The Door That God Had to Close: How Sherry Nossaman Built an Agency Out of Heartbreak

Sometimes God has to slam a door in your face to get you through the one you're supposed to walk through.

Sherry Nossaman was a part-time media buyer at an advertising agency — exactly the arrangement she needed with two young kids at home. Money was tight. She and her husband had already cut everything to the bone. But staying part-time while the kids were little wasn't negotiable. They'd made that decision together, even when they didn't know how they'd make ends meet.

Then one day the agency owner pulled her aside. "We've decided to make your position full-time and combine it with another role. You can take the full-time position or be out of a job."

Sherry knew the answer immediately. God didn't want her to take that job. She knew it clearly. She knew it in her gut. So she said no.

And then she cried for days.

I felt hurt by the agency. There was another individual there that was resentful of my position. Even though I had more experience, I felt like I was pushed out. And that money was needed. It wasn't extra — it was needed.

The Plan You Can't Imagine

Sherry's best plan was to freelance. She had contacts all over town by then — media people change agencies constantly, and she'd built relationships everywhere. Freelancing felt safe, manageable, something she could control.

But God had a different plan. A plan so wild, so beyond her imagination, that she still chokes up talking about it decades later.

Sometimes God has to take drastic measures in your life to make the plans happen that are so much better than your mind can comprehend or come up with on its own.

Three days after leaving the agency, one of her clients called. "We love working with you. You're honest, you answer all our questions, you're responsive. If an invoice came in short, you'd remind us of the difference. You'd tell us about a trade that's available even when the agency didn't want you to. We just really liked working with you and felt like you went above and beyond."

Then they asked her to become their advertising agency.

The next day, another client called with the same request. Within a week, she had three clients — the minimum required to be considered an official agency and receive the industry's 15% commission.

The agency hadn't required a non-compete. Why would they? Sherry had never dreamed of owning an agency. She'd never even had a wild inkling to do that.

But God had been preparing her all along. Through every department she'd worked in, every transition she'd made, He'd been teaching her all aspects of the advertising business. He'd orchestrated every piece without her even realizing it.

People say that God has provided for my company, and I believe that completely. But in my case, not only has He provided — He created. There's no doubt about it. He orchestrated every piece of that journey in an incredible way.

That was 32 years ago. Out of 42 years in advertising, Sherry has spent only 10 working for other agencies. The rest have been with the company God created when He closed a door she desperately wanted to stay open.

Working to Reflect, Not Just to Survive

When those first clients called, they kept saying the same thing: "You went above and beyond." But to Sherry, she wasn't going above and beyond. She was just doing her job.

There's a difference, though, and it matters.

When you're a Christ follower, doing what you do makes you want to do it for the best. Working just to work is not very fulfilling. Working to bring glory to God or reflect God's glory to others — that's what fulfills us.

Sherry doesn't love the grind. She loves helping people and making a difference — not just for their companies, but possibly for them personally. Those relationships, that impact, that's what makes the work worth doing.

And clients notice. Vendors notice. Even when faith never comes up in conversation, there's something different. People have asked her, "You're a Christian, aren't you?" when she's never mentioned it.

She believes it's because Christ followers are called to be a people set apart. Not perfect — she's quick to say she messes up all the time — but different. Treating vendors like friends, not transactions. Paying invoices the day they arrive. Calling out when a client wants to handle something in a way that's unkind or unfair, even if it's not technically unethical.

One client recently told her to notify a vendor of a change with no notice. "What does it matter?" the client said. "They're just vendors."

Sherry pushed back. "Actually, I don't consider them vendors. These are friends, people I work with. I consider them people. If we treat them fairly, they'll want to work with us more, and we'll get better deals. I really think we should give two weeks' notice."

It's a small thing. But small things add up. They shape how people experience you. They create trust. And sometimes, they open doors to conversations about the source of that difference.

Praying for Clients, Not Just for Sales

Sherry's clients don't know this, but she prays for them. Not just for their success, but for wisdom to do the best job for them. When a vendor or client mentions a struggle — a father's open-heart surgery, a business challenge, a personal loss — she asks if she can pray about it.

And then she actually does it. Right then, on the phone. Or she writes the prayer out and emails it, so they know she followed through.

A lot of times we tell people, 'I will pray about that,' but they don't see the results. And a lot of times people say that and don't really follow through — not intentionally, but we forget. For my own good, I write it out so I really am taking a moment to do that.

Recently, one of her media reps emailed to ask if she'd pray about something going on in his life. She'd never had a conversation with him about being a praying person. But somehow, he knew.

That's what happens when you live it instead of just talking about it. St. Francis said it: "Preach the gospel. Use words if necessary."

When God Takes Away the Toxic Client You Won't Let Go Of

Advertising is an up-and-down business. There's no exact science. You can't promise a client, "If you spend this, you'll get this." Too many variables. Too many things outside Sherry's control — the waitress at their restaurant who's rude to customers, the salesman who's dishonest, the internal sales process that's broken.

But when sales drop, advertising is the first thing cut. And advertising agencies often get blamed for failures that aren't theirs.

Sherry has learned to ride those ups and downs. But for years, she held on to toxic clients longer than she should have. She was afraid of losing the income. Afraid of what people would think. Afraid to let go.

I felt like God handed them to me, so I was going to stick it out. I was going to persevere. I wasn't going to give up. I'm going to do my best. And then when I was finally relieved from it — the client decided to move on or retire or sell their business — I realized God all along was telling me to let go, and I was too afraid. He had to just take it away, remove it from me, because I wasn't going to let go of it.

A few years ago, she finally learned to let go on her own. One client's environment was so toxic that she made the call to end the relationship herself, even though it meant losing steady income.

It's terrifying to cut revenue. But she's learned that God honors those decisions. When you choose integrity over income, when you refuse to compromise, when you treat people the way you'd want to be treated even when it costs you — God sees that. And He makes a way.

Post-It Notes and Peace in the Middle of Chaos

Sherry's office is covered in Post-It notes. Scriptures on her computer monitor, her refrigerator, the mirror in her bathroom. She memorizes them — slowly, painstakingly, because she's terrible at remembering things. But when she needs them, in the most random moments, they come flooding back.

John 16:33 came up recently: 'I have come to give you peace. But in this world, you will have trouble. Take heart — I have overcome the world.' If you just take that first part: I have come to give you peace. Don't we all want that? But then to already tell me He has won this race — these challenges are temporary. We have an eternal reward that far outweighs them all. Man, what a scripture. If that doesn't get you through a difficult time, I don't know what will.

She also has prayer partners — two women she texts immediately when things are rough. They respond right away. Sherry prays on her own, but there's something about knowing her friends are lifting her up too. A cord of three strands is not easily broken.

And she has mentors. People who aren't in the advertising business but who hold her accountable, challenge her, and remind her of the strength that comes from faith when she's in a weak moment.

She believes everyone needs that. Someone to be accountable to. Someone to pat you on the back or kick you in the butt, depending on what you need. Someone to ask, "You said you were going to do this. Why haven't you? What's in your way? How can we help?"

What Monday Morning Looks Like

If you're a business owner reading this, here's what Sherry wants you to know:

Post scripture everywhere. In your office, on your mirror, on your phone. Memorize it. When you need it — in the middle of a hard conversation, a tough decision, a moment of doubt — it will come back to you.

Pray for your clients, your vendors, your employees. Not just for their success, but for wisdom to serve them well. And when someone shares a struggle, ask if you can pray for them. Then actually do it — right then, out loud, or in writing so they know you followed through.

Treat people like people, not transactions. Pay invoices on time. Give notice when you can. Be honest even when it costs you. Value the person on the other end of the deal. That's how you reflect God's glory — not by preaching, but by living it.

Find prayer partners and mentors. You can't do this alone. You need people who will lift you up when you're weak, hold you accountable when you're wavering, and remind you that God's already won this race.

Let go of the toxic client. If God is telling you to release something — a client, a partnership, a strategy — and you're holding on out of fear, you're undermining yourself. God will honor the decision when you choose integrity over income. He always makes a way.

And here's the hardest one: Trust God when He closes a door. Even when it feels like heartbreak. Even when you don't understand. Even when the money is tight and the future is uncertain.

God's plans are so wild that sometimes He has to take drastic measures in your life to make them happen. His plans are so much better than your mind can comprehend or come up with on its own.

Sherry Nossaman is 32 years into an agency she never dreamed of owning. She's living proof that when God shuts a door, He's not punishing you. He's redirecting you. And the door He's about to open is better than anything you could have imagined.

The question is: Will you walk through it?