We were lucky to catch up with Monique Douglas recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Monique , thanks for joining us today. We believe kindness is contagious and so we’d love for you to share with us and our audience about the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?

My husband and I merged our business brands to create a branding and consulting firm and opened a brick and mortar 6 weeks prior to the pandemic and got married during the pandemic. You can only imagine the stress we encountered trying to figure out how our business would survive. At the same time, as we watched other businesses surrounding us have to close their doors, we were trying to figure out how we could be a blessing to other creatives in the community. Many watched as we unselfishly invited photographers, videographers, productions teams, and musicians to use our venue free of charge as a location to complete projects or performances in order to meet their financial obligations. One Community partner saw our genuine love for community and decided to gift us with a trip to an all inclusive resort in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico while another community partner provided us the airfare to get there. They said we do so much for others they insisted we get away for our own self-care and to celebrate our wedding anniversary. It was such a kind gesture.

Monique , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

What is so interesting about my journey is that, as many entrepreneurs, I was already practicing my craft before even knowing that what I was doing had a title.

My motivation for entrepreneurship comes from observing my parents who ran our family business, an architectural firm, all of my youth. They operated their business with a standard of excellence which resulted in their building life long relationships in the community and earning recognition and awards. It also open my eyes to begin understanding the concept of a brand, how it is marketed and promoted, and the connection between a business brand and how much stronger a brand is when those who represent it understand the purpose and move in harmony with it.

My parents provided me the opportunity to work in the office of our family business where I worked the job cost system, interacted with the multi cultural staff and was entrusted with the responsibilities of dropping off and meeting with our county zoning office, Attorneys and Realtors. This provided me opportunities for growth that prepared me for great communication skills and opportunity to understand interactions with corporate entities.

I gained valuable customer service trainings through FedEx, where I worked for several years. My 20 years in hospitality management and sales with Hilton brands along with an overlapping 20 years in cosmetic management and sales has afforded me an opportunity to coach many professionals with building their brands to become more profitable.

What sets our business, CBK Branding & Consulting Firm LLC, apart is that we are a full service branding company with a boutique feel. We pride ourselves and making sure that our clients have a personal touch with us so they feel comfortable and trusting us with all aspects of their branding. We like to say we are here to help them make a splash in the marketplace instead of tip toeing in.

Here are services that we specialize in that contribute to the dynamic presentation of our client’s brands in the marketplace:

• Branding Strategy
• Photography
• Videography
• Web Design
• Graphic Design
• Embroidery
• Social Media Design & Manage

It is with joy that I serve as the Executive Director of the Non-Profit Brooklyn Collective where our aforementioned brick & mortar, Society at 229 resides. It is a membership based social lounge with the desire to bring like minded individuals together to honor the heritage of the historic block we operate out of and to bring our diverse community together for meaningful conversations, which can lead to collaborations for the greater good.

I am looking forward to the launch of my newest written work (Now found on Amazon) “UNCLOGGED -Targeting the Top 10 Mindset Cloggers to Business Success “, will serve as a tool for upcoming speaking engagements, and workshops to unlock mindsets that are hindering movement of their businesses.

Lastly, we are proud to speak on the impact our nonprofit, Grooming Greatness Foundation, has been having on our youth in the community for the past 9 years. We educate, & empower our youth ages 9- 16 through exposure to performing & visual arts. Learn more at groomingreatness.org

My husband and I are committed to servicing the community. In fact I’m known to say “my goal in this phase of life is to stop and smell the roses, pick one & pass it on”,

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

The greatest story for resilience is our story of the pandemic.

And with us opening our brick and mortar six weeks prior to the pandemic, when we were told we had to shelter in place, we couldn’t believe this was happening at the time when we had just opened.

Resilience was the only way we could survive. And so many others our life seemed like it switched overnight and then we had it. But we were frozen in time.

We adjusted the way we conducted business, learned how to use. platforms such as zoom more effectto try a new way of handling consulting.

My husband began doing more one on one photoshoots as opposed to group settings.

We began live-streaming from our venue.

We opened up our doors for free to performers, as restrictions began loosening, so that we could live stream for them to audiences who watched from their homes. It was a great way to introduce others to our space and as we were able to have increased attendance and more activity in the space we had individuals share with us how they learned about us as a result of the live steams.

Although these were challenging times, it became game-changing as we knew we we’re determined for our business to not fold.

There are many times, now that we have moved outside the pandemic, when we look at where we are now and are so grateful that we are ‘Still Standing’!

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Outside of the pandemic my largest pivot was the experience of divorce.

I have been an entrepreneur for over 30 years, however I never anticipated that I would end up in a situation of separation and divorce.

After 15 years and 3 children I found myself in a very difficult situation. I came from my parent’s home into marriage so I had never lived alone. With an immense amount of fear I left a toxic situation on a leap of faith. I took my 401K money and paid for a small 1 bedroom apartment for myself and my 3 small children.

The over arching question would be could I care for myself and my 3 young children on my entrepreneur’s income. I knew I needed flexibility and the thought of having to go into the workforce was extremely stress filled.

I tried to sustain us, but carrying all of the bills on my own was extremely difficult and because I was suffering from anxiety at the time I had to make the difficult decision to go back into the work force. I knew I needed stability and I was able to work part time and supplement my entrepreneurial interests.

Although this pivot was an overwhelming decision. I stepped out on faith and did it anyway and the kids and I survived and I realized in the end it was the best decision I made at the time.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.cbkbrandingandconsulting.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/itsmoniquedouglas?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stubbshall?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/moniquedouglas