We were lucky to catch up with Sharnice Sherrod recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Sharnice thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

You know those times when life takes a sudden shift or unexpected turn? That’s the story of how I became a full-time entrepreneur in 2021. I’d been working as an operations manager for about 6 months with no plans of leaving…ever! This role fit me so perfectly! I was constantly working in my zone of genius, strategizing and implementing ways to make multiple companies more productive & profitable, when it was suddenly over. I’d already been working as a virtual assistant and project manager in my own business, now BETHELIGHT COLLECTIVE, but at no point did I plan to pivot to full-time. After about 6 months of applying for over 100 jobs, and receiving no offers, I decided to settle myself and take time to ask God what He wanted for me. If I be honest, his answer scared me. Full-time employment meant stability & predictability, but Full-time entrepreneurship meant the complete opposite. I took the risk, I took the leap, and though it has not been an easy transition or journey, I can truly say I BELONG HERE. In just 6 months, my business’ income doubled from 2020, and then again in 2022. I was born to build and trail blaze, and this decision led me to a place of purpose that I would not have seen, had I not obeyed God, and taken the risk.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I’m affectionately known as Shar the Strategist, systems strategist and operations consultant helping service providers organize the backend, systemize workflows, and maximize time. I combine my professional experience as an administrator and operations specialist to provide both high-end small business owners and solo entrepreneurs with a solution-focused experience to help them create a stress free work environment. As Shar the Strategist , I provide services catered to process improvement, SOP creation, workflow assimilation, streamlining, systems optimization, organizational structure and human resource support. The purpose is to make the backend of your business run on its own, so that solopreneurs and CEO’s can stop sacrificing self for sales, & focus on serving clients and generating revenue.
I’m a multifaceted marketplace minister, using my gifts and expertise to advance the Kingdom of God through business. As an entrepreneur and professional counselor, I founded the Marketplace MinistHER Alliance, an online community for Christian entrepreneurs, influencers, and business leaders to build the confidence to be courageous in their commission to the marketplace. In this community, we focus on self first & business second with prayer & practical development. Just as it is in business, my goal is for these woman to stop sacrificing themselves for the sake of sales and walk confidently as they build their businesses.

When you experience me, you’ll rarely receive one part without the whole; coach, counselor, and consultant. A solutionist at the core, my life’s goal is to see people produce purpose, on purpose.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

I started as a virtual assistant in 2019, under the name Shar-Assists. At the time, I was a senior in college and working full-time as an office assistant. I offered just about everything you can think of from social media management, to event planning, to vendor management, to graphic designing, and office reorganization. I went through a series of pivots, from VA to online business manager, and then to coach and consultant.

There’s not one successful entrepreneur or leader that I’ve encountered who has not said, they just had to go with it and find what worked. (Those who said they had it altogether, were lying!) Each pivot taught me something different about myself and what I bring to the table as an entrepreneur & servant-leader. It also showed me the different capacities I’d had hidden on the inside of me, and where people really needed me in their life.

Choosing to offer done for you, done with you, and strategy for how to do services allow me to meet my clients in different phases of their process. It gives me the opportunity to work with the emerging entrepreneur needing clairty to find their way and the seasoned entrepreneur ready to transition out of their role into true CEO status. Where others would limit themselves, I find that there’s force behind remaining limitless (yet strategic) in the possibilities that I can produce to help someone else produce.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Did I mention that entrepreneurship is a rollercoaster? And that anyone who says it’s not..well you get the point! Entrepreneurship in itself is a journey of trial and error, and when facing an error or a loss, you can either choose to let it all go, or let it make you grow.

Resilience is a character trait that has become a part of who I am. Before reaching this place of confidence, I struggled tremendously with fear, comparison, and self sabotage. Not to mention the failed launches, months with no new clients, and periods of slow social media growth. All of these factors are prime reasons to quit, but in all of that, I had to remember my why. Why did I start this business? Why did God tell me to shift full time? Why is what I do needed? Why do my people need ME?

And I remembered, legacy. It’s bigger than me — that’s my anthem. I think about the women in my online community, and how if I’d stopped in 2021, they’d never be able to receive this level of wisdom and pour. I think about the children I’ve yet to birth, who’s children will benefit from the simple fact that I stayed the course. The sacrifices that I make now are seeds for the generations of blessings to come through my lineage and the lives I touch.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sharthestrategist.com
• Instagram: @sharthestrategist
• Facebook: Shar The Strategist
• Youtube: Shar The Strategist

Image Credits
DearJohnPhotography