Sharita Humphrey never set out to become an entrepreneur. She dreamed of a career as a government auditor, where she could work to pay off student loans and one day retire. But the job turned out to be eye-opening and set Sharita down a different path.
“Without having any entrepreneurs in my family, entrepreneurship was never something that was on my mind,” says Sharita, who was once homeless and seeking financial stability in her work. “But being in that role of a government auditor, I saw every facet of business, from small mom and pops, to small and mid-sized businesses, to global businesses.”
Sharita also saw the incredible lack of education on how to grow from point A to point B among business owners in what she calls the “under community”—underserved, under backed, under banked and underrepresented. This includes women and LGTBQ+ entrepreneurs and those in more rural areas of the U.S.
“A lot of times, we have a passion,” she explains. “We put together our businesses, but we don’t have the foundation to be able to get to the next level and bring in six or seven figures. And let’s just be honest, the government wants a small business to create workforce development.”
Serving the Under Community
Sharita saw so many small businesses struggle, but as a public servant, she could only send them to a website where they could access resources. She wasn’t really able to educate them. This was the push Sharita needed to go out on her own.
She remembers calling her mom to tell her. “I said, ‘Mom, in 6 months, I’m going to leave my job.’ She said, ‘Sharita, you’ve always been a rebel,’ and I said, ‘No, Mom, I’m a trailblazer. I’ll figure it out.’” And so she did.
Sharita started her own business and financial literacy coaching brand, Sharita M. Humphrey, in 2018. Her passion was to teach others, especially women entrepreneurs, people in Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities and those in rural areas.
“I wanted to teach them how to be able to build a sound foundation, starting with personal finance and how it plays a huge role in their banking opportunities,” Sharita explains. When she shared about her new business on social media, she was flooded with interest.
Just 9 months later, Sharita was featured in Forbes as one of the fastest growing businesses. She expanded her reach into the fintech space, becoming media spokesperson for several companies, was invited to write for Newsweek, appeared on CNBC and in other news outlets and became StartupNation’s financial literacy expert.
Just as Sharita’s brand was really taking off, though, she was burning out. She remembers being in New York about to go on iHeartMedia and calling her attorney to tell him. She knew she had been afforded things most people only dream about, but it felt like too much, too quickly.
Getting Back in the Zone
Sharita decided to create a parent company, Change in Motion, to her personal brand that would enable her to work in her “zone of genius” and serve even more people. The mission of this strategic planning and research company is to propel organizations forward through innovation, expertise and unparalleled service.
As part of this, Sharita set out to hire and contract with a super team that is diverse in every capacity, not just color and gender. They have diverse thoughts and believe in being able to use their voices, working with Sharita to advocate for her vision for this new organization.
“You know what, my mom was right, I am a rebel,” she laughs. “I said, ‘I’m not going to work with small businesses directly. I’m going to the agencies and the state, local and federal governments, and we’re going to become the liaison to bring in the resources and bring back data.”
In 2023, Sharita had the opportunity to be part of Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses in Houston. The program got her thinking about an exit strategy, and now, she’s mentoring her right-hand to be CEO with the goal of stepping down in 2030.
“As women entrepreneurs, many times we don’t talk about exit strategy,” she says. “But we should be thinking about that in the very beginning of the business.”
Finding Like-Minded Women
She met amazing women through the Goldman Sachs program, including two who serve on the NAWBO Board in Houston, where Sharita is based. They were looking for more change-makers to be a part of their leadership team when she attended their first conference in 2024 and decided to go for it.
Sharita quickly applied to serve on the NAWBO Houston Board. In fact, when she did her interview, she was in Washington, DC, meeting with the head of the Department of Energy, advocating for women entrepreneurs to have access to those who are in procurement positions. She was appointed to the role of Houston’s Advocacy Chair.
“I told them, ‘I’m going to use the platform I have already built outside of this and help you to build a stronger NAWBO public policy platform.’ They’ve done a lot of great things, but I wanted to show them how to use advocacy to gain members and bring on partners.”
For 2025, NAWBO Houston planned to host the Power of Women in Business conference on January 15th and was interested in getting a NAWBO Houston Day proclamation from the city. Sharita had received two proclamations for her work in the past, so could guide them, but it’s difficult.
The window for proclamation submissions was closed, but Sharita emailed the mayor’s office to let him know this is NAWBO Houston’s 40th year of amplifying local women business owners and they wanted him at the conference to celebrate. When the mayor declined, she asked for the proclamation.
Two weeks later, Sharita received a “Yes!” The mayor’s office even sent staff members to present the proclamation to NAWBO Houston, which Chapter President Amisha Dalwadi proudly accepted.
The NAWBO Houston Board didn’t stop there. They reached out to city officials and council members, who came to thank NAWBO Houston for the great work they are doing. NAWBO National and Institute Board members also attended to show support.
“It really gave us a jumpstart to the year and helped us to increase our membership,” says Sharita. “I think we have a robust group of women who are in the Board seats now, who work really well together and can revamp and reshape what the NAWBO Houston chapter is.”
She adds, “I’m excited to be in this role. I feel like I have the best opportunity to be able to let people know why I support what NAWBO is doing, especially for our Houston women thought leaders, entrepreneurs and founders, and those who are behind us in our next generation.”
A Look Back at NAWBO Houston Day
NAWBO Houston Day was held at the Norris Conference Center in Houston and sponsored by PeopleFund, Houston Community College and Goldman Sachs, as well as local small businesses. It included the proclamation, connections, inspiration and education on topics like community development financial institutions (CDFIs). Here’s a look back in photos:
