We recently connected with Ashley Rouse and have shared our conversation below.
Ashley, appreciate you joining us today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?
If there’s anything that I’ve learned over the past 10 years, it’s that in order to be successful, you must be able to pivot. I’ve often found that you’re mentally, physically and emotionally prepared, even excited, to go in one direction, and you end up being guided or nudged to go another. There have been times when I listened to that intuition, and times when I’ve ignored it. But mostly, I’ve listened. It will often feel uncomfortable to step outside of what feels comfortable to you, but being open to change has allowed me to be successful in so many ways throughout my career. It’s allowed me to reach more customers with my business Trade Street Jam Company, and it’s also allowed me to follow passions I once quieted and start a new business, rouse like house. For small business owners, pivoting is not only a crucial piece to success, but pivotal in allowing us to grow and thrive.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I currently run rouse like house creative house, specializing in marketing and branding for small businesses and personal brands and providing interior design solutions. I have a vast set of skills, amassed over 20+ years in the hospitality industry, and what sets me apart is my ability to provide services to a multitude of different people across those different skill sets. I’m most proud of this brand, rouse like house, as it’s a compilation of knowledge gained during my time as an entrepreneur. I love helping small businesses grow, and I do that by helping with website creation, social media templates, brand guidelines, marketing materials and small business mentorship. I also have been designing homes for years, and am elated to finally be able to provide interior design services on a larger scale. My most recent client was a Cleveland Caveliers player–my most special project to date!
Does your business have multiple or supplementary revenue streams (like a ATM machine at a barbershop, etc)?
I think this is what makes rouse like house so special. Many creatives find themselves being good at multiple things–but find it hard to either aggregate them or to make money off of them simultaneously. I built rouse like house because I have many different passions, and I found it necessary to be able to bring them all together under one roof–a “creative house,” so to speak. For non-creatives, this can be such a hard concept to understand and to support! For creatives, it’s something we’ve been striving to do as long as we’ve been able to create. I envision myself as the brand, as the aggregating factor, and everything else will fall into place.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
Happiness. I’ve spent so many years being an unhappy entrepreneur, and before that, an unhappy chef. Entrepreneurship comes at an expense, and sometimes happiness–mental health–is one of the first things that goes out the window. Something called “grind culture” is often promoted at one’s own mental and emotional expense. I’ve fallen into that culture for far too many years, suffering at the expense of growing my company. Now, I’m focusing on creative projects that bring me joy. Projects that allow me to have “grace” rather than “grind,” that allow me to sit at the computer designing for hours with a smile on my face rather than trudging through miserable work that I felt forced to do to keep my business running smoothly.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rouselikehouse.com
- Instagram: @rouselikehouse
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rouselikehouse
