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| Shanon Sumesar-Rai AKA Shanon Nelson, MBA |
Shanon is one of the few women I've known personally who has raised 4 children and also earned an MBA and was a college professor in International Business. That's quite impressive "in my book."
Speaking of books, Shanon is also the author of two uplifting books entitled "Push Past the Pain" and Get Over Your BS. Both are very economically and personally empowering literary works.
She wrote these two books within about a month of each other. This points to her incredible ability to accomplish challenging tasks leading towards her success.
Before I get to her interview, let me first share with you a few of her insightful thoughts I call "Shanonisms."
"As you evolve, grow, change and BECOME the woman, wife, etc. you were DESTINED to be, your message WILL CHANGE, your LIFE will change, your demeanor will CHANGE. Life is about Choices, Challenges and Change. For those unwilling to follow you as you CHANGE, potentially miss out on their opportunity to change and ultimately to be BLESSED in the same manner in which you have been."
"Take the HIGH Road, return a BLESSING for an insult."
"Relationships are a paying it forward exchange, however there are times that reciprocation is not always evident. Just keep loving. The Good book knows BEST, you will reap that in which you sow (eventually)!"
"TRUE LOVE:: I think the key is to FIND YOUR INNER BEAUTY. Work on "becoming" that in which you've always wanted to be. That time of solace and aloneness is for YOU to get Your 'ish' together!!! If you'd like to be sexier, work out and eat properly. Always wanted a career, perhaps get back in school and draft out that career path. Want to be a mommy and don't have a daddy..Consider adoption or sperm donors...FIND YOU (sometimes one loses oneself in relationships) Again, I reiterate, FIND YOU---and then BE IT, whatever IT is for you!!! Before long if a relationship or true love is what you truly desire...It will FIND you, right where you're supposed to be--Being YOU!!! Trouble don't last always...Tough people do!! You can do it!!"
Insights by Shanon Nelson
The Interview with Shanon Sumesar-Rai AKA Shanon Nelson
I asked my buddy "Shan" some questions on her background and insights on success.
Kamau: Professor Nelson can you tell us What’s the Name of Your Company and how do you look to help entrepreneurs?
Shanon: The name of my company is Shanon Nelson International. I look to empower women entrepreneurs that have discipline, commitment, and willingness to Change their Belief System to be successful in their business and have a greater fulfillment in their personal lives.
Kamau: Ms. Nelson can you tell us a little bit about your background, like where you grew up and went to school?
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| Shanon Nelson was Recently Married to Jon Sumesar-Rai |
Shanon: I grew up in a small town, Gainesville, Florida. Really there is nothing spectacular here other than the University of Florida and of course their respective Football and Basketball teams. GO GATORS!!! I actually enjoy sports believe it or not! But this is where I was born and raised and it’s really a nice suburban city to raise children in.
Kamau: When did you decide you wanted to help small business people and women?
Shanon: Well, I’m a business chameleon; I’ve been involved in about every business, MLM, or joint venture that I can think of. Some went very well, and others were learning experiences and an opportunity to personally develop others.
For example, it took me one time to go to a Tax Deed Sale and purchase a property that I had NEVER SEEN before to realize the importance of making sure the Roof and AC unit is in good working condition before purchasing a rehab house. Thank Goodness the Roof and AC were fine in this home, but I took a huge risk.
So I purchased a 20K, 2 bedroom house for less than 3K from my savings. Don’t tell me what single mothers can’t do. With that tax return refund go buy yourself a FIXER UPPER. Just be sure to SEE the house first, have some subcontractors that you trust on hand, and do your research on Tax Deed Sales.
Also, consider partnering with other single women who want to grow their real estate portfolios and begin one house at a time or one Single Tenant Net Lease Investment. That would be amazing! Be sure to get in touch with me after on Facebook and share your success stories! I enjoy receiving those from people.
Kamau: At what point in your life did you decide you wanted to become an entrepreneur?
Shanon: For me it had to have been my senior year of college. I graduated Fall 2001, so that must have been around Fall 2000.
I had gone through a myriad of majors from Law to Engineering and then Management Information Systems which was a hybrid of Business Management and Technology. That FIT!
So I stuck with it, but I read this book Rich Dad, Poor Dad my senior year of college and the book literally SHOOK the paradigm that I had been taught for so many years. I was like, I've been duped!
Kiyosaki shared how important it was to own your own business and invest in assets which allowed one to enjoy great tax advantages. For example, Employees earn, get taxed on what they earn and then they try to live on what is left.
A corporation (business) earns, spends everything it can, and is taxed on anything that is left. Essentially, by owning your own business-vacations are board meetings in Hawaii. Car payments, insurance, repairs are company expenses. Health club membership is a company expense. Most gourmet meals at restaurants are partial expenses. Who couldn’t get used to that?
Kamau: Who were some of your role models that influenced you to go into business?Shanon: Robert Kiyosaki, Donald Trump –due to– Their Mindset! Despite what was going on in their lives they persevered and succeeded.
Trump’s been bankrupt, Kiyosaki and his wife have been homeless, but they didn’t allow their circumstances to dictate how they’d end up. They persevered and now one has built a billion dollar empire and the other is well on his way. I’d say they are doing very well!
Kamau: What were some of the biggest challenges to you becoming successful in life?
Shanon: Fear of Failure and Unbelief. I got a hold of one of John Maxwell’s books Failing Forward and realized that failure was simply information (feedback) to be utilized to succeed going forward on the next business venture or a way to monetize the failure by becoming an infopreneur and preventing others from making the same mistakes that I had.
I was able to BREAK the spirit of Fear over my life because I took on the mantra ‘Failure Inspires Winners & Failure Defeats Losers’. Repeating Fran Tarkenton’s quote: “Winning means being unafraid to lose.”
People like Fran are not afraid of losing because they know who they are. They hate losing so they are inspired to become better! It’s OK to be afraid or a bit nervous. To be quite honest it helps prepare you for greatness! You have to WORK at BEING ON POINT for that Keynote, Seminar, or Workshop—because you realize that you are only as good as your last success.
Kamau: When did you decide that the Internet is a place that you wanted to do business?
Shanon: Well a few years ago I got stuck with a course at the college that NOBODY desired to teach– International Business. And at first it was a bit intimidating because I haven’t traveled extensively although I desire to.
I searched and there weren't many, if any grants, stipends, anything out there for Professors to go abroad and do business during the summer or for a few weeks, just to get a sense of how foreigners do business. So much of my Business Management expertise was from experience, and all of my international business expertise was from a textbook from others with the experiences.
It was a bit intimidating at first because many of my students knew more about their native countries than I did in terms of business because they grew up there and I only had information from periodicals, text books, video documentaries, etc. But when I really got out of my own way and ran the class as if we were all professionals with specific expertise that each needed in order to succeed — it was a success! Somebody say PERSPECTIVE.I assigned 15-20 page research papers (with credible, verifiable, references) to the students so that I could vicariously live through them and learn the systems of the different countries. If I desired to know more about specific countries, I’d specially request that someone take that country.
I learned so much about the way countries conducted business and what the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of doing business in that particular country were. The more I wanted to know, the more refined the assignment became.
I was ELATED because it was no longer from a textbook author’s research (which I’m CERTAIN is VALID), but from natives from all over the world.
And the best part is each semester we have an International Day where the students either purchase or cook a native dishes from their country. OOOOOOO…NOW that’s FUN and YUMMY!!!
Kamau: What makes your products or services unique or different from other business gurus and speakers?
Shanon: I have a variety of experiences and expertise as a Professor, Author, Speaker, Licensed Real Estate Agent, Investor and Minister…I mean what haven’t I done? I have a GENUINE HEART for people and the DESIRE to see them succeed in their goals.
I LOVE PEOPLE!! It’s about sharing with someone else my secrets to success so that they too can have joy, peace, financial security, good kids, meaningful relationships, and their own business. I’m sure other speakers are also phenomenal, but God only made ONE SHANON!
I don’t just make products for the sake of selling a product or service, quite frankly I give just as much away, you just have to be on my mailing lists and apart of my network to be close enough to get those things. I have a vested interest in the success of my clients.
Kamau: What are your top suggestions for people looking to become successful?
Shanon: I usually charge BIG BUCKS for this but I’ll go ahead and give it away to right now, but be sure to purchase my book within the next 24 hours and contact me and I’ll throw in my Millionaire Mindset MP3 set.
But what are my top suggestions for people looking to become successful.
1. Strengthen your RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD or your personal deity.
2. PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT is the Umbilical Cord to your sustenance. You can’t thrive and survive without building your mind up DAILY. You have to put as MUCH PRESSURE as you can on ACHIEVING THAT IN WHICH YOU SAY THAT YOU WANT.
If success to you is being more FIT, you must put PRESSURE on that desire by CHANGING your eating habits, INVESTING in assistance (Hiring a Trainer) and Mentally Preparing yourself for a CHALLENGE.
Today as I sweated my buns off with my trainer I continued to say aloud, NO EXCUSES, ONLY RESULTS when I was tired or felt like quitting. I heard Muhammad Ali say that when he was training he didn't even start counting until it hurt…Imagine how much DISCIPLINE that took to PUSH PAST THE PAIN and INTO PURPOSE.
3. DISCIPLINE You can do ANYTHING if you’re willing to WORK FOR IT! There will be BRICK WALLS along the way, but as Randy Pausch, former Carnegie Melon Professor, Walls are there to SHOW us how badly we want something. If you aren’t willing to PUSH PAST SOME PAIN, you don’t want it badly enough.
4. COMMITMENT You must be willing to endure during the tough times. Let’s take marriage for example. It’s not always that buoyant feeling we felt on our wedding day, but we made a commitment through richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do us part. We must be as committed to our dreams, businesses, and vision. You won’t accomplish anything you refuse to commit to do.
5. PERSEVERANCE As I said the road won’t always be easy, but the REWARDS will be! Trouble doesn't last always. It can’t. We must pick ourselves up, dust the dirt off and STAY LASER FOCUSED ON OUR GOALS.
Kamau: Can you tell us about what inspired you to write Get Over Your B.S.?
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| Order Get Over Your BS |
Shanon: Well, I had written a book entitled "Push Past The Pain and Into Your Purpose" and sent it to my Business Coach to review, and while he enjoyed the book he felt that I really didn’t share my qualifications for being able to discuss pain. LOL! (Business Folk) Always looking for Qualifications.
So he suggested that I write another book that would tell my story….OOOOOoooo, that was tough for me because like Langston Hughes, Life for me aint been no Crystal Stair. I was a bit embarrassed to share my story, I felt that I was now polished and no one would ever imagine where I came from so - why must I do this!
As quickly as I begin giving him all the reasons I could not, he continued reminding me of my vision, purpose, and goals that I had shared with him prior. Needless to say, I did it! And it emphasizes the importance of Mindset. “My brain gets stronger every day because I exercise it.”
Kamau: Where can people get more info and look to obtain your products and services.
Shanon: You can follow me on Facebook at Push Past the Pain or order my book Get Over Your B.S. at Amazon
Check out this Youtube Video by Shanon Sumesar-Rai (formerly Shanon Nelson)
About the Publisher of Kamau's Qu!ps
Kamau's Qu!ps is Published by Kamau Austin. Kamau is a popular Blogger, Writer, and Internet Marketing Professional helping small businesses grow more profitable businesses online. If you need web design, blogging, search engine or social media promotion contact him at Search Engine Plan
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