By Taroue Brooks
What inspired you to become an entrepreneur?
My inspiration was born out of the motivation to get out of poverty growing up at a young age in Inglewood, CA. Our family moved to Texas because cost of living was too high and both of our parents had to take on two jobs each. This really gave me a reality check that if you can’t create your own income, you end up working for your money and not having your money work for you. It gave me a good prospective on exploring something out of the box and not really conform to the social norms of the 9-5.
Tell us about your new facility and services.
The Concept of my facility “Muze Office” is a very niche and unique one derived from the base concept of co-working spaces and shared private offices born from the New York market and their need to scale down on space. I saw an opportunity that blossomed in the Houston metropolitan area as so many new entrepreneurs wanted to have their own space, but could not afford what they needed yet alone wanted. The concept was born from my predecessor company Melodic Soul Enterprises which primarily focus on lifestyle branding and marketing for fortune 500 companies to small business. We saw a need for that level of curation to a business owners needs when we lead the campaign for one of Houston’s leading co-working spaces downtown. The concept of Muze was to refine that experience to create a more luxury all inclusive experience. The amenities we include are onsite mail delivery, receptionist service, conference room bookings, private offices, 24/7 access to our space, coffee & refreshments, car fueling and maintenance, onsite massage therapy, and business networking workshops.
Tell us about your passion for music.
My music passion started at a young age, my family on my mother’s side were always very musically inclined and I literally came of out the womb singing…so I was told. My career started at the age of 5 and my grandfather always pushed me to perform for pay at weddings since he was a jazz pianist from New Orleans. My parents were very supportive and nurtured this talent with their support. Since then, my music has been my child because I care for it on the daily down to being heavily involved in the writing process, vocal composition, visual production, and brand management side. I find a level of creativity and art in everything I do so it’s a very fluid transition whether I’m styling myself for a photoshoot, writing a screen play, or painting a canvas for album art.
What can we expect from your music career?
I’m a visually situated individual so I strive to really tell the stories that are in my head through photography and cinematography. They say a picture is worth a thousand words so I truly hold that concept to heart. You can expect that ever artist aspect of me will be included in my music and visuals. My stories are told in a cinematic way because I feel that it will help people to connect to my soul on a deeper level. Hence the reason why my company that just started to do career consulting for music artist is also called Melodic Soul. I stand being authenticity and I want people to really see life through my eyes.
How did you become an influencer?
Relationships and opportunities are what have really helped me in this field. Being genuine and ethical to all of my relationships that I’ve had personally and professionally landed me my first feature on MTV for my single “All This Love”. After that, it kind of spread like wild fire and I began to get offers and referrals to do brand ambassador work before the digital era took over and translated that to being an influencer. I’ve worked with many reputable names in audio electronics, fitness/health, fashion, and liquor/spirits. Monster Audio and Belvedere to name a few on my resume. I truly believe in ethical representation though so I will not work with a product or service that I do not believe in or actually use.
Tell us about your exotic pet and love for animals.
My grandmother on my mother’s side had always been an animal lover. She was part Cherokee and growing up I remember she had a grey wolf that they kept. This really was the seeds that played into my role and interest in my love for nature and the balance it brings to my life. I now currently have a high content wolf-dog and a ball python and they are part of my spirit and life everyday. Elektra my wolf dog is the company mascot for Melodic Soul because the wolf pack embodies how I treat my staff. The motto of the wolf is always to keep family first and hunt together as a pack. No one is left behind.
What has been your biggest challenge being an entrepreneur?
There’s always a lot of self doubt when you start something new. I’m not only an artistic guy but a analytical one as well. I think that at times the formula for entrepreneurial success can’t be measured by predictive modeling or data science because we deal with outliers and unique concepts that have never been done before. I try to psych myself back into the go mode on a daily basis, which some days are tougher than others when you run into road blocks. The battle of the Gemini mind between the dreamer and the realist is something I face daily. However, I think this helps me to find a comfortable middle ground to be able to continue my success with a level head and a motivation to take calculated risk.
What keeps you motivated?
The motivation that drives me is to see everyone around me realize their full potential for happiness. I think I’ve already found my happiness and that can’t be measured on a financial graph. People don’t realize that their are two forms of currency and some focus too much on the financial currency (dollars) and not the mental wellness currency (happiness). Helping my family, friends, and fans take the next steps to get to where they aim to be is rewarding and motivation for me to continue to grow so that I can inspire them through example.
Where would you like to be in the next five years?
I already love traveling so the next five years, I’d like to establish multiple international residences & business hubs to travel to and from. I want to keep these tied into music/entertainment, professional marketing services, and hospitality management services related to our property at Muze Office. The current freedom to travel is great but I’d like more time to focus on seeing the world on my own terms so having turn key businesses are my top priority as far as goals.
