Talking to a Boss
Interviewing Brooke Anthony of Chloe + Lois
Haley Sherif: Why did you start Chloe + Lois?
Brooke Anthony: I started Chloe + Lois while working in Corporate America [and] shortly after my husband and I got engaged. I was on the quest for the perfect pair of earrings for me and my bridesmaids to wear in my wedding and couldn’t find exactly what I wanted. I always had a love for jewelry, (given to me by my grandmother, Lois), but at this point in time my design-bug was born! I started designing unique everyday pieces made for stacking, layering, and mixing + matching. The rest is history!
HS: What is your motivation to work your business every day?
BA: I live to make my customers happy, I love being creative, and I love the amazing feedback I get from my customers about how wearing my jewelry makes them feel. Countless women have reached out to tell me about the compliments they have received wearing my jewelry. I believe that we all deserve to be seen and heard. It’s such a great feeling knowing my jewelry is doing that for women. These are the elements that keep the motivation coming strong!
HS: What was the hardest obstacle you over came in your business?
BA: [For me, it was] getting over the period of self-doubt. I faced it a lot at the beginning while I was transitioning from Corporate America to owning my own business. Before taking the plunge, I often asked myself, “can I really do this?” and “am I crazy?” At the end of the day, I felt it in my heart that I was put on this Universe to inspire change within women. I knew I had a great story to tell and that people needed to hear it in order to tap into their full potential. Overcoming self doubt is not easy, it’s a constant work in progress. You have to train your brain to stop saying all the negative thoughts that creep up. You also need to have a solid support system in place that helps you keep the faith and that gives you the strength to keep plugging along.
I believe that we all deserve to be seen and heard.
Brooke Anthony
HS: What do you hope to teach your child?
BA: I will teach him that he can do whatever he wants in life, even if it doesn’t fit the particular mold that society wants everyone in. I’ll teach him that success isn’t all about money and the admiration of strangers on social media, [but rather] it’s about being true to yourself and injecting value into the world. Society places an extreme emphasis on following along this one standard path to “success,” but each and every single one of us often lose sight of truly defining what success means to us. I want to teach him to find what makes him happy, so he can create his own definition of success. But, if you ask my husband this question, (just like I said previously everyone has their own definition), he will say, he’s going to teach him to golf and he’s going to be a PGA pro. LOL!
It’s the little things that add up to the big things.
Brooke Anthony
HS: How does your child inspire you?
BA: He inspires me to continue to put good into this world, use my voice, and inspire others to be their greatest. He is the future!
HS: What is a way you like to give back?
BA: When I started Chloe + Lois I knew I wanted to help those who need it the most. I often donate [both] money and time to many organizations within the Hudson Valley, NY region. I have designed some collaboration pieces with local charities one being Unshattered. Unshattered is a non-profit that is dedicated to ending the addiction relapse cycle in women. [I also recently designed a charity piece for] Sparrow’s Nest, a charity that feeds families facing a cancer diagnosis. For both charities we donated a large portion of the sale of each piece directly back to the foundations. I am also happy [when donating] my time to charitable organizations.
Success isn’t all about the money.
Brooke Anthony
HS: What is a dream you still hope to accomplish?
BA: There is a lot on the list of things that I would like to accomplish, but right now I’m focusing on expressing gratitude for my small wins as they come in day by day. It’s the little things that add up to become the big things.
HS: Do you have a favorite client story?
BA: There is no way I could pick just one! I have received so many heartfelt e-mails from customers all over the country. I love connecting with each and every single one of them to learn the story behind them purchasing their jewelry. Each and every story is so special in its own way. They’re all my favorite!
HS: What is your favorite splurge? How do you self-care?
BA: I’m a skin care freak and let me tell you it’s not cheap! Good skin care is definitely one of my splurges. Self-care for me is *completely* shutting off: no computer, no phone, and sitting on the couch with my husband or enjoying time with great friends and family.
HS: Any final words?
BA: Don’t let anyone dull your sparkle.
You can follow Chloe + Lois at their social channels below. All product photos are courtesy of Chloe + Lois.
