We had the good fortune of connecting with Janell Sharp – Smith and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Janell, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
At one point, my work-life balance was non-existent. I had more of a work-work balance! I’ve always had a stern work ethic, so this made things a little more complicated. Working in the hospitality Industry gave me a sense of personal and professional satisfaction. Being able to provide exceptional customer service and create memorable experiences for the clients has been an amazing feeling. However, this comes with working long hours, always being the go-to person, and trying to please everyone. It eventually became draining over time. I think the change with my balance occurred during the time the world shut down due to Covid and my job position was eliminated. This forced me to figure out what to do with all my free time. I tried different things from learning how to crochet, to learning sign language, and even took some webinar courses to find a healthy outlet to turn to. So, with experiencing what a balanced life looks like, when I went back to work, I kept this in mind and made sure I didn’t just consume myself with work and made time to enjoy life. I can say that I’m not stressed or easily annoyed anymore, I feel better (mentally and physically), and I have more time to be there for my friends and family. This is a wonderful feeling!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
The Sharper Experience is a luxury Concierge Company. A lot of people ask, “what is a Concierge and what do they do”? According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, it’s a person or service that aids with personal business. In other words, we are lifestyle managers assisting you, on a personal level, with many different aspects of your life. Our services consist of (but are not limited to) Travel Accommodations, Running Errands, Household Management, Information Research and much more. My business was built on my own experience with struggling to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Tasks like running errands (grocery shopping, picking up dry cleaning, etc.), taking kids to their afterschool activities, and even creating a romantic evening for that special someone can be time consuming. That’s where The Sharper Experience comes in!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I know my besties and our group is a more, “go with the flow” group. We love adventures whether it’s touring the city to see what to get into or going to a concert (they love music). Throughout the week, I would take them to different locations that have murals – for example the OutKast Mural off Moreland (they love selfies) and the Trap Music Museum, just to name a few places. We live for a good restaurant, so I would take them to a few Mom-and-Pop restaurants such as D&D BBQ off Sylvan Road, Juci Jerk off Memorial Drive, and Paschal’s off Northside Drive. I would also take them to a brunch spot, since that’s huge in Atlanta now. We would get up each day and see what things there are to do in the city today. Before you know it, we will have a full itinerary of what we did.

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?
There are so many people who have encouraged, inspired, and motivated me in different ways through my ongoing journey as an entrepreneur. I am forever grateful to everyone who has played a part in this. A few people that have impacted me in key points in my journey would be:

Tara Thomas: At the beginning of my summer internship going into my Senior year in college, I would get down on myself a lot and have a lot of excuses as to why I wasn’t applying myself 100%. Tara noticed this and simply told me to, “put your big girl panties on”! She told me she saw my potential and she wanted to see me succeed in life. When I feel like a challenge is defeating me, I think back to what Tara told me and deal with it.

Anika Glenn: She’s a Sales and Marketing Director who jungles so much between work and family, but always takes time out to give me advice and guidance in the hospitality industry! When I told her about my business, she was first to ask how she can support me. She’s a prime example of a busy executive who benefited from the services of The Sharper Experience.

J. Ladson Weddings (Jade Ladson): Jade has provided me with growth, development, and hands-on experience while allowing me to develop my craft. When I first met her, I asked if I could shadow her to learn more about the wedding industry. She didn’t hesitate to allow me to shadow her and taught me so much about the industry that I wouldn’t have known. To this day, I’ve continued to work with her from time to time just to stay up to date with the new trends.

Events By Jes (Jessica Smith-Presley): Crossing paths with Jessica during an impromptu meeting has been a blessing in disguise. There have been many times where I felt defeated, and Jessica would talk with me, help me come up with a plan to get out of the rut I was in, and just encourage me. Jessica challenges me in ways that keep me on my toes. I’ve learned a wealth of knowledge just from working with her. She is a big supporter of my business and patronizes it every chance she gets.

S.T.E.P.S. Events (Jamahl King): Knowing of Jamahl years prior, I was always amazed at the events he would put on. I wanted to work with him and just soak in all the knowledge he had. Fast forward to when I worked in the hotel industry, our paths crossed, and since then I have been able to work with him. I’ve learned so much from him. He taught me the value of having true connections in the industry and supporting them however you can.

Website: https://www.thesharperexperience.com/

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/the-sharper-experience-8aa5a8204

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesharperexperience

Other: Email: contact@thesharperexperience.com

Image Credits
Image Credits: Real Life Images LLC

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