We were lucky to catch up with Sheryl Hardin recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Sheryl Hardin, thanks for joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

I’m on a mission to ignite the entrepreneurial spirit and level the playing field. Why? Because small businesses are the ultimate game-changers. Think about it: the giants of industry, the trendsetters, the ones who revolutionize markets. They all started small. Entrepreneurs are the ones who shatter barriers, creating opportunities where none existed before.
I’ve walked that path myself, navigating a male-dominated landscape where doubt and skepticism were constant companions. My college advisor once suggested my aspirations were too lofty for a woman. Did I let that stop me? Absolutely not. Instead, I took the reins and launched my own consulting company, proving that determination is what matters. I believe that success belongs to ANYONE who earns it.
In my journey, I’ve witnessed firsthand the transformative power of entrepreneurship. It’s not just about making money; it’s about driving economic growth and fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion. That’s why I founded Capacity Squared. I wanted to build a vibrant community where small and diverse businesses thrive.
Through Capacity Squared, I’m streamlining access to resources, fostering peer-to-peer support, and connecting entrepreneurs with the tools and partners they need to succeed. But I’m not stopping there. I’m challenging every business to think differently about their spending habits. With the 5% Pledge, I’m urging companies to allocate at least 5% of their budget to support small and diverse businesses, because when we uplift each other, we all rise together.

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 serve the business community as a Fractional COO and business advisor focused on change management and process improvement. Today my focus is on fast growing small businesses. When I began my career as a technical writer before the role even had a name I worked with corporations growing through acquisitions and mergers. Enamored by disruptive technology, I embarked on projects transitioning companies from archaic paper systems to desktops and laptops. It was not just about the tech, it was about making companies and their workforce more efficient and effective. Today I am working to support business owners and leaders in growing companies that provide equal opportunity and economic growth so everyone has an equal opportunity to achieve success at every level. I quickly realized that managing change was the linchpin to success – people needed to not just be ready but embrace the change that was coming for the company to truly reap its benefits. This journey led me into the whirlwind world of mergers and acquisitions, where I honed my focus on process improvement. I firmly believed that if change was inevitable, it might as well be for the better. We spearheaded integration with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementations, ensuring our clients’ technical decisions aligned with their business needs boosting efficiency across the board.
Around a decade ago, a friend invited me to join the Adjunct Faculty team at Dallas College for the nationwide Goldman Sachs-funded program, 10,000 Small Businesses. Teaching operational change management and process improvement, I discovered that best practices transcend business size – whether five employees or fifty thousand.
I began to understand the vital role of small businesses in
fostering economic stability, job creation, and equitable opportunities.
Everyone deserves a shot at success, which spurred me to become an advisor for
graduate business owners and eventually pen “Building Business Capacity:
How Continuous Improvement Yields Exponential Growth.”
This passion led me to found Capacity Squared and launch the
capacitysquared.net online community, providing small business owners with the
resources they need to thrive. Through our national small and diverse business
directory, we’re connecting owners with the resources, vendors, and partners that
fuel opportunities across the entire business ecosystem.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

The thing that I love most about the small business ecosystem is the opportunity for people who may not have otherwise found another path to fulfillment can find success on their entrepreneurial journey. As an entrepreneur and a consultant in a male-dominated field I know what it is like to be discounted. I’ve danced with doubt and wrestled with skepticism. In those early days, being underestimated was common. Coming into a company to advise them on how to be more effective and efficient while navigating a chaotic period of change meant that I often had to overcome resentment. Making change happen meant I had to overcome resistance not just to me but to the work that had to be done.
I vividly recall one instance while collaborating with a technical team to revolutionize processes for a major mortgage company. At first, the all-male team only spoke to me if they were forced. They huddled together in a large open room they affectionately called ‘the pit.’ It wasn’t the friendliest of environments, and I was met with skepticism at every turn. But I refused to be intimidated.
Then came the moment of truth. A coworker, passing by the open doorway, caught sight of me working alongside the team. He exclaimed, ‘There’s a girl in the pit!’ One of the programmers calmly replied. ‘Don’t worry, she’s hardly a girl at all.’ Some might have taken offense, but not me. To me, it was the ultimate validation – I had earned my place among them, transcending stereotypes and earning their respect through sheer skill and determination.
That’s the beauty of the small business world – it’s a realm where grit and perseverance reign supreme, where outsiders become insiders, and where success knows no bounds. This is why I am passionate about championing small businesses. Entrepreneurs are the ultimate testament to the power of resilience and the triumph of the human spirit.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

My career did not take the path that I imagined it would throughout my childhood. I wanted to be a writer. I dreamed of being a reporter. I went to college to be a journalist. As a young dreamer, my aspirations soared, fueled by visions of penning groundbreaking stories that would captivate audiences worldwide. I envisioned myself as a modern-day nomad, traversing the globe in pursuit of the next big scoop, my words echoing across continents. But life had different plans in store. A whirlwind of early marriage, health scares, and the profound joy of motherhood swiftly altered the trajectory of my ambitions. Suddenly, the clamor of family obligations drowned out the siren call of distant adventures. The allure of Pulitzer Prizes faded as I navigated the turbulent waters of challenging pregnancies and a child’s illness.
I turned my attention to a more practical business degree and was surprised to find a love for business, innovation, and disruptive technology. What began as a pragmatic pivot soon blossomed into a career I could not have imagined as a child. I found my voice in helping others navigate the disruptions in life caused by change and do pivots of their own to find success.
After my children were grown I had amazing opportunities to travel throughout the nation and around the world supporting corporate mergers and acquisitions. An agent reached out to me and encouraged me to make a deal with a publisher that led to my book, “Building Business Capacity: How Continuous Improvement Yields Exponential Growth.”I thought I pivoted away from my dream, Really I just found another path. I became the writer who travels the world I once wanted to be. Better yet, I get to do more than share my thoughts. To quote Robert Frost, “I took the path less traveled and that has made all the difference.”

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.capacitysquared.net/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/?hl=en-gb
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherylhardin/
• Other: Book on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Building-Business-Capacity-Improvement-Exponential-ebook/dp/B09ZWY8923/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.XzMSl-rggl6vAqSZnzS5gTS1nU-isej5WZSX4dvr8DHcDqc9TA8kPshN8EfaheQetkcNsqQxQk6liVkZbIKtCOOVYfC7Dq3_zKReGbKBFAVqQWIycHsvNkvAIrh4gu8QMztW01-2nH-Eduv8tcbW_J-mq890aYTlkg3iwvCkDO4ZIe-_ur-WhFOzUPZdPKgcFA_E9C6g_TEiAIB0vmDf6f79p-HMLYQQSRm4l4gepb0.1Mud914I8rLqbYeWoKG2m7LbBsjPijtP2dt9xJu_qGc&dib_tag=se&keywords=sheryl+Hardin&qid=1712424112&sr=8-1

Image Credits
I own the image of me and the image of myself and podcaster Jeff Crilley of the Jeff Crilley Show