Quick Facts
Biography
Sheri Keys (Previously Sheri McConnell) is an American entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker. She is Founder and CEO of the Smart Women’s Institute, a web-based company that focuses on coaching and supporting female entrepreneurs who are starting businesses or growing beyond seven figures, with a following of over 50,000 women subscribers and members.
Career/Entrepreneurial Path
After the birth of her third of four children, Keys left the corporate world in the late 90s as an analyst at Verizon, to begin researching how to create equity with membership-based businesses. As a result, she built and sold multiple networks (associations and institutes), achieving multiple seven-figure success. The Smart Women’s Institute has its roots in the National Association of Women Writers that Keys launched in 2001. The Association grew to over 3000 women before McConnell rebranded it in 2010. Today Sheri is a high school art teacher as well as providing free resources at www.globalartistacademy.com
Books
Keys is author of the Smart Women Book Series, and has been ranked the only female business author in the top 25 on Amazon.com since 2010.
Speaking
Keys speaks to audiences worldwide on entrepreneurship and personal growth. has two college degrees; a Bachelor in Social Work at the University of Texas at Arlington, and a Masters in Organizational Management at the University of Phoenix.
She has appeared on CBS, San Antonio Living NPR, and NBC on shows such as Daytime and Talk of the Town, and has been featured in numerous business publications.
Keys has also been written about and has contributed to numerous entrepreneurial/personal growth books such as The 12 Secrets of Highly Successful Women: A Portable Life Coach for Creative Women, and Mean Girls Grown Up: Adult Women Who Are Still Queen Bees, Middle Bees, and Afraid-to-Bees.