We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jeremy Hardiman a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jeremy, thank you so much for making time for us. We’ve always admired your ability to take risks and so maybe we can kick things off with a discussion around how you developed your ability to take and bear risk?
There are no coincidences in this life, everything occurs as a result of having a vision/goal, developing a strategy, staying focused, and working hard every day to achieve what you set out to do. Utilizing this approach makes it easy to bet on myself as I realize that winning depends mostly on me and my effort. Taking personal accountability and controlling what I can control removes the fear associated with risk taking for me.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I was born and raised in Grenada, MS., but I like to say that where I lay my head is my home. Since high school, I have lived in 13 different cities. My mother, who was my pride and joy, passed away 5 days before my high school graduation. It’s hard to believe that I have been living longer without her than I did with her, but she (Ida) is the driving force behind my courage, strength, and persistence.
After high school, I attended Jackson State University and earned a bachelor’s in business management. I would eventually continue my education and earn an MBA in Supply Chain/Information Systems from Clark Atlanta University. In most HR circles, I would have been considered a flight risk as I have worked for six different companies (Fortune 100) in various capacities including senior leadership roles.
My entrepreneurship journey was sparked by seeing my mom bake the prettiest and most delicious cakes and sell them for all occasions. My Great Aunt (Jessie Lee Jones) would do the same with some of the best rolls that you could ever taste. I have always been into physical fitness, and as a side hustle, I started my own-personal training business. This was during one of the tenures at a job listed above. Well, one of the trainers at the gym saw me working with several of my clients and asked if I was interested in being a trainer at the gym that the company that I worked for, owned. I eventually accepted under very favorable terms and immediately boosted the gym’s personal training clientele. I actually had more clients than the people doing it full-time. The thing about entrepreneurship is that not all stories have a happy ending. My next endeavor saw me partnering with a colleague (now a great friend) to start a trucking business. Long story short, that didn’t go well at all. However, the lessons learned made that experience well worth it. I apply a lot of those lessons to my current business which I have operated full-time since May 2021. It is called Articulate Your Value, and we offer professional resumé support, interview preparation consultation, and we host professional development seminars. Our aim is for our clients to understand the value within their professional abilities and truly understand how to convey it to prospective employers. We have a resumé writing workbook that we are super excited about as this will aid us in reaching the masses with the support that we offer.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Good question. I would say the ability to visualize the goal, remained focused, and holding myself accountable. With entrepreneurship, it’s easy to say, “hey, I’ll do it later,” or give yourself a pass. I am my hardest critique and I know that what I am attempting to achieve is going to require me to work harder than I ever worked before.
In terms of tips for improving on these, I would offer tell the readers to focus on their “why.” Once this is defined, things will begin to take shape. But your heart definitely has to be in the right place or you will quit.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
It’s a few actually,
-Three Magic Words by Uell S. Anderson
-The Magic in Your Mind by Uell S. Anderson
-Why should white guys have all the fun? The story of Reginald Lewis
These books were liberating and helped me realize that I have all that it takes within me to succeed at whatever it is that I choose to do in life.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ayvnow.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ayv2020/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/articulateyourvalue/
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-hardiman/ Resumé Workbook —- https://www.book2look.com/book/OLI63b4Qdl
Image Credits
capturedbycoriss.com
