HAMLET – As of 20 years ago, Shanieka Davis from Rockingham has been a nurse. She got her training as a nursing assistant and practical nurse at Richmond Community College. That being said, she is also the owner of S-Class Logistics, a trucking business that sends freight.
The first load was hired by S-Class Logistics on April 24. Since then, the company has been growing quickly. Five years ago, she began this journey. Now, she wants to teach others what she has learned.
Davis is putting on a free lecture called “Introduction to the Business of Freight Dispatching” with the help of RichmondCC’s Small Business Center on Oct. 22 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Robinette Building in Rockingham. She will talk about how to start your own business and the world of trucking logistics.
Through the Small Business Center, Davis has gone to 27 webinars and gotten 35 hours of coaching. It all began when, in the summer of 2019, she looked into ways to work for herself.
Davis thought about getting a business driver’s license so she could drive an over-the-road truck. She was a single mom, though, so she didn’t want to bring her daughter on the road with her. That wasn’t the life she wanted for her child.
While Davis was on Facebook in September 2019, he saw a post about a workshop called “The Best Small Business to Start in 2020” being put on by RichmondCC’s Small Business Center. She joined the free webinar, took the class, and was hooked!
Davis went to seven more classes at the Small Business Center and then started seeing Wayne “Butch” Farrah, who was the director of the SBC at the time, for therapy. Davis thought about starting a business from home to sell nursing and medical clothes. But after putting together a business plan and cash flow
For Farrah, she decided that it would cost too much to begin with. In November 2020, she put that business plan on hold.
In 2022, Davis learned how to do nails and thought about starting a nail salon. She chose not to go ahead with it because it felt more like a sport to her.
Davis thought about working as a truck driver again and started going to The Trucking Guru’s “Trucking Tuesday” on Instagram Live. Knox Henderson, the Trucking Guru, asked Davis why she wanted to drive the truck when she could own the business. Davis felt something about this.
Henderson’s Freight Dispatching Course was what she bought in July 2023 and finished in three weeks. Davis learned a lot from the class, but she thought she needed more hands-on experience, like the clinical hours she did while she was learning to be a nurse.
Davis started seeing Renae Simon, a guest psychologist at RichmondCC and a webinar host, in November 2023 after going to one of Simon’s WIX webinars. Simon made a logo, business cards, and a website for her company, S-Class Logistics. Simon also told her to get help from someone in the trucking business.
In February of this year, Davis took a compliance course with Sherranda Ivey. During a Q&A session, she met Dominique Ballard of Unique Way Trucking, who is now her dispatching instructor and best friend.
Davis needed real work, and Ballard gave it to her. She finished Ballard’s course on March 10. A week later, she got her first carrier. It went live on March 25 for Davis.
Davis now works with haulers and owner-operators all over the country after getting his first load in April. She quickly learned that she only wants to work with shippers that are willing to follow the rules.
Davis currently runs S-Class Logistics from Monday to Friday. On the weekends, she works as a nurse until her new business can support her and her daughter. Davis doesn’t plan to stop there, though. In the future, she wants to get her broker’s license and own her own ship.
Davis does more than just dispatching. She also does compliance, drug consortium, and advising. She has three Success Packages for new Trucking Authorities and nine other services that can be ordered separately from dispatching.
She is making her own classes to teach and giving guest counseling services to the Small Business Center to help other people start their own logistics businesses. This will help S-Class Logistics find new employees as it grows.
Davis said, “The Small Business Center at Richmond Community College has been very helpful in making my business grow and run more smoothly.”
“The center’s many classes and resources have taught me a lot of useful and useful things.” I’ve learned useful skills and information from classes like “How to Start a Business,” “Design a WIX Website for Beginners,” “Basics of Bookkeeping,” and “Introduction to QuickBooks.” I’ve used these things in my own life.
running a business. The committed staff’s guidance and help have also been very important in shaping my journey as an entrepreneur.
Davis said that the Small Business Center has helped her save a lot of money as she has grown her own business and now she has very low overhead costs.
Davis also said, “I have handled the challenges of running a business with confidence and skill, turning my vision into a thriving reality.”
She always does her “homework,” shows up to counseling meetings ready, and puts what she learns into practice. She has been a dream client for the Small Business Center.
Davis said, “The Richmond Community College Small Business Center helped shape and mold my mind.” “This is such a blessing.” There are too many words in the language to describe how grateful I am.
Call (910) 410-1687 or email [email protected] to find out more about the Oct. 22 program at the Small Business Center. People will be able to sign up for lessons at RichmondCC on how to start a freight dispatching business after the seminar.
Visit https://www.ncsbc.net/reg.aspx?mode=event&event=400440063 to sign up for the session.