Community Highlights: Meet Sharema T. Parham of STP Mills and Company Incorporated

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sharema T. Parham.

Hi Sharema, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I was born in Staten Island, NY. I am the mother of two super amazing young adults Janecia, 21, and Mekhi, 18, both are students at two Florida Universities. I am the founder and CEO of STP Mills and Company Inc. “STP Mills & Co” is a virtual call center, I hire independent contractors to work from home providing inbound call support for a number of fortune 500 companies such as Carnival Cruise Lines, Home Depot, Disney, and Barnes and Noble’s to name a few. I was a teenage Mom. I gave birth to my daughter my senior year of high and immediately began working in corporate America. The challenges of trying to work a 40 hour week and nurture two children were unlimited. There were so many days I struggled with before and after school care, who would pick the children up from school because my shift didn’t end early enough. When the children were sick and needed a doctor visit who could take them because calling out from work simply wasn’t an option in the corporate world.

I had been working for JP Morgan Chase for seven years after many shift bids and mandatory shift changes, I grew tired of being an absent parent, and without knowing what my next move would be in June 2012, I literally walked out on faith and never looked back. I launched STP Mills & Co in January 2013. Using my previous experience as a clerical administrator and contact center professional, I landed a remote call center position for AT&T Wireless that not only allowed me to work from home but I could also make my own schedule around my personal life and the rest is history. STP Mills & Co started with just one customer support professional (myself). This opportunity was heaven-sent, I just couldn’t keep it to myself, and today, eight years later, we have 166 customer support professionals that provide excellent contact center support from the comfort of their own home offices under the STP Mills & Co umbrella.

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Absolutely not! I knew nothing about starting or even running a business, registering with the state, and obtaining a license from the county. Ugh! Building the stpmillsandcompany.com website by myself, I just knew that was going to be the death of me lol. There were many late and sleepless nights and early mornings. As a new entrepreneur, you wear many hats human resources, talent acquisitions, payroll, quality control, training and development, performance reviews, etc. It took me a little while to learn how to not only wear the many hats but to give 100% to each area of function. I must admit I’m still learning.

Networking was definitely my most difficult challenge; I’m an introvert, so introducing myself to people and sharing information with strangers about who I am and what I do made my knees shake every time. I overcame each of these obstacles by staying committed to my goal. I did things like practiced my introduction in the mirror and set aside specific times that each role should be completed. Thank God for my calendar. It is King.

We’ve been impressed with STP Mills and Company Incorporated, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
STP Mills & Co offers work from home jobs that allow you the opportunity to be your own boss. We are a virtual call center that specializes in providing high-quality customer service, sales, technical, and chat support for Fortune 500 Companies. We provide work from home opportunities to highly dedicated and disciplined customer support professionals. We are committed to delivering work-from-home jobs, and we are looking for individuals that are committed to customer engagement and have the ability to build productive relationships, resolve complex issues, and win customer loyalty, all while making money online in your pajamas. Did I mention our customer support professionals make their own schedules? How great is that? STP Mills & Co is Better Business Bureau accredited, 100% responsible, 100% legitimate, and 100% an awesome company. We help place people in work from home jobs for many of the largest companies in the world. Our mission is to help as many people as possible take control of their work-life balance.

I’m most proud of the work STP Mills & Co does within the communities where our customer support professionals reside. I started the STP Mills & Co Foundation as a way to give back and pull others up. The STP Mills & Co foundation mentors middle and high school students, we feed and provide blessing bags to those who are less fortunate, we provide college scholarships for students that have excelled despite their odds, and community assistance awards to assist individuals with a specific civic, educational or human service programs or projects.

What does success mean to you?
I would define success first by saying success looks different for each individual person. Setting a goal and then meeting that goal is a success. No matter how big or small, when you set out to accomplish anything and you achieve it, that is a success. Success can simply be the desire to improve oneself and the will to act on it. Success can be a happy marriage or a flourishing business.

Contact Info:

• Email: stpmills@stpmillsandcompany.com
• Website: https://stpmillsandcompany.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stpmillsandco/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/STPMILLSANDCO
• Twitter: @STPMILLSANDCO
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGnol6igOPm8M446a0kI7dA