Shakori Edwards

Shakori Edwards is an entrepreneur, author, and songwriter from St. George, South Carolina. A self taught developer, she has built and launched her own apps and websites from idea to finish. Her memoir, From $20 to a Porsche: A Real World Story (October 24, 2026), tells how she rebuilt her life after hitting $20.94 in the bank. Her inspirational single "I Chose Me" (October 30, 2026) is the soundtrack to that comeback.

Shakori Edwards grew up in St. George, South Carolina, in a family that has educated and ministered to the community for generations, beginning with her great great grandfather, Rev. M.O. Stewart, who founded a church in nearby Reevesville in 1875. Her mother, the late Gwendolyn Leona Stewart Edwards, was an educator for more than 40 years, as was her grandmother, and her father, Larry Edwards, and her siblings all worked in the local school district. Her mother's words still guide her: "May the work I've done speak for me."

In high school, Shakori earned a computer technology certificate through the Dorchester Career and Technology Center. She went on to the University of South Carolina Aiken, but when she became pregnant she stepped away to raise her son, and from there her life did not move in a straight line. In one season her car was totaled, her father's truck died on the interstate, and her bank account read $20.94. She rebuilt one decision at a time, and later she drove off in a Porsche. Her memoir, From $20 to a Porsche: A Real World Story, tells that journey honestly, from the lowest point to the comeback. She wrote it so someone else at rock bottom can see that you can make it out and be good on this side.

She turned the same story into song. "I Chose Me," her first single, is an inspirational anthem for anyone who finally put themselves first.

Shakori is also a self taught builder. She started out helping people with their businesses, and that work grew into Business Key Solutions, where she now designs and develops websites, apps, and digital products, including most of the content she presents. Every app is her own idea, built from beginning to end: she has 9 apps live on Google Play and 6 on the Apple App Store, with 3 more in review, plus websites for each of her brands. Most of her apps are built to run on their own with little day to day upkeep, and she uses AI tools throughout her work to build faster. Beyond that high school certificate, everything she builds she taught herself.

She founded Youngpreneur Academy, a nonprofit that provides resources and courses for young people who want to become entrepreneurs, and it has hosted a program with South Carolina State University through its 1890 program. She also designed the Youngpreneur brand and its store, shopyoungpreneur.com, to help support the mission.