and increased opportunities for federal, state and local contracting for small businesses. We have to understand that small businesses are the answer to high unemployment rates in all states. We hire faster. We develop happy work environments. We give our employees a better opportunity to build a career or another small business.
What has been your most exciting professional project to date?
We are working on a project that builds small businesses, state infrastructure and careers in construction with the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada. Working with small- and minority-owned businesses on Fuel Revenue Indexing projects throughout Southern Nevada has helped secure projects for 71 local small businesses. Approximately 3,378 jobs were either created, secured or regained in the market. Plus, we have 109 design and construction projects to date fixing our community’s roads.
What advice would you give to emerging entrepreneurs?
I would give them a Scripture. Thessalonians 3:10 states, “If a man is not willing to work, he shall not eat.” As an employee, you get paid for showing up to work every two weeks. Entrepreneurs must understand that compensation might not be instant. A proverb that I would change is: “Give a man a fish. Feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish. Feed him for a lifetime.” Dennis Kimbro, author of “The Wealth Choice: Success Secrets of Black Millionaires,” said, “Teach a man to own a pond, and he can help his entire community!” Entrepreneurs should focus on building a business to build their community.
What are you reading?
I am reading two books — “Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap ... and Others Don’t” by Jim Collins, and I just started reading “Mastering the Rockefeller Habits” by Verne Harnish.
What do you do after work?
I spend a lot time with my wife. I play golf and watch sports or The History Channel. I am active in my church as a youth Bible school instructor. My wife and I have eight children and 11 grandchildren to hang with too.
Describe your management style. How did you refine your management approach?
I use the empowerment style of management. I spend a lot of time teaching and training the Sumnu approach to everything. Strategy is first. Why are we doing it? Tactics are second. What resources are available? Execution is next. How are we going to achieve excellence in our execution? Finally, planning always is essential. The first letters of each step spells “STEP.”
Where do you see yourself and your company in 10 years?
I am building Sumnu Marketing to be a legacy. Our family-owned business includes my wife, daughter and niece as the principals. We will pass the torch to the next generation. Our grandchildren, nephews and nieces should follow.
What is your dream job, outside of your current field?
I would enjoy being a high school football coach. I love to mentor, teach and inspire. I choose high school football because our country and the world needs good, strong, Christian men.
If you could live anywhere else in the world, where would it be?
I would love to live in different areas in and out of the country spontaneously, depending on my mood. I just want that freedom before I leave this Earth.
Whom do you admire and why?
I admire my entrepreneurial mentor, Michael Collins. I admire my dad for his African-American pride. I admire my mom for her incredible strength. I admire my wife for her loyalty. Finally, I admire my pastor for his spiritual knowledge and the ability to transfer that knowledge to others.
What is your biggest pet peeve?
Excuses! I don’t believe in excuses. Excuses become a hindrance to excellence. You can make an excuse for anything.
Where do you like to go for business lunches?
My choice for a business lunch depends on my mood. I use Gritz Café because it’s a family-owned small business. Or, I will invite people to Jamms Restaurant on Rainbow Boulevard for a similar reason and the potted bread.
What is something people might not know about you?
I was a teenage father who took the responsibility to raise my daughter and my other three children. Later, I became a single father of four. I married a single mother of four. That was 21 years ago.