Brooke McCandless Sheesley

This mom is on a mission

Brooke McCandless Sheesley

#BOSSLADY DETAILS

 Name & Surname: Brooke McCandless Sheesley

Strengths: I feel one of my strengths is when times are tough, I persevere, there is always a way.

Country: United States

Industry: Consultant for Private Education

Favorite quote: Let Go, Let God

  • Please give us a bit of background on yourself

I am a mother of 2 teenagers and a business owner.  From a very small age I struggled through school as I learned differently from others, nothing came easily to me.  So, when all my friends were making big plans to go to college, I just never found it in the cards for me.  To be honest, when ever people asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always said that I wanted to be a mother.  At the young age of 20 my dream came true.  I met my husband at 19 and we soon after started our family.  My father always instilled in me a very strong work ethic so, even as a young mother of two, I always felt it important to work but my family always came first.  So as years went on, I always adjusted my working schedule with what was needed at home.  Since I never had a college degree, I never saw value within myself in the workplace until I met my business partner.  We found similarities in a vision for our company.  My faith in God has seen me through all my ups and downs in life and I have seen his hand at work while developing the company.  My Husband and I lived a very modest life on a tight budget.  So, when I heard the call to start my own business, I was reluctant.  With a lot of consideration, I chose to leave my job with a steady paycheck and take a leap of faith.  To not only help private schools but to be able to change the lives of children that are in need of another option has been the most rewarding job I have ever had.

  • What are some of your biggest achievements throughout your journey?

Working closely with private schools and implementing our services we have raised $7 million and have seen enrollment rise within schools up to 43%, seeing the numbers is a wonderful accomplishment and having very early success with a self-funded business has been a blessing.  But to know that we can change thousands of children’s lives in the process is why we do what we do.  Knowing that these children are now able to receive a faith-based education is the biggest achievement.

Brooke McCandless Sheesley

  • What are 3 business principles that are of core value to you?

#1. Positivity – We truly believe that what we put out into the universe comes back to us, so positivity is a huge priority in our business.

#2. Reliability – When running your own business that is a given as you need to be able to rely on all the people on your team.

#3. Honesty – I would much rather someone mess up and fess up than lie to me.

  • What is the hardest part of being an entrepreneur?

When starting your own company, you go into it knowing that you are always on call, you don’t clock out like a 9-5 job.  Balancing a healthy work life and home life can become tricky.  But you also must know when to check out and recharge because that can be just as important to your mental health and for the success of the business.  We have grown so much in a small amount of time that it is very important to me to stay connected and true to why we started this from the beginning and know why it works, making sure that we stay personally invested in each school is very important to me.

  • How do you stand out in this digital world?

A lot of our cliental, whom are the decision makers of schools, are on LinkedIn so we tried to utilize that as much as possible.  We saw very early success by advertising the right way through that channel.

  • What was one of the biggest mistakes that you have made throughout your journey and what lesson did you learn from it?

One of the biggest mistakes I made was thinking the business was going to go a certain way however, we saw very early on, when running a startup company, you must be adaptable to what is working.  Hiring unadaptable employees doesn’t work with a startup.

Brooke McCandless Sheesley

  • What is your key to success?

Always have faith.  As long as your being honest to yourself and your morals, then you’re doing it right.  Pray on everything. God will never steer you wrong.  I also feel that building strong relationships with your clients is important.  Also, I feel that is why we have seen such success.  When we go into a school, we become attached and invested in making a difference.  I truly feel that’s why we work so hard for these schools and staff because they don’t just become our clients, they become our friends.

  • What does success mean to you?

Success to me isn’t about the dollar sign. Success is about how happy our clients are and seeing the lives that we are changing, not only in the schools but the students’ lives as well.

Brooke McCandless Sheesley

MeetErna Bassonbatch4, female entrepreneur, woman entrepreneur magazine, Brooke McCandless SheesleyComment