NASE in the News

Producing Self-Employment

Sharon T. Hinton is the Founder and President of PepTalk Productions, LLC located in Memphis, Tennessee. PepTalk Productions began in 2000 and provides presentations, courses, and other resources for personal and professional development to nurses, chaplains and anyone interested in spiritual care.

When and why did you join the NASE?
I joined in NASE two years ago to have a resource for information, education and a connection to others who are self-employed.

What inspired you to enter the field you are in?
I enjoy encouraging and mentoring others to grow personally and professionally. By supporting those who provide direct care, such as nurses and chaplains, not only do I enjoy helping them to be healthier but in return they also provide better care to those they serve. The ripple effect of my work is inspiring and satisfying.

When and why did you start your business?
When I closed my nonprofit, I kept PepTalk Productions as an LLC in order to have a framework to continue speaking and creating the courses and resources to encourage others.

How do you market your business?
Currently my marketing consists of word-of-mouth from family, friends and past associates as well as my website.

What challenges have you faced in your business?
As an LLC, the challenges include finances and a physical location. I have overcome these by using a home office and teaching at locations with low cost rental fees. It was also difficult to move to a new state after 25 years. I found it was very important to learn the rules and regulations for the new state as they are different from where I lived before.

Do you have any employees?
Currently I am the only employee. I do use scholars and interns for specific projects when needed. In the future, I would like to expand to have multiple full-time employees as my business grows and expands.

What’s your schedule like, what’s a typical day for you?
My schedule depends on whether I’m speaking or teaching. Often this includes travel. When I am preparing for and providing a presentation or course, I may work 10 – 12 hours a day. During slow times I may work for 3 – 4 hours a day. I try to keep Friday’s as a writing and planning day.

What’s the best thing about being self-employed?
The best part about being self-employed is that I love the freedom to set my own schedule, especially time off for holidays and special days with my family.

What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received from a client?
The greatest compliment I received was, “You have changed my entire life, thank you!”

What’s the most important piece of advice you would give to someone starting their own business?
The best advice I would give is, Know what you want, plan out your dream, and then work hard to achieve it.

Which NASE member benefit is most important to you?
I find the information and resources available from NASE.org to be very valuable.