Contributors
CEO/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF DEBORAH FRANKLIN
SENIOR EDITOR JC GARDNER
CREATIVE DIRECTOR KANDIE MARTIN
FEATURED COLUMNISTS
LATANYA HENRY-SMITH, PHD MELISSA POLANCO MAURICE “MO” WASHINGTON CEDREKA BAGGETT DEBRAYTA SALLEY
LEADER IN MINISTRY SPOTLIGHT BY JC GARDNER
Sheila Farr, Owner and CEO Gulf Coast Training and Education Services, LLC
The popular adage, “When God closes a door, He’ll open a window,” proved itself to be true for Sheila Farr, who started her business, Gulf Coast Training and Education Services, once her beloved employer sold his company to a larger corporate giant. It was a pivotal moment for her but also a blessing in disguise. At her previous job, she had put her heart and soul into all of the day-to-day management of staff, including payroll, operations and training. “We had the most phenomenal work environment ever. People truly were a team. We were profitable, we served the community and our patients. We were friends inside and outside of work.” The new workplace, however, no longer felt like a home away from home to her, as it became subjected to corporate’s cookiecutter method of doing things. Not only that, her position was already duplicated within the organization. “Once the transition was done, they didn’t know what to do with me.” It was a painful realization that what once was, was now no more.
“When you watch your baby get dismembered limb by limb, it’s difficult. At first, you may even question what is happening and why.” Then just like that, “God opened a window, and I fell out of one position and into another” right in my own backyard. The transition to solo-preneur was an inevitable one, as friends and family were constantly nudging her to open her own business. While she worked full time, she was always using her extensive skillset of 25 years in human resource and medical management to assist flailing businesses navigate pitfalls on the road to success. After much prayer and discernment, 4 years ago, Gulf Coast Training and Education Services, LLC, was born, and she has turned her passion and expertise for strategic planning into a thriving international business. She notes a commonality with many of her clients. “People struggle a lot with direction. They get stuck and don’t know what to do next when their business starts failing. All they see is the struggle. They bring me the broken pieces, but there are still pieces, so I say let’s see what we can do.”
Some of the services she provides include marketing plans, business plans, various aspects of human resources (compliance, diversity, and HIPPA training) and creation of employee handbooks. She is all about ensuring her clients succeed, as long as they come open and ready to work. She likes to say, “It’s going to be ugly. It won’t look good or feel good initially, but you’ll see progress as you go and things will feel a whole lot better for you.” And she has receipts to prove her concepts work, helping businesses shift from little to no profits to prosperous and thriving. One of her favorite quotes is from Eleanor Roosevelt. For our own success to be real, it must contribute to the success of others. “I’m such a cheerleader. Often times, I’d rather see others succeed than see myself succeed. I love to see people win.” This winning attitude comes with a consistent and fervent prayer life. One of the first things she’ll ask you as a new client is, “Have you prayed about it as much as you’ve talked about it?” That’s a Word right there for somebody! In reflecting on her decision to become an entrepreneur, if the buy-out had not occurred, she probably wouldn’t have stepped out and opened her own business. The door closing led to her doing something she is in love with. “I now have the opportunity to positively impact so many lives.” As stated in Psalms 37:4: Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart (NIV). Sheila Farr is an eternal optimist! After 20 years of building and managing million-dollar businesses for others, she stepped out and started her own business in 2017. Sheila is a 4-time best-selling author. Always a cheerleader for others, she inspires and motivates people through her blog, “Thankful and Blessed 365,” and is the founder of “Biloxi Reads!,” a literacy initiative along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Connect with Sheila at: www.gulfcoasttraining.org