An Interview with Brooke.

Hello Readers! Please enjoy this interview based blog post! Thank you to all followers, friends, and family that have helped support Brooke's Space. Your support keeps my small business running and I am always grateful for you all! These interview questions were sent in from readers and clients and thanks to all that sent them in.

What's a lesson you learned the hard way?

You will not always be successful. This one for me hit hard. I expected everything to go my way and my business to kick off successfully. However, it took me a few years to realize when you build a business from the ground up it takes time, determination, willpower to keep going, and failure to get where you want it to be and you have to hustle and hustle hard.

What's a fear you're learning to let go of?

That I will not be a perfect parent. I think this is a fear many of us mothers have. We want nothing more than to be the perfect example for our children and for me I try my best daily to be as perfect as I can for my child and give him everything I can in life but as a small business owner I have had to make many sacrifices for us both and still do daily to make sure that I can give my child the childhood he deserves and this meaning he doesn't always get my full attention and daily I struggle with this and I fear daily that I am not doing all I can for him or I am not doing enough and it's a big fear to let go of of but something I try to daily!

Are you a risk taker?

Absolutely! As an entrepreneur I have to be. I make many risk taking decisions daily that affect my business and day to day life. If you are not a risk taker as entrepreneur you are setting yourself up for failure.

What inspires you to keep going when things get hard?

My son is my biggest inspiration. He inspires me daily. I also look up to many small business owners that are also women in my area that have worked just as hard and harder to get where they are! I find inspiration within the beauty of every day life. Everyday no matter my pain, what I'm going through I always look at it as a moment that will inspire me to keep pushing forward with my business and life.

How do you measure success in your life?

Well, I see success as doing what makes you happy and living the life you want and it not only benefitting me but my child as well. Is he happy? Am I happy? Then I am successful. If not then I am not successful in the moment.

What's a principle you try to live by everyday?

Life is short. I live by this daily. I lost many family members in my life growing up that I was close to including my father. It made me realize we do not know how much time we have in this life and ever since I have become a risk taker but I also value my time with family and friends and I cherish the time I have with them.

How do you handle failure?

I see failure as an opportunity for growth. Can it be disappointing to fail? Absolutely! Am I going to give up? No. I feel it is important to see failure as your opportunity to try something new or grow from where you failed. I failed many times starting my business and last year I almost gave up from the failures but I kept pushing and in the beginning of this year that is when everything changed for me.

What is your biggest struggles?

I am a perfectionist in everything that I do. A slight mistake just derails me. This greatly affects me with work. I also have autism and it makes it hard for me to socialize among other things and I also suffer from PCOS and Fibromyalgia and it affects me daily to the point where I have days that I have to lay around and it's hard for me to work, move, and take care of myself and my child.

Will you share spicy blog post to incorporate with your booktok/smuttok?

I absolutely plan on it!

Do you have a 5 year plan?

I do! I am planning on building my business on the east coast and successfully opening shops in select locations along with building my blog and hoping to add in a volunteer group to help families in need decorate their homes without having to pay. For me personally, I am working my way up to buying a home and I want to be able to travel while working remotely.

How do you approach life's challenges?

I don't take challenges lightly. I push through challenges thrown my way and if they are more difficult than I can handle I always ask for a helping hand. If I fail at any challenges that is thrown my way whether it be within Brooke's Space or daily life I break it down to become more easier to accomplish but I never give up on the challenges.

What's something you're deeply passionate about?

I am deeply passionate about my hobbies I have many hobbies that I take interest in including hiking, kayaking, reading, blogging, and painting among many other hobbies. I am also deeply passionate on advocating for men's mental health awareness. I also have been studying children's psychology as well and I find that it has made me even more passionate about parenting.

What would you do if you had millions of dollars?

If I had millions of dollars I would use a portion for my business to build it up more, pay off debt from student loans, set up my family financially and use the rest to help families in need. I personally would not want to save all of that to use on myself because there is always someone more in need than me or always someone that needs a helping hand and as someone that knows what it is like to not know when I can feed my child next and needing to rely on family for help it always makes me want to help others.

Do you find being a business owner stressful?

Absolutely. Being a business owner is very stressful. I find it more stressful now maintaining it than when I first started my business. It's not like working a 9-5 and leaving your worries at work. I think about what I need to do and come up with ideas 24/7. It's challenging but I also find it rewarding!

Advice that you would give to anyone who wants to start their own business but is scared to do so?

Don't be afraid and go for it!! Put in the research and I always like to remind people that you will have setbacks but it's important to stay focused on goals that you set. Come up with a business plan in the beginning and go from there. Don't be afraid to reach out to other business owners for advice and never ever give up!! I always say if I can do it the you can do it and I wholeheartedly mean it. I came from nothing and grew my business and my name from scratch. It's very challenging to do so but it is also very rewarding in the end. Don't give up on yourself because we only have this one life to live and you don't want to live it in failure.

How do you handle criticism or negative feedback?

Simply, if it is something about my business that someone disagrees with or if it is something about myself that someone disagrees with I ignore it. However, if it is something that I truly need to change or I did something wrong I apologize and fix my mistakes. Not all criticism or negative feedback is someone coming for you it could simply be someone being brutally honest about something you need to fix!

Is it challenging to balance home/work life while you work from home?

Absolutely! It's challenging everyday. I change my work schedule daily to go based off of my son's needs for the day and how much work I have to do. There are days that are easy and days that are challenging. Sometimes I work through the night so I can spend more time with my son through the day.

Do you find Crunchy Living challenging?

In the beginning I found it very challenging and at times I still do however, I have many cheat days and I grab fast food occasionally still. I find it is important to balance it out and not feel guilty when I have to grab something that is not organic or homemade sometimes. I plan on going into full crunchy living mode this summer when me and my son try out camper living for the entire summer!

Thank you for reading and send in your questions for a second interview!

Thanks for the support!