Meet Ashia Hardaway | Creative, Independent Bartender, Content Creator

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

Hi Ashia, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
My initial feeling was fear. I was anxious about potential judgment, concerned about success, and apprehensive about failure. Interestingly enough, my biggest fear is failing. It did not take very long for me to realize that I was looking at the glass half empty. I was hindering my personal growth by not embracing change and new challenges. Whatever happens, you can use it as a teaching opportunity and an opportunity to grow. Truthfully speaking, failure is almost inevitable, the lessons that you learn from your trial and error will determine your resilience and that will pour into your business. As cliche as it may be, do not give up.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My work is interesting. I have a professional life that I take very seriously and hold dear to my heart. I am also a creative who enjoys bartending independently, modeling and creating content for existing brands. I got to where I am today, by trial and error. My entire journey consists of me falling and getting back up. I still find myself worrying about where I am going next, which hinders me being appreciative of where I am. I’ve learned to make sure I can take a step back to just appreciate that where I am currently am, and understanding getting here took some type of growth and fight. Keep fighting and keep growing. I want the world to know that you may not know or understand who I am or what I do, but as I continue to work hard and never give up that one day, I will ask people to refer back to this article and take my advice.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
The first place I would take my best friend if we were visiting Nashville is the Opry Mills mall, I love to shop and with online shopping being readily available, sometimes I just miss the enjoyment of going into a large mall with tons of options to choose from. Shortly after we’ll be visiting the Bridgestone arena. Likely, there is some type of live entertainment scheduled for the night that we will enjoy. Lastly, we will enjoy the big city and bright lights by bar hopping and enjoying the tourist or Nashville natives.

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?
Every single person in my immediate circle has played a vital role in my journey. My mom, my sisters, and my close friends have continually supported and celebrated me in every single door I have to enter, unconditionally. I would love to shoutout my entire village, they have single handily kept me motivated every single day.

Instagram: @ashiamonea_

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashia-hardaway-3045b7179