Meet Sadie Harper
Introduction
Hey there, I’m Sadie, owner, founder, and CEO of Southern Ambition. Sometimes I look back and wonder how I got to this place! In 2017, I was at a crossroads, finishing up graduate school, and deciding what do I do next? Always a pioneer, I picked my own direction, taking the road less traveled, and that, as they say, has made all the difference.
Prior to this, I received my undergraduate Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Criminal Justice from Meredith College in Raleigh, North Carolina, focusing on behavior and cognition. Afterward, I spent five years as a paralegal, working with contracts and corporate litigation, then moved to high-end fashion in brick-and-mortar boutiques as a visual merchandiser.
This led to a Master of Science in Merchandising and Business Development from Kansas State’s Department of Apparel, Textiles, and Interior Design, intending to reopen my interior design business.
Circumstances at the time required me to pivot to another specialty, writing, and so I custom-designed a business model which provided a structure to fit my life, at the time. This was not my first business. It was, however, the one I was not going to let fail: there was no backup plan.
The first success was being published for the first time, winning first prize in a local magazine’s annual writing content with an original free-verse poem. Year by year, I’ve watched it flourish, stretching and refining my skill by writing in multiple styles and formats – knowing which to use and when is key. And I consider myself privileged to have met the clients and connections who have intersected with me on this journey, recognizing how providing this service enables them to achieve their goals. Seeing what this business has accomplished fills me with both pride and humility. Beyond this, it’s also been instrumental in realizing my own career dreams of being published – and having your name in print, on the byline, is unparalleled.
Why Southern Ambition?
The business name came from the concept of direction – I’d found the compass logo, which spoke to me about choosing a way to go forward, purposefully. Then using words as the vehicle, of sorts, to get you there. The overall direction of my life moved south, after growing up in the Midwest outside Chicago (still a Bears fan!), hence southern.
And the clients I work with have a drive of ambition, much like my own. This evolved into the tagline:
“Words create worlds; all it takes is a little direction.”