Feature Story

Tested Tough Techie
Strategies for Success
By Carol Cortright

If you don’t plan, you could fail. If you don’t perform, you could die. As a Marine Corps lieutenant colonel in Iraq, Sherman LaCost developed skills that prepared him for entrepreneurship. “When bombs are dropping on you, it tends to change the way you think,” he said, illustrating how his special ops training prepared him for starting his own business. “You don’t get shaken easily.”

Today, Sherman is the CEO/CIO of STWF Communications Inc., a company that provides professional computer services, such as integrating new software with old, and helping clients add new capabilities to their existing systems. “I’m like a mad scientist in my lab,” he proclaims. Sherman’s team can duplicate problems in his computer lab and test possible solutions before implementing them because, he points out, “You don’t need someone tinkering with your live network.”

Among its menu of services, STWF provides storage/backup and tech support for both wired and wireless environments. IT consultants offer network analysis and planning for tactical and strategic growth as well. Also, STWF is involved in research and development of RFID, radio frequency identification, and how it can be applied to understanding consumer behavior in order to improve the experience, leading to increased purchases and revenue.

Bolstered by winning the University of Tampa’s business plan competition in 2006, and representing the University as a finalist at the state level in March 2007, Sherman has taken his fledgling concept to the next level. Doors opened with opportunities and the chance to meet and work with new mentors. Sherman’s life has unfolded in a pattern that weaves military sensibilities with business acumen, giving him a unique outlook that serves him well on the battlefield and in the corporate arena.

Know Yourself

The son of an Illinois state trooper, Sherman was introduced to a military mindset early. In 1984, before he was out of his teens, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and remained on active duty for ten years. Along the way, he secured a scholarship to the University of Illinois and became a second lieutenant. Sherman displayed a knack for being the “crypto guy” with a flair for technical mathematics and he was drawn into the field of telecommunications. Always one to enjoy the challenge of creatively solving complex problems, it’s not surprising that he earned two patents during his time spent as a senior engineer with MCI during the mid-1990s. A third patent followed in 1998 while managing the network operations center for Target/Dayton Hudson Corporation under MCI. Plenty of professional recognition has come Sherman’s way, including MCI’s Hero Award for superior leadership and a Smithsonian Award for “innovation in business and technology.”

As a reservist, Sherman’s life has been “pretty hectic and colorful” since 9-11-01. Immediately after the terrorist attacks, he was one of the first dozen mobilized reservists activated for service. After participating in various capacities over the next three years and becoming certified as a weapons and tactics instructor, Sherman was deployed to Babylon, Iraq as commander of a Marine unit integrated with U.S. Special Forces. During this tour, Sherman received the Bronze Star with Valor. He believes that essential leadership skills are honed on the battlefield — effective decision-making is critical. One small mistake could result in the loss of his men. The trust his soldiers’ families placed in him as their commander was no small matter and he is proud that he sent them all home when their tour ended.

Get Organized

Sherman laughs when asked what a day in his life is like. “Organized chaos,” he answers. He’s not kidding. This is a man who juggles an emerging business, service to his country, and the needs of his young family. Sherman’s wife Ramona is the CFO of the company as well as mother of his five-year-old son and three-year-old daughter. Not only does he make sure to schedule time for them—he insists he is a romantic at heart—he also looks for “targets of opportunity.” He jumps at any chance to spend quality time with those who matter most in his life.

As far as business goes, he prioritizes a handful of major tasks each day and tackles them methodically, tracking dates and times for completion. “You have to focus on one project at a time or you lose traction,” he says, pointing out a potential pitfall of multitasking. “If a person can accomplish 80% of what’s on the list every day, he’ll be successful.”

Ask for Help

One important concept that is especially hard for entrepreneurs to accept is asking for help. In Iraq, Sherman understood that a team is more effective than an individual because everyone contributes a special strength or talent — no one person can do everything. In business, when faced with a brick wall, the best thing to do is find someone to talk to, perhaps others in your field, or a forum such as the CEO Council of Tampa Bay. He says that successful entrepreneurs are usually happy to lend an ear—chances are they learned a few lessons the hard way and know exactly what you’re up against. Down the road, you’ll have the opportunity to repay the kindness when someone just starting out asks you for help.

Another word of advice for budding entrepreneurs is passion. “If you’re passionate about your goal, you’ll succeed,” Sherman guarantees. “And if you fall down, you get right back up.” Business, just like life, is full of learning experiences.

Network

Networking is at the top of the list when it comes to important business resources. “You have to pay attention the people around you,” Sherman says. Everyone you meet has a unique perspective. And who knows? They could contribute an idea you might never have considered otherwise.

Recognize Human Potential

Along with networking and making an effort to get out there and meet people, Sherman strives to nurture others and look for opportunities to foster growth, whether it’s his soldiers in the field, employees or members of the community. Sherman’s father, the state trooper, spent his spare time ripping up and redesigning every house they ever lived in during Sherman’s childhood. Sherman inherited this construction gene and created base camp projects for his men in Iraq that improved their living conditions and morale during their tour of duty, which also kept them busy — and out of trouble. (He also completely remodeled his home in South Tampa to the surprise of his dad, who didn’t think young Sherman was paying attention during those earlier years.)

He believes that leadership transcends rank or level. It is a leader’s responsibility to recognize the contributions of each team member. He once encouraged a colleague to seek an advanced position with another company. He saw that she was very good at her job but the right door wasn’t opening for her. She took his suggestion and achieved a better position elsewhere. Similarly, he advises to always take care of employees and they will take care of the company.

Meet Client Expectations

“If you don’t deliver what you promise,” Sherman explains, “you won’t be in business very long.” Understand that your cash flow is connected to customer service. When you keep your customers happy, the demand for your services continues and so does the cash flow. Focus on making the customers happy and the rest will follow, he says.

Give Back

When asked how he came to create his company, STWF, Sherman’s story echoes his habit of affecting a positive change. In his South Tampa neighborhood, he saw an opportunity to help older residents who are often apprehensive to use new technology, learn to embrace it, and improve their quality of life. He wanted to teach them how to feel empowered and connected, instead of feeling out of touch. Using wireless technology, he started helping elderly ladies communicate with their friends via computers when mobility issues made it difficult for them to socialize in person. Soon, they were able to play backgammon and cards online with each other.

Sherman believes that as a society, we should take care of our elderly population to show our gratitude for all they have done for us during their lifetimes. “Each member of (an age) group provides balance and culture to our communities,” he says, so his company uses its resources and strengths to make sure this segment of the population remains an active participant in society as long as possible.

He realized that helping others made him feel good. It began when he started taking notice of the frenzied consumer behavior around the holidays and decided that rather than get caught up in it, he would volunteer at a soup kitchen instead. Sherman hopes his actions serve as an example for his children, clearly the light of his life. It’s no surprise to hear that little Sherman is one of his dad’s favorite people, and in fact, even imparts the wisdom of a five-year-old on his entrepreneur pop. When asked whom he counts among his business mentors, Sherman says, “My son frequently reminds me that the simplest approach is often the best.”

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