HotChat Featuring Emmitt McHenry: African American CEO Who Developed .com

HotChat Featuring Emmitt McHenry: African American CEO Who Developed .com

About the Episode:

Join this conversation with President Sharon Pinder and CRMSDC’s Hall of Famer and Trailblazer Emmit J. McHenry, Founder, Chairman & CEO of Netcom Solutions International, Inc. In this episode, he shares his journey and business insights that have made him successful in the digital space. McHenry believes that business is the best game in the world. It asks for commitment, discipline, physical & mental fitness, and it rewards you for that.

McHenry held various management positions with IBM, Connecticut General, Union Mutual, and Allstate Insurance Company. He served on several insurance industry committees and was a founding member of the American Productivity Management Association. He then founded Network Solutions, Inc., the internet domain services provider, and in 1995, he founded NetCom Solutions International, a telecommunications, engineering, consulting, and technical services company. The company has received awards for excellent service from IBM, NASA, and Lucent Technologies, with revenues of $260 million and over 200 employees in Chantilly, Virginia, and Oklahoma City.

Tune in!

Here’s What You’ll Get In This Episode

[00:10] Episode intro and a quick bio of today’s guest; Emmit Mchenry

[03:59] Emmit’s backstory and how the entrepreneurial spirit came about

[04:41] The African-American business culture in Tulsa as he was growing

[09:18] How his first entrepreneurship experiences shaped him to Network Solutions

[13:27] How Emmit and his partners funded the Network Solutions idea

[16:46] The decision to sell Network Solutions

[17:26] Why you must always get prepared for the market downturns

[18:32] Deals that McHenry regrets not doing

[21:47] The necessity of mentors in his entrepreneurial journey

[24:10] McHenry’s next leap in the new technology arena

[28:41] How Emmit predicts the future of minority businesses will look like

[33:28] How he wishes to have capitalized Network Solutions

[35:25] TCP/IP explained

[42:24] Key golden nuggets and episode wrap up

Notable Quotes

Clarity is power, and clarity is based on understanding purpose and desired outcomes.
Market uncertainties make a difference. Always keep a little something in reserve to take care of the downturns in the market.
A conservative investment will get you through a lot of stuff. Cash is power. Cash is king. Cash is everything.
Though currencies go up and down, you would rather have the currency than be broke when markets go down.
Thinkers and innovators will always win.
Don’t ever allow yourself to be the smartest person in the room. Always have smarter people in your circle for them to challenge you.
Trust and verify. It always makes a difference.
Business is the best game in the world. It asks for commitment, discipline, physical & mental fitness, and it rewards you for that.