Meet Shunte’ Cakley | Serial Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shunte’ Cakley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shunte’, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I’ve always had a love and spirit for entrepreneurship. Even after graduating college, working for various corporate jobs and after obtaining my MBA, I always knew that I would be an entrepreneur.. My thought process came from not wanting to work a traditional 9 to 5 job, being able to live life on my own terms and being unsatisfied with a life that relegated me to the sidelines or the background at times while working in Corporate America. I find much joy in waking up when I want to, although I sleep a-lot less now that I am an entrepreneur than I did when I worked a 9 to 5 but that’s just part of the excitement that comes with it. Even when I worked in Corporate America, I always kept something going on, on the side, as a side hustle. My aspirations were always to do something greater than Corporate America.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Absolutely, I currently own a Credit Repair Company, An Online Women’s Boutique and I teach courses to students interested in starting their own Credit Repair Company and or Boutique via an online bootcamp academy. My previous career as an educator and my passion for mentoring helps me tremendously in sharing my gifts to aspiring entrepreneurs. I am most proud of being a mom to 3 (ages 20, 19 and 17), wife and being able to learn something new daily. I am a forever student in this entrepreneur world and I am proud of it. I got to where I am today because I am from a family of entrepreneurs (it’s in my blood), family that supports me, prayer, and a lot of hard work.  Also, having dedication and never giving up plays a major role in my success. Was it easy? No way, if it was, everyone would do it.. Some entrepreneurs make it seem easy but I will not lie and say that it is. I have many long days and nights but I press forward each and every day and I don’t give up. I overcome challenges by studying my craft and continue to get better than the day before. I set daily, weekly, quarterly and yearly goals and work toward them consistently. Writing down my tasks and goals help keep me on track. Some of the lessons I have learned along the way are: Your friends may not support you and that’s ok, your biggest supporters are oftentimes strangers and that’s ok. It’s important to learn how to separate business from personal relationships and it’s important to be 100% professional 100% of the time. My Brand is growing on a daily basis. In addition to my credit repair company, online women’s boutique, and academy courses,  I will be incorporating professional tax preparation services this upcoming tax season. I am very excited about offering my current and new clients a one stop shop for their financial needs. Stay tuned. The best is yet to come.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I am picking up my best friend from the airport to visit Dallas for a weeklong stay. The first thing we are doing is stopping off at True Kitchen & Cocktails downtown Dallas for lunch and catching up over a delicious meal with yummy cocktails.  The next day would be a stay at home day to relax and chill and have a BBQ (hubby will be cooking for us and making the best Margaritas in town. He also throws down on the grill). We would hang out playing Phase ten (Card game) and Dominoes, listening to music and eating and laughing all day long. The next day I would show her around the city, have a day of sightseeing and visit model homes of areas we want to build our next house.  A shopping day is in order the next day, so we would go in and out of a few stores, the outlet mall, and look for a few thrift stores.  A spa day would be in the cards for the next day.  You can never go wrong with facials, Mani/Pedi, & full body massages, hot tub and sauna.  This is my definition of a beautiful day to relax and unwind.  Now that I have created a perfect week of fun things to do, let me hop online and book my best friend a round trip ticket from Tampa lol.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to shoutout and recognize my loving husband Marquise who has always been there for me throughout this road to entrepreneurship. Anytime I have a great idea for a new business endeavor, he is the first person I bounce ideas off. He always gives me honest feedback and his honest opinion. He has helped me tremendously in getting to where I am today, consistently encouraging and supporting me. I couldn’t ask for a better business partner, best friend and spouse. I also would like to shout out to my parents.  They have supported me and encouraged me from the very beginning, I used to sell everything from caramel covered apples, pickles, candy, kids charms and jewelry at recess and after school in elementary. I did braids and extensions in my early adulthood and they have always supported me in everything I wanted to do.  They recognized this love I have for entrepreneurship early on and encouraged me along the way.  They cheer for me all the way from Arizona and I am forever grateful for a loving and supportive family.

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