Effició® is Latin for “to do, produce, effect, make,” a name chosen because it reflects what company owners come to us to accomplish. Since 2001, we have worked alongside CEOs to strengthen their business infrastructure while expanding their capacity to operate with precision, clarity, and intention. Our work supports those committed to building enterprises that last with discipline.
Getting to the CORE of business® defines our work. It requires depth, honesty, and rigor, an immersive process that helps owners uncover what drives results, what creates drag, and what must be strengthened to sustain the company.
We are an education firm serving company owners who identify as CEO. Our process transmogrifies how owners think, decide, and operate. The model is intellectually rigorous and designed to help owners excavate, sort, cut, polish, and sustain every critical layer of their business. Infrastructure, operations, and business model clarity develop together as cumulative and interdependent elements, forming the foundation through which companies are built, strengthened, and sustained across generations.
Our Distinction
Effició’s education centers on execution as the basis for learning and capability. Company owners build judgment, develop transferable skills, and apply learning across domains through sustained, intentional action. Our facilitation integrates strategic collaboration, applied practice, and forward movement, strengthening critical thinking, informed judgment, and the ability to build durable infrastructure.
We measure our success by the success of our clients and scholars. Many achieve measurable gains in skills, revenue, and operational intelligence within two months of engagement.
CORE, our current education program, expresses this approach through a 24-month education experience structured around continuity, standards, and completion.
A Legacy of Excellence, Innovation, and Growth
For over two decades, Effició has delivered a sophisticated education model tailored to the evolving challenges faced by company owners. The milestones below mark how we’ve continued to extend our programs and maintain our commitment to precise, effective business education.
2001 – Laying the Foundation for Perpetual Business Education
Effició’s structured education framework was introduced, establishing a systematic approach to business infrastructure, operations, and business model development.
2003 – Effició, Inc. Officially Incorporated
Effició was formally established with a clear mission: to provide company owners with a structured, education-driven approach to business ownership, focusing on infrastructure, operational strategy, and long-term sustainability.
2004 – First CORE Graduating Class
Effició’s first graduating class of CORE celebrated in style at the Ashford Club in Atlanta, GA, marking the beginning of a new era in structured business education.
2005 – Effició Media: Pioneering Business Broadcasting
Effició launched Effició Media, including Effició Radio Network (ERN) and Effició TV Network (ETN), establishing itself as an early adopter of internet radio—long before podcasts became mainstream. ERN’s signature tagline, “Don’t touch that mouse,” accompanied over 100 live episodes of Real Women, Real Business: Revealing the Soul of Business. This series featured in-depth interviews with both everyday company owners and globally recognized leaders, including Cathy Hughes (Radio One, TV One), Susan Taylor (then Editor of Essence Magazine), Lisa Price (Carol’s Daughter), Sheryl Lee Ralph (Actress & Activist), and Carol Alt (Supermodel, Raw Food Enthusiast, and Author). ETN took business storytelling even further with The CORE Diaries, a groundbreaking reality-style series that documented the real, unfiltered journey of company owners working through Effició’s business-building process. The network also featured exclusive interviews and Day in the Entrepreneurial Life segments, providing a behind-the-scenes look at the realities of business ownership.
2006 – Effició Moves to Charlotte, NC
Relocating to Charlotte required building an entirely new network. CEO Sherese Duncan expanded Effició’s reach by engaging with higher education, the SBA, and becoming the youngest SCORE counselor in the Charlotte chapter, the only woman at the time. The original team at the SouthPark office played a crucial role in establishing Effició’s presence in the region.
2007 – Expanding Business Education & Strategic Training
Effició broadened its educational reach, integrating blended learning models that combined structured coursework, training, and professional advisory to equip company owners with deeper operational expertise.
2010 – First Supported CORE Program at a Local Community College
Effició partnered with the city to offer scholarships for CORE, running the program over four full semesters at a local community college, further expanding access to structured business education.
2011 – CORE Goes Fully Online & Enters Virtual Reality
For the first time, the full CORE program was launched online as a blended learning program, expanding accessibility for company owners nationwide. Effició also pioneered virtual business education by teaching CORE on Second Life, where ten business owners participated in a fully immersive virtual reality learning experience, years ahead of mainstream adoption of virtual platforms
2012 – Strengthening Business Infrastructure & Operational Mastery
The curriculum evolved to emphasize business infrastructure, operational precision, and strategic skill-building, ensuring company owners could execute with clarity and control.
2014 – Elevating Learning Structures & Scholar Support
Effició formalized its education facilitation model, integrating direct mentorship, structured learning, and scholar support to reinforce the execution of business principles at every stage of ownership.
2017 – Advancing as an Education Firm
Effició solidified its position as a specialized business education firm, focused exclusively on education, business infrastructure, and operational excellence.
2022–2023 – Expanding Scholar Engagement & Deepening Programs
During this period, CORE became a 24-month, fully immersive education experience, expanding the depth, continuity, and application of Effició’s education for company owners: CORE Credential Introduced – Scholars completing the full program now earn a credential recognizing their mastery in business infrastructure, operations, and strategic execution. Effició Media Integrated into CORE – Effició Media, including its legacy of business broadcasting, is now part of CORE’s Edutainment offering. Through this platform, scholars gain access to thought-provoking conversations, business insights, and media-driven educational content.
2024 – Launch of the Effició Alumni
Effició established it’s Alumni programming as the intellectual and collaborative hub for advanced education, applied research, and alumni engagement. Rooted in the philosophy of perpetual learning, the Institute fosters a space where scholars, alumni, and partners come together to think differently, act decisively, and drive meaningful progress: Alumni Membership – A structured post-CORE network offering continued education, research collaboration, and strategic peer engagement. Applied Research & Collaboration Initiatives – Advancing company owner education through real-world applications, industry partnerships, and ongoing research projects.
2025 & Beyond – Advancing Company Owner Education
Effició continues to advance its curriculum, expand its structured learning pathways, and provide company owners with the education needed to steward their enterprise.
The Intelligence Behind Your Excavation
Effició’s work reflects more than two decades of practice, study, development, and application. What scholars experience is supported by deep institutional knowledge across company infrastructure, operations, business models, strategy, execution, and the disciplines required to bring those elements together.
That intelligence lives across the firm through our people, systems, and educational approach. It helps us examine complexity, challenge assumptions, identify what matters, and bring greater clarity to the decisions and structures that impact a company over time.
Throughout the experience, scholars engage with professionals whose expertise is introduced at different phases of the education. Dedicated facilitators contribute across instruction, group study, review, and directed feedback, allowing their expertise to be applied where it is most relevant to the work underway.
Professionals such as Dr. Christine Pitt bring experience that connects curriculum, strategic thinking, and execution, while Winston Kelly, MBA, contributes expertise across operations, business models, and strategy. Their involvement may include instruction, facilitated discussion, review, and feedback depending on the phase of study and the work scholars are completing.
Together, these interactions provide scholars with access to a range of expertise while maintaining continuity across the education. The result is an environment that supports deeper examination, stronger skills and judgment, and the ability to navigate increasingly complex decisions within the company.
Sherese Duncan, President & CEO
Effició is led by Sherese Duncan, whose work spans more than two decades providing advanced education and training to company owners, professionals, and organizations worldwide. Her stewardship reflects the firm’s commitment to disciplined education, applied learning, and continuity of practice.
During your Executive Briefing, you’ll learn more about the people and educational environment behind Effició and how they come together throughout the CORE experience.
We look forward to meeting you.