About Brooke Leno
Brooke Leno grew up in Dickinson with a family of entrepreneurs. So, not surprisingly, she started her own business right out of college in 2011 at the age of 22.
“I’m fortunate that my parents have always encouraged and supported my dreams and ideas,” Leno said. “They were and are two of my biggest supporters.
Q: When did you realize you wanted to start your own business?
A: I knew from a young age that I wanted to build a business of my own, but in high school, was when I decided that someday I’d like to have my own clothing store. I was always interested in fashion and loved the idea of making fashion accessible in the small town I grew up in.
Q: Is there a specific mentor or role model who influenced your entrepreneurial journey?
A: My parents definitely encouraged my entrepreneurial journey, but I also worked at a store called EVEREVE in college in Edina, MN. When I worked there, the corporate office was in the basement of the store so I got to know a lot of the corporate team and the owners. Megan and Mike Tamte (co-founders and co-CEOs) have always been two people I’ve looked up to. They supported and encouraged me from afar and have always been there if I needed advice. It’s so important to keep those relationships and lean on people who have more knowledge than you do. That’s been a pivotal part of our growth at Out of Town.
Q: How did you come up with the idea for your business?
A: Growing up, my mom and I always used to take trips “out of town” to shop because there wasn’t really any options in our small town. I had a dream of bringing those brands and items that used to require trips “out of town” back to our town. Now, at Out of Town, we carry brands and products that are unique to our area and help save you the trip.
Q: What steps did you take to turn your idea into reality?
A: I went to school in Minneapolis for retail and also interned in NYC, so my background helped me get started. In the beginning, it was a lot of research and reaching out to brands convincing them to take a chance on me until they did!
Q: What was the biggest challenge you faced when starting out, and how did you overcome it?
A: I think one of the hardest things was that what I learned in school was quite a bit short of what I needed to know in the real world. I had to learn a lot as we went. Also, learning how to lead a team as a young entrepreneur was something that took time and experience. To overcome those things it took failing a few times and learning from my mistakes. I don’t know if you can ever really avoid “learning the hard way” on a few things!
Q: Did you have a clear business plan from the beginning or did your plan evolve over time?
A: I had a plan in my head for a long time, but not a formal business plan. My ideas have evolved over time and changed along the way.
Q: What was the most surprising thing you learned when starting your business?
A: Something that was surprising to me was when we started our online store I expected customers from all over the country to just magically show up. It was much different than I expected and, honestly, a lot harder to reach people than in person.
Q: What strategies or decisions contributed the most to your business’s growth?
A: I have always followed the rule of “hire for where you want to be, and not where you are.” Adding an amazing team has made such a huge impact on our growth. You have to find the right people and put them in the right positions.
Q: What has been the biggest failure or setback you faced as an entrepreneur and how did you learn from it?
A: One of the biggest failures in the beginning was not protecting our brands with zip code protection. As I’ve gotten more knowledgeable I now have conversations with our reps before we bring brands into our store. It’s important to me to stick to carrying products and brands you cannot find everywhere, which means we need to partner with brands that feel the same way.
Q: What’s your leadership philosophy?
A: I have done every job at Out of Town at some point, so I think it’s helpful that I can relate to my team. I make sure to remember that they’re all human beings with families and need support, too. I love to keep it real with them and treat everyone with respect and understanding while still sticking to our core values.
Q: How do you build and maintain a strong company culture?
A: We created core values a few years ago together as a team and it’s been so fun to refer back to those as we grow. We hire based on those values and it’s been a huge win for us.
Q: Are there any resources you would recommend to other entrepreneurs out there?
A: I love Google Calendar of course to keep me organized, but we also use Asana to keep us on task as a team.
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