We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sharon Johnson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Sharon, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with a hypothetical question – if it were up to you, what would you change about the school or education system to better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career?

If I could change one thing about the education system, it would be to fundamentally shift its focus from simply memorizing facts and theoretical knowledge to the practical application of skills, with a strong emphasis on fostering entrepreneurial thinking and adaptability.

My experience as a serial entrepreneur and consultant has shown me that the ability to identify opportunities, adapt to change, and execute innovative ideas is far more critical to long-term success and fulfillment than simply possessing a wealth of knowledge.

For example, after starting and scaling several businesses, I’ve recognized that my “superpower” lies in identifying future opportunities and getting ahead of the curve. This ability has allowed me to successfully navigate the ever-changing business landscape and reap the benefits of emerging trends.

Currently, I’m leveraging this skill by shifting my focus from my manufacturing business to scaling my business consulting firm. I’m passionate about sharing my knowledge and helping other startups transition from small-scale, home-based operations to viable online or retail-ready companies.

However, I often encounter individuals who possess strong technical skills but lack the ability to think creatively, identify market gaps, or adapt their strategies in the face of challenges. This highlights a significant gap in our current education system, which tends to prioritize theoretical knowledge over practical application and entrepreneurial thinking.

To better prepare students for a fulfilling life and career, I believe the education system should:

Integrate more real-world experiences: This could include internships, apprenticeships, and project-based learning that allows students to apply their knowledge in practical settings.

Foster entrepreneurial thinking: Encourage creativity, innovation, and risk-taking through dedicated courses, workshops, and mentorship programs.

Develop adaptability and resilience: Equip students with the skills to navigate change, overcome challenges, and learn from failures.

Promote lifelong learning: Instill a passion for continuous learning and self-improvement, recognizing that the world is constantly evolving.

By implementing these changes, we can empower students to not only succeed in their careers but also to lead more fulfilling and impactful lives.”

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.

Throughout my career, I held a variety of corporate and executive-level positions in multiple industries.

Eventually, I became bored, disconnected, and felt like I was settling. I knew it was time for me to step out and start my own business.

Over the years I started several companies of my own, (I also helped my husband launch and build a successful radiology tech company). I became a business training consultant to Fortune 500 and startup companies.

I spent years consulting and helping other people scale and build thriving businesses. During that time, I was able to observe firsthand the challenges and victories of developing a company.

Several of my personal businesses flourished, and others faded fast. But fear of failure was never an option. Learning to work through the moments of self-doubt and/or uncertainty was necessary for me to move forward.

Owning and operating any business is a tremendous responsibility. Starting my food manufacturing company, Shareden Sweet Confections in the midst of a pandemic, brought about many obvious and some not so obvious challenges.
However, I was up for the challenge and wrote my business plan, relying on my experience and business acumen to start SSC.

Being an entrepreneur is tough, being a minority woman entrepreneur, makes it even tougher. Factor in a lack of resources, exacerbated by Covid-19, in addition to limited access to funding and it became even more challenging.

I understood the many facets required to run a business. This meant either wearing a bunch of hats or hiring people with the specific talents needed.

As a business consultant, I was fortunate to know what it took to plug the holes. I learned to leverage platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, and other non-traditional resources to acquire talent to fill the gaps.

The best part of my journey to date has been the growth, knowledge, and experience gained and the incredible business relationships and loyal customer communities we’ve established along the way.

I’ve recently launched a new eLearning program through my training and development consulting company, National Prep Team to help start-ups and other folks wanting to scale their home-based business to an online platform or retail ready organization.

My courses will walk them through the key processes required to achieve their goals. I am also building out an AI platform to teach business owners how to communicate via prompts with AI applications and to utilize them for various business processes.

I am super excited about helping others grow and develop small businesses, but even more so happy to teach them how to do this using AI.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

In all instances, to build my reputation, I focused on establishing myself as an expert, actively networking, and consistently promoting my work. This involved being creative and thinking outside of the box.
This required:
Expertise: Demonstrating deep knowledge in my field.
Networking: Attending industry events (tradeshows, webinars, seminars) and building professional relationships.
Online Presence: Leveraging platforms like LinkedIn and relevant community sites.
Public Relations: Issuing press releases for new programs to increase visibility.
Content Creation: Creating blog posts, podcasts, and social media campaigns to share insights and engage with my audience.

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

One of my side hustles was my home based macaron bakery. I scaled it into a full-fledge manufacturing company of gourmet baked goods.

My passion for baking and creating unique desserts was the catalyst for Shareden Sweet Confections (SSC). To hone my skills, I immersed myself in pastry arts, studying under a world-renowned chef and learning from talented European pastry chefs.

This intensive training shaped my vision for SSC, which began as a cottage food bakeshop specializing in artisan macarons and gourmet desserts.

We evolved into a state-licensed and FDA-registered artisan baked goods company, selling directly to customers and wholesale to a diverse range of B2B clients, including bakeries, restaurants, event venues, boutiques, and major retailers like Walmart.com, with a presence in 25 NYC stores and several regional markets.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.nationalprepteam,com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sharedensweetconfections
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sharedensweetconfections
• Twitter: https://x.com/NPT_Courses