Meet Corendis Hardy: Educator, Author, and CEO of Avant-garde Books

We had the good fortune of connecting with Corendis Hardy and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Corendis, Let’s talk about principles and values – what matters to you most?
At the root of all failure is a lie. One of the biggest mistakes that potential entrepreneurs make is embracing the false paradigm that the greatest benefit of having a business is that they will get to work for themselves. However, the truth is that no business can have sustainable success unless it focuses on working for “other” people. I have learned from firsthand experience that when serving others is at the heart of everything you do, success will follow. As the founder of Avant-garde Books, LLC, I regularly reiterate that our principal goal is not to merely sell books, but to “save” people through literacy and learning. Anybody, regardless of their socio-economic status and background, can constructively transform their life with the right knowledge. Service to my community, especially disadvantaged children, is what I consider when making decisions about what books and educational products to offer. My life is a direct result of selfless people who saw my potential and invested in me. The way that I honor their efforts is by paying it forward and making sure that I serve others, especially those less fortunate, with excellence and love. 

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Before I decided to embark on a new journey as a full-time businesswoman, I was an educator in public schools for over 30 years. In spite of many challenges, it was one of the most rewarding experiences I ever had. People were often shocked that I lasted so long; I would be a millionaire if I got a dollar for every time someone asked me “how” I did it. My answer is surprisingly simple: I put people, the children I served and loved, first and above the paperwork and politics. I could write a book about how public education has evolved. However, the key to being an effective teacher is staying focused on who and what really matters: empowering children with the knowledge they need to take care of themselves and their future families. This meant being committed to continually reading and learning; doing the “affective” work that test scores and teacher evaluations cannot calculate; using unconventional and nontraditional teaching methods; implementing innovative and engaging programs and pedagogical techniques; and knowing how to stand your ground when people who have not spent time in the classroom try dictate the “textbook way” of doing things. Experience is the wisest teacher, however so often people are looking in from the outside misjudging what you are doing because they have not seen and done what you have. It would be like me trying to tell a mechanic how to fix cars when I don’t know how to use a screwdriver or instructing a cardiologist on heart surgery when I haven’t finished medical school. I was a confident teacher/ researcher because I let my students’ feedback about what they were learning direct everything I did. I had to be flexible, i. e., if my students did not get it, I had to be willing to start all over again and not be afraid to try something new. Another key ingredient to my longevity and success involved knowing that I should serve and protect every child as if he or she was my own. While I gave birth to only one child, I carried many of my students in my heart. Many of them were enduring some of the challenges that I faced as a child. I loved them and wanted them to succeed. My students’ personal and academic success was the motivation for everything I thought as well as did and said. Each time I got a new group of the students, I would reiterate that my principal goal was to help them be successful. While I made many mistakes along the way, being self-aware, reflective, and honest allowed me to make the adjustments needed to grow and become a better human being. Lastly, I truly believe that teaching is not just an art or science, but truly a “vocation”—a calling that a person is gifted to do. I feel fortunate that it was one of the things that I was born to do which made it not seem like work.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I was born and raised in Florida, but just as Ray Charles once sang, “just an old sweet song keeps Georgia on my mind”. Living so close to Atlanta means there are tons of things to do. One of my favorite places is the Georgia Aquarium. It is the first place I take people visiting me. The beautiful sea creatures remind me of the Divine. My friends know that I am a proud nerd, so a trip to the Auburn Avenue Research Library is mandatory. This historical gem was originally the first public library for African Americans in Atlanta. It would take weeks to go through the 250,000 photographs and skim through just a handful of the 20,000 books as well as manuscripts, oral histories, artifacts and recordings. An Atlanta visit would not be complete without enjoying a stellar dining experience at historic Paschal’s. The Sunday buffet would be a real treat. World of Coke and the Atlanta Botanical Garden are also two of my favorite places to hang out.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I can honestly say that I might not have ever taken the leap of faith to pursue my business dreams full-time without the unwavering support of my daughter, Felicia who is the fierce captain of my cheerleading squad. Although I come from a big family, only one other person has ever attempted to be an entrepreneur. Therefore, it is probably not hard to believe that whenever I shared my plans about opening a bookstore/café one day, people would usually try to talk me out of it. Because most of these people love me, I know they meant well and were genuinely concerned for my well-being. Going from classroom teacher and author to business owner seemed too difficult to be possible for some people. I also know that much of their fears were rooted in ignorance because business is such a remote and foreign concept, inconceivable to people who have been conditioned to take the traditional work path: go to college; get a job; retire after 30 years. There is nothing wrong with that, but those who hear the beat of a different drummer are led to do something different. However, the one person who has consistently encouraged me to take bold actions to realize my dreams is my loving daughter. While we often disagree and fuss about some of the how-to’s, she has demonstrated her commitment to helping me by working beside me at 99% of our events. After finishing college, she resigned from her job and started working with me full-time. Felicia is both the brains and brawn of our emerging enterprise. I am so grateful for her and I want everyone to know that the success of our business is a direct result of her sacrifice and tireless work, often behind the scenes. I must also acknowledge all the people who donated to our Bookstore Dreams fundraising campaign. Their financial investment has helped us to take a few steps toward our goals of having our own brick and mortar location. Last, but certainly not least, I am forever indebted to the people who created the Select Cobb Business Grant program. Because of their generous assistance, my business is debt-free which allows me to focus serving members of our target community rather than worrying about paying superfluous bills. Simply put, we would not be where we are right now without Select Cobb’s support. If I thanked them a million times, it would not be enough.

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