Today we’d like to introduce you to Brooke Westbrooks.
Hi Brooke, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I began my entrepreneurship in my early teen stages when I began selling clothes and shoes in high school, with my hustling spirit and strong ambition, I developed a passion for having my own money and becoming my own boss. In 2014, I launched my first Business, ‘ B. Lauren Shop’ selling women’s merch and accessories on a quest to help women boost their self-esteem by looking good and feeling good. A year later launched my ‘Shaped By B. Lauren,’ a women’s shapewear line to help Moms & women like myself get back their confidence. I made 85,000 dollars in my first year in business with no high school diploma. I didn’t have any help, it was just me and God. After that year, I knew I could do anything I put my mind to.
A year later My family got approached by BET to do a reality show on us naming us the First family of social media My business did double the next year and I was extremely overwhelmed and failed to keep things afloat being a one-man army. Things drastically slowed down when the show ended and I became very depressed. I felt defeated and things started to go downhill from there. I gained a lot of weight, I stopped praying, and I turned away from God because I didn’t understand why things were happening to me. This lasted for two long years and those were the most challenging years of my life.
While being depressed, I was still a hustler at heart. I began to think about generational wealth and leaving something behind for my children. I wanted to create something for the youth in the inner cities of Los Angeles County to have a safe place to come to after school to learn. I started an apparel company called ‘5ive Line’ and the proceeds sponsors youth to enroll in our after-school program. Our program encourages and teaches youth to be entrepreneurs, innovators, creators, and leaders. The core of our program is faith-based, instilling Godly values and principles in our youth. In 2021, I got the keys to my first 5Line location right in Crenshaw, the heart of L.A. We are opened Monday through Friday from 11 pm to 3 pm, and then from 4 pm to 6 pm, the store is closed to the public and open for our after-school program.
During my depression, I was the biggest that I’ve ever been and I didn’t like it. I decided to take control of my health and lose weight. I created my own workout plan and meal plan. I woke up every morning, prayed, read a scripture, worked out, and did it all again the next day. After sixty days, I achieved my weight-loss goal and I wanted to help women do the same. ‘Faith & Fitness L.A.’ is a Sixty-day program designed to kick start your weight-loss journey and help you transition to a healthy lifestyle! It’s a faith-based program that helps you reach your spiritual and fitness goals. Today, Faith & Fitness has a thriving community of women all over the world who are enrolled in our sixty-day program, achieving their faith and fitness goals.
I am growing and evolving into a better woman, mother, and businesswoman each day. Now, I’m taking my followers on the journey with me on my Youtube Channel, ‘Sticking To The Script With BL” where I’ll be sharing behind-the-scenes footage of my life. I want my followers to follow my progress and see the highs and lows of my journey. I’m stronger now, I’m wiser now and I’ve failed so many times at many different things and I’m not afraid to keep failing. Failing is a part of the journey too and I’ve accepted that. I’ve learned that my failures are not final. So, I’m going to continue to give it all I got and keep trying. That’s what makes me a winner because you can only lose if you stop trying.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It hasn’t been a smooth road at all. I’ve been doing business since 2014 and anyone who is in business knows it has its highs and lows. My main struggle is balancing being a mother of five kids while running multiple businesses. I don’t have a team, it’s just me and my manager and things can become very overwhelming for me. I am constantly learning how to manage and balance my schedule to make sure I show up for my kids and my business endeavors.
I’ve also struggled with coming out of my shell. I like being behind the scenes. I am a little uncomfortable being in front of the camera. I have anxiety about what to say, and social media could be very critical of you. When you run a business 100% online, you have to engage with your customers or people who follow your account. I challenge myself weekly by showing my face more, doing videos more, and interacting with people more. I am becoming more comfortable in my skin and I’m becoming confident as a business owner.
Business is hard. There were many days when I felt like giving up and just stopping. My strength comes from my faith and belief in God. I’ve learned that these seasons help build us and season us. Hardships and tests help develop your character, so we have to learn how to endure those hard moments because we all will have them. I’ve learned to push through the pain and change my perspective. You learn how to maneuver through the hard times when you do that, and life becomes a little easier.
I just want people to know that you won’t always get it right and things won’t always go as planned. Just remember God has a plan for you and as long as you got him, you will succeed in all you do and that’s how I’ve been able to make it.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am an entrepreneur and a social media influencer.
Faith & Fitness LA: I help women reach their fitness and spiritual goals with my 60-day faith and fitness plan and meal plan.
5ive Line: An apparel line and non-profit organization that sponsors inner-city youth from Los Angeles County to attend 5ive Line’s after-school program. 5ive Line’s after-school program teaches and encourages youth to be entrepreneurs, creators, innovators, and leaders.
Shaped By BL: A fitness and shapewear apparel line selling fitness accessories, supplements, and shapewear.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
You can support any of my businesses by enrolling in one of my programs, purchasing apparel or accessories, following my Youtube channel, and subscribing.
If you need to raise awareness of your brand, event, or business, I do offer promo deals that have made business owners thousands of dollars from posting their information on my social media account. If you need promo, email my manager [email protected].
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://blaurenshopp.bigcartel.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shes_brookelauren/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJTsLlZd5WndxjsGT8XGmjQ
