Today’s Rising Star Guiding Businesses to Success
By Dominic Widdop
CEO, business consultant, marketing director, influencer, author, host…professions people spend a lifetime striving to find success in, but entrepreneur Sharifah Hardie has not only mastered these professions but is helping others to achieve success in.
Hardie, also known as ‘Ask Sharifah’ is a rising figure in the entertainment industry with over 25 years’ experience in diverse industries. Her entrepreneurial journey began after launching her first website in 1994 and multiple layoffs led to her determination to be self-employed.
“I knew I needed some control over my own destiny,” Hardie says reflecting on the reasons for starting her own business.
She was often asked questions regarding search engine optimization and marketing which resulted in ‘Ask Sharifah Radio’ to help answer any questions people had.
“People had so many questions on online marketing and search engine optimization, and I felt ‘Ask Sharifah Radio’ would be a superb outlet for answers.”
Hardie still provides entrepreneurs a platform to share their unique story in recorded video interviews on AskSharifah.com. Each show focuses on a specific guest, while Ask Sharifah asks the questions viewers always wanted to know in order to succeed in business from the top experts, business owners, celebrities and influencers.
These enterprises were the first of numerous business ventures and set the groundwork for the fresh and innovative style that today allows her to vigorously guide brands towards more exposure and increased ways to generate leads.
Gaining the expertise Hardie has did not come with ease. In the beginning, she described cash flow as a challenge that was difficult to overcome.
“I was ahead of my time in a lot of aspects, I had a brilliant understanding of the internet, but that couldn’t always be converted into payment. I was balancing two children, had just recently experienced two divorces and was trying to keep everything together at the time, which made things even more difficult.”
Hardie’s newest venture is X Roads TV. A Century City (CA) based television network focused on producing quality content fast and inexpensively for licensing to major networks. The growing business is quickly becoming a place that can nurture creatives ideas, helping them to create a reality from their dreams.
“We are committed to excellence. We try to help all involved creatives reach their fullest potential.”
Although an emerging and developing business X Roads TV already boasts original content covering different genres while keeping common themes. No matter the genre Hardie speaks of the network as a flourishing environment for creatives:
“Unlike many TV networks we can say we are genuinely passionate about creators’ ideas, we don’t just view them as gateways to profit.”
She added: “The content we produce is pure quality despite its low cost. Creatives’ visions will be brought to life with the same standard as major TV networks, using the same quality studio camera and editing equipment.”
With an uncompromising goal of quality but low-cost content, along with industry standard partners and equipment, Hollywood union policies and a passion for fulfilling individuals dreams, X Roads TV is shaping up to be another success story for Hardie.
Although not an easy journey Hardie’s business career so far has been riddled with major accomplishments. Her business and entrepreneurial knowledge is today helping her guide future success stories towards their goals. I asked her to share any advice for individuals struggling with finding their place in the ever-changing business landscape:
“Business is not about your service or product. Business is about people and relationships. Believe in yourself, never quit and do what you love. The money will follow!”
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