Martin Sumichrast has spent more than three decades in business, from early real estate ventures in Prague to public companies in the United States. His next project puts some of the hardest lessons from that career on the page.
Getting Sheared is his forthcoming book, written with veteran journalists Don Yaeger and Jason Cole. Here is what readers can expect, who is behind it, and how to find it when it comes out.
What the Getting Sheared Book Covers
Getting Sheared draws on Martin's experience managing Stone Street Capital, a Charlotte-based firm. The book investigates one of the most extensive and enduring Ponzi schemes in North Carolina history.
It is more than a case study. Alongside the investigation, the book shares real-life lessons from Martin's career navigating public markets, private equity and corporate crises. Those are areas where he has firsthand experience. He co-founded cbdMD, co-founded American Capital Partners, and founded Global Capital Partners.
The result is a book that sits between investigative nonfiction and a practical account of what happens when things go wrong in business, and how people respond.
Getting Sheared Co-Author Don Yaeger
Don Yaeger is one of the best-known collaborators in American nonfiction. The book's official site describes him as a 12-time New York Times best-selling author, and his own website now lists him as a fourteen-time New York Times best-selling author. He has written more than 40 books.
Yaeger started as a newspaper reporter at the San Antonio Light. He later worked at The Dallas Morning News and served as Capitol Bureau Chief for the Florida Times-Union. In July 1996 he joined the staff of Sports Illustrated full-time, and he was promoted to associate editor two years later.
His work at Sports Illustrated went beyond game coverage to the off-field stories that shape sports. He and William Nack were finalists for the 2000 National Magazine Award for "Who's Coaching Your Kid?", a story that led to changes in background-check policies at youth sports organizations and in several states' laws.
His best-sellers include Never Die Easy, the autobiography of Walter Payton, and Ya Gotta Believe!, written with Tug McGraw. Today he is also a keynote speaker, a business leadership coach and host of the Corporate Competitor Podcast.
Getting Sheared Co-Author Jason Cole
Jason Cole is an award-winning investigative journalist with decades of experience. He has covered or written about pro football since 1992 and has served as a selector for the Pro Football Hall of Fame since 2013.
Cole started his career at the Peninsula Times-Tribune in Palo Alto, California. There he uncovered the false identity of James Hogue, an impostor who had enrolled at Palo Alto High School and later Princeton University. He went on to cover the NBA, Major League Baseball and high school sports in the San Francisco Bay Area before moving to the NFL beat.
His bylines include Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports, The Miami Herald and the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel. His best-known work is a five-year investigation of Reggie Bush and the University of Southern California. It led to Bush becoming the only player ever to give up his Heisman Trophy, and to USC losing its 2004 national championship.
Cole has written books including Elway: A Relentless Life, published in 2020, and books with Plaxico Burress and Chad Johnson. A Stanford graduate, he taught journalism at the University of Florida for 11 years.
Why Martin Sumichrast Wrote Getting Sheared
Writing is not new for Martin. Earlier in his career, he co-authored two books with his late father, the economist Michael Sumichrast:
- Opportunities in Financial Careers (McGraw-Hill)
- The New Complete Book of Home Buying (Dow Jones-Irwin)
Michael Sumichrast spent two decades as chief economist of the National Association of Home Builders and was one of the most quoted voices on American housing. The father-son books carried his practical approach to a wider audience.
Getting Sheared takes a different form. Pairing a business leader who lived through the events with two journalists known for investigative work brings together firsthand experience and reporting discipline. Yaeger's record of collaborative books and Cole's history of long investigations fit a story that unfolded over years.
The story is also close to home. Martin lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with his wife and four children, and the scheme at the center of the book is one of the most extensive and enduring in the state's history. Writing it with two experienced reporters keeps the focus on documented facts and on what other investors, founders and families can learn.
For readers, the book offers a look inside how a financial fraud can take hold and last, told by someone who had to deal with the aftermath, along with broader lessons from a long career in public markets and private equity.
Getting Sheared Release Date and Where to Find It
Getting Sheared is set for release and will be available soon wherever books are sold. The official site, gettingsheared.com, lists the book as coming soon and offers a sign-up for release updates. It also includes author bios for Martin, Don Yaeger and Jason Cole.
A firm publication date has not been announced on the official site. When one is set, it will be shared there and on this site.
More From Martin Sumichrast
Find all of Martin's books, including the titles he wrote with his father, on the Books page. Learn more about his background on the About page, read about the causes he supports on Giving Back, and follow his trips in Travel.