By Shirley Hawkins
Contributing Writer
LOS ANGELES — Business consultant, talk show host, author and producer Sharifa Hardie will host a “New Year, New You” two-day virtual empowerment conference Dec. 29 and 30 that will bring together thought leaders and experts who will dispense advice on how entrepreneurs can optimize and increase business growth in 2021.
“New Year, New You” will be presented via Zoom conferencing that will air from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days, featuring one-on-one speed-dating style professional networking, real-time chats, discussion groups and business-oriented presentations featuring 20 different break-out sessions.
“We want to help business owners get a fresh start in 2021,” said Hardie, who added that tickets are $30 dollars and can be purchased at accelevents.com/e/newyearnewyou.
The busy entrepreneur, whose website can be found at Asksharifa.com, said that the “New Year, New You” guests will share marketing strategies and tips that they have learned over the years.
“So that when you go into 2021, their advice will inspire a new you,” Hardie said.
“Most people and business owners have had a very rough year,” Hardie added while observing that the COVID-19 crisis has severely impacted businesses across the nation.
“The coronavirus outbreak and resulting financial turmoil have put us all on a path we’ve never traveled before,” Hardie said. “Deep economic changes have occurred, and business will never be the same again. Entrepreneurs, whether they’re an unemployed person striking out on their own or a seasoned veteran, must do things differently in order to survive.”
Hardie acknowledges that Black businesses have been hit particularly hard during the pandemic.
“Only a small percentage of government aid went to minority businesses and the business owners had to come up with other ways to survive,” she said. “But more people are supporting Black businesses more than ever before. Right now, business owners all over the country are coming up with more creative ways to stay in business.”
Despite thousands of businesses struggling to keep their doors open, “More millionaires are made during difficult times than in any other point of time,” Hardie said. “People who are able to utilize technology and adapt to the changing times will become successful.”
Hardie, a diversity equity and inclusion expert, has more than 25 years of business experience.
“I help entrepreneurs and small business owners get the word out about what they do and how they are able to survive during this global pandemic,” she said.
She also is an expert in the area of reinvention. After being laid off from various jobs a total of eight times, Hardie refused to let those setbacks defeat her. Instead, she made lemons into lemonade by wholeheartedly embracing the internet in 1994 and launching her own website.
“When I started, most people were not too familiar with the internet,” Hardie said. “But I knew that the internet would become a powerful networking and business tool in the future.”
A single mother of two, Hardie also was determined to stay home with her children.
“I did not want to miss watching their first steps or hearing their first words,” she said.
She launched her first radio talk show on the web in 2009 and now the busy entrepreneur is the host of three talk shows, the “Round Table Talk Show” which airs weekdays at 8 a.m.; the “Ask Sharifa” podcast show; and the “Face to Face” talk show.
When asked why she decided to launch three talk shows, she said, “I met so many interesting people when I was on the air. I wanted to provide different broadcast platforms so that more people could learn about what my guests do.
“Not only do we have numerous presenters and business owners from all walks of life, but we have break-out sessions as well as professional networking,” Hardie added. “There’s no one in the world that’s doing what we’re doing. The audience never knows what to expect.”
Hardie also has put her hard-earned business advice into a book, “Signs You May Be an Entrepreneur” as well as an ebook, “Everything You Need to Know About Social Media Marketing.”
The entrepreneur said she is excited about the upcoming two-day “New Year, New You” Zoom teleconference that will cover numerous topics.
The experts and topics will include Eva Vennari, founder of the Elevate Institute who will discuss “While You Wait For the Vaccine, Do This!” and share ancient and modern techniques designed to boost one’s immune system and fortify it for life.
Viviana Puello, CEO and editor in chief of ArtTour International, will discuss “The Winning Strategy: Making 2021 Your Come Back Year!” to help creative entrepreneurs speed up their success and avoid burnout.
Diane Bogino, the founder and president of Performance Strategies, will discuss “The New Year, The New You, A New Way of Thinking” and will talk about effective leadership in business by offering skills, knowledge, talent and tools to improve one’s business.
Karen Tibbal, author of “Mending Fractured Relationships,” will empower viewers to mend broken relationships with advice drawn from research.
Sue Wilhite, best-selling author of “Reconnect Your Internal Batteries to Recharge Your Business,” will teach listeners how to bring power and purpose to their business as well as how to reconnect and recharge from procrastination or feeling overwhelmed.
Zahara Joy, CEO of the High Value Woman, will discuss “The Hidden Secrets of High Value Women Masterclass” that will cover ancient wisdom, tools and actionable steps that the most unforgettable women in history used to go from obscurity to legendary in business, love and life.
“I think the guests will be inspiring and transformational,” Hardie said.
