Sharifah Hardie is the CEO of X ROADS TV. This TV network is a way for creatives to actualize their dreams while reaching their fullest potential. Dedicated to creating opportunities and transitioning creators who are facing a crossroad in their lives, X ROADS TV actively helps creatives attain their goals. Sharifah Hardie is positioning herself to be one of the top executives in entertainment. With over twenty five years of business experience and in her roles as a business consultant, radio host, and influencer, Ms. Hardie is known for guiding brands in such a way that they speak to audiences.
We recently interviewed Sharifah Hardie to know more about X ROADS TV and her journey as an entrepreneur.
Ms. Hardie , Thank You for talking to us. Please tell us a little bit more about your decision of choosing the path of entrepreneurship.
My journey has been a very interesting one. I became a Business Consultant and Entrepreneur after being laid off plenty of times. Initially I did not want to be an Entrepreneur. I wanted to be an employee with a guaranteed paycheck. However, that wasn’t to be. After so many lay offs I realized that I needed to have some form of control over my destiny. I didn’t want to keep putting all of my eggs into any one basket. In addition, since I launched my first website in 1994 and learned about search engine optimization and marketing I was often asked questions about those areas. Soon, I had so many questions I started my own radio show, “Ask Sharifah Radio” to answer the various questions.
No one has ever had an easy journey as an entrepreneur. What were the initial challenges that you faced?
Having a consistent cash flow was a big challenge for me during the initial days. It was wonderful that I was ahead of my time and knew a lot about the Internet, but that didn’t always translate into a paycheck. It was very difficult starting out because I had very little money coming in for my business, yet I still had to raise two children and maintain my life.
Do you believe that being a woman entrepreneur is tough?
Being a woman entrepreneur is very difficult. Too often as women we have to juggle our family life and our careers more than a man might have to. Women are usually the ones who have to make sure dinner is on the table, homework is done and the household is taken care of in more ways than just financially. And in most of the cases, a man doesn’t have to worry about all these things. Moreover, Business is a male dominated sector. On Various occasions, I would provide the same information another individual provides, but I was usually not taken seriously or respected. We still have to go a long way in bringing male female parity in the world of business.
Tell us a bit more about X ROADS TV?
We are basically a content aggregator and we produce content quickly and inexpensively. We produce content that we can then license to the major networks. X ROADS TV through its current partnerships produces content with the latest technology and capacity of current major TV network and studio camera and editing equipment standards. My role as CEO is to consistently search for new projects, opportunities and strategic partnerships to grow the company.
Many Brands struggle to carve out a name for themselves. What suggestion can you give to business owners to improve their brand identity?
My advice to any business owner struggling to improve their brand is to have an exceptional product or service. If you have an excellent product people will buy it. The best form of marketing is still word of mouth advertising. Continue to offer a wonderful service and people will spread the word.
For more information on X ROADS TV, click here.
