Sometimes starting a new business is like taking a leap of faith.

That’s what Brad Roberson of Glass Doctor of Brookhaven did when he bought the former Estes Glass business on Union Church Road in 1998. It was the first time Roberson owned his own business.

The move paid off, as Glass Doctor is still going strong 14 years later and was chosen as Small Business of the Month for May by the Brookhaven/Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce.

Roberson said when he was looking to start a business he looked around him and was able to find something.

“I was looking for something, and I talked to Don Estes and ended up buying his business,” Roberson said. “I never came up with an idea to support my family starting from scratch, but this looked like a good opportunity to grow and it has been.”

Five years later, Roberson decided to buy into the Glass Doctor name.

Roberson said he liked Glass Doctor because they had a solid plan.

“Glass Doctor was the only group out there who had a plan in place for running a business and for growth,” he said.

Glass Doctor does all kinds of glasswork, including windshields, showers, windows, doors and anything glass in commercial and residential settings. Some repairs can be done outside of the shop by mobile technicians.

“We fix all kinds of broken glass from car glass to doors,” Roberson said.

Roberson said they love being in Brookhaven.

“We thank Brookhaven for making this possible,” he said. “We answer all of our phones from here and send out all of our trucks from this location.”

Their district covers a large territory from the Louisiana state line to Madison, including Jackson. The business employs 11 people and has grown since Roberson took over.

“Our business has grown every year since we started,” he said. “We do three times as much business now than we did when we did when I first took over. The recession did not impact us too much, because most of what we deal with are necessities, not luxury items.”

Roberson said at Glass Doctor, they take great pride in their work.

“Our reputation helps us,” Roberson said. “One of our principles is that we believe our product is how the customer feels when we’re done. It’s more about the service than the glass itself.”

Roberson said competition in the glass industry is strong, but they still excel because of their service.

“It’s about the service,” he said. “It’s what sets us apart from the field.”

Roberson takes being chosen as Small Business of the Month as an honor.

“It’s great being chosen by the Chamber and honored for the work that we do in the community,” he said.

The awards have been piling up for Roberson. His business was also recently honored as the Glass Doctor franchise of the year.

Roberson has been married to his wife Paula for 18 years and the couple has two sons: 14-year-old Reid and 13-year-old Jake.