Meet Brooke MacLean

 

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Brooke MacLean a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Brooke, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?

My resilience comes from lots of opportunities to practice.

Sometimes, I feel it would be nice to have had less practice, but I realize resilience can only come from experiencing setbacks, pain, challenges and hurdles, and making the conscious decision to not let those things stop you.

Over the past few years, I have experienced a great deal of pain and challenges in my life that have changed my mindset entirely. I’ve struggled with unknown kidney disorders that left me in hospitals constantly. I had to learn how to walk again after glass severed the tendons on my foot. I had to recalibrate my dreams after an ectopic pregnancy ruptured, I lost over half my blood causing me to flat-line, and stealing my ability to ever have children. I had to reinvent my story after a painful divorce left me with $17 in my bank account and the weight of bootstrapping an early stage business. I’ve gone into debt to make payroll, I’ve spent nights in fear, I’ve lost opportunities, and felt the weight of risk in ways I never thought possible.

Those are a few of the milestone moments, but everything I experienced has left me stronger, more connected, and more grateful for the life I live and all that has been given to me.

It would be easy to become hard, jaded, or defensive. But what kind of life is that? I have found immense joy after receiving a second chance at life.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about Marketwake, your company?

At Marketwake, our job is to tell stories and connect people with brands they love. At its core it seems simple – we manage Paid Media, Digital Marketing campaigns, Brand Strategy, Social Media, SEO, Content, Web — but those are all just the how. What we are best at is uncovering the why. We figure out what makes a brand unique then find ways to share that story to the people who care. We work to combine data and creativity to create something entertaining, memorable, and lasting for our clients. It’s a blast.

We recently embarked on a journey of our first acquisition. We acquired a software company called Punchlist which the #1 tool for feedback management and team collaboration. It’s a tool we use for all projects and now we are seeing it spread like wildfire through design teams across the globe.

When asked simply – what I do? I believe in people. When it comes down to it that is the skill I feel I possess that matters the most. I believe people can change, they can become the greatest version of themselves, they can make an impact, they can be selfless, they can love, they can win.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Words Change Everything:
Learning that words impact our future. Henry Ford famously said, “Whether you think you can or you can’t, you are right”. This concept has had a massive impact on me. Our words are powerful and if we are telling ourselves we are failures, less than, or not enough, we will live that way. But when we tell ourselves that we can, that it is possible, that better is to come, that we have what it takes, suddenly our mindset shifts and opportunities arise. Be careful with your words – to yourself and to others – they matter.

It’s Your Responsibility:
Don’t rely on others to bring your dream to life. It takes everything you have, and others can help, but ultimately, it’s your responsibility to bring your dream to life and to keep going when it’s hard.

Be Decisive:
I am not always certain of what the ‘best’ route forward is, but I believe ultimately it’s indecision that kills business.

Jay Shetty says, “We spend so much time not making ‘bad decisions’ that we often stop ourselves from moving in the right direction.” A bad decision is often better than no decision because at least we have something to learn from. Think about baseball. If a baseball player does well only 3 or 4 times out of 10 times at the plate, they are excellent. That means they fail 60-70% of the time and are still considered to be among the best. We just need more at-bats in our lives. Times where we step up and swing – even if we miss, we learned how to make the next swing more powerful. The worst thing we can do is not step up at all. Don’t be afraid to move forward and take the swing.

Know How Money Works:
Practically—learn accounting. I had no desire to understand economics, accounting, or cash management, but as a CEO, I find that it is a huge part of the role in order to make smart decisions for my team. I cannot stress enough how important it is to have a functional knowledge of money, cash flow, P&L, investments, ROI, and how to leverage debt. I’m not sure how we could have gotten through the past several years if I didn’t spend time immersed in how the financial side of our business functions.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?

I believe a well-rounded library is the secret to personal and professional growth. Here are some of my favorites:
Start with Why – Simon Sinek
Never Split the Difference – Chris Voss & Tahl Raz
The Fountainhead – Ayn Rand
West with Giraffes – Lynda Rutledge
The Last Green Valley – Mark Sullivan
12 Rules for Life – Jordan Peterson
Unreasonable Hospitality – Will Guidara
10x Is Easier Than 2x – Dan Sullivan & Benjamin Hardy
The Obstacle Is the Way – Ryan Holiday
Atomic Habits – James Clear

Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you? 

Our ideal client is someone who not only values innovation and creativity but also understands the importance of a collaborative partnership. At Marketwake, we thrive when working with companies that are forward-thinking, open to new ideas, and eager to leverage the power of data-driven marketing to drive their business forward.

We typically look for clients who:
Have a clear vision and goals
Value partnership and collaboration
Are ambitious and growth-oriented

Contact Info:

Image Credits

@ltphotoandfilm

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