Shad the White

Shadrach White is a hawk. He makes no apologies for this. Like the bird, his present company CloudPWR is dynamic, focused, and on a mission. Their vision statement reflects this.

• We are an agile software company with extensive design and development experience. Our products and the solutions we deploy reflect the joy of simplicity.
• We are listeners, thinkers, and doers.

Being two of the three won't work. It's imperative for him to listen to the client's needs, think about how to solve their problems, and then obviously actually do the work. To do this properly requires a team. One thing that Mr. White is concerned about is the character of who he works with. Skills can be taught, but character is molded through life and difficult to correct when poorly cast. White understands this and seems willing to invest in employees of integrity who may take more training in the short run, but are much more valuable in the long run.

This is not to say that he hires charity cases who can't do their jobs. On the contrary, money has been the biggest motivator for him. That's why he is, what he terms, a "revenue hawk." He explained that everything else can be perfectly set up for a business to succeed, but it's all for nothing if the finances are not in place and are not well handled.  Otherwise, the business would be a non-profit (and even then, it usually still matters.) White is in business to make money, but he has other motivations as well. His pricing structure for CloudPWR shows that.  He offers what is, in effect, a substantial discount for the small businessman. He doesn't call it that, but the price per hour of work ends up being a lot less for his smaller clients. That might seem counter-productive for a revenue hawk, but White believes in balance.

To achieve that balance, he shares his four secrets of success:

1. Be a revenue hawk. Always remember that the bottom line counts, and that money drives your business. Understand what selling is. Ask the money questions first.  He shared that an otherwise successful sportswear company of his failed to reach its full potential because this concept got buried. Keep your eye on the money, and have a 3-6 month cash reserve.
2. Be a person of good moral character. Smile, be kind, treat others fairly, and let your word be your bond. Create a culture that people want to be around. His advice is to make friends quickly, without oversharing. Associate with other people of good character.  This benefits all parties as you build each other up. Trust your gut: run if your "spidey-sense" tingles. If you intuitively sense that something is off with a potential partner, trust it. 
3. Make time to relax and rejuvenate. Work matters, but the whole of your life matters more.
4. Learn about things outside your wheelhouse. Be a whole person, because a well-rounded person brings ideas, skills, and knowledge that come from more than just one place. The ability to communicate on a small-talk level is important in building relationships.

White chose to get a GED, and went the technical school route instead of a university. Before he could get his bachelor's degree, he began a landscaping business. Clients were happy and the business was successful. His second business, a sportswear company, fared well until some mismanagement of funds. White moved on to document management, and when he saw the need for better cloud management in the government sector, he founded CloudPWR. His plan is for a more altruistic company in the next go-round  It is precisely because he concentrated on being that revenue hawk in his previous companies that he now has the ability to focus his efforts on "giving back" to his community.

Lastly, he recommended studying the Securities Act of Washington, to make sure you're protected when handling employees and possible future employees.