Blake Lively has defended Preserve, her lifestyle brand and website, from critics. In an interview with Entrepreneur, the former "Gossip Girl" star explained why "you can't start a company for other people".

The wife of Ryan Reynolds first shared to the magazine the demands of being the CEO of a lifestyle brand. Blake Lively described spearheading Preserve as "more demanding than (she) expected".

"I'm part of every aspect. I'm the creative director but I'm the CEO all the way down to production assistant," the 27-year-old said.

She narrated: "During shoots I'm fetching water for models; I'm styling shoots, helping photographers and coming up with concepts. I'm handling press and looking through budgets and fundraising. I'm learning to upload new products and add new content."

"I'm finding the writers, proofreading their work and figuring out how to reach them which is tough, because as a startup, we don't have the budget to meet their pay rates," she continued.

Blake Lively even calls Preserve her "baby".

"It's incredibly important to understand each role. This is my company. It's my baby."

When Entrepreneur asked about people who have been giving bad feedback about Preserve, Blake Lively explained how "you can learn a lot from criticism if you can take what's constructive out of it."

She explained: "If you read a review that starts with 'This person is an idiot, who do they think they are?' You're not going to learn anything from that. But there's customer service feedback with good advice."

The blond pointed out how building her dream brand Preserve was "It's less about others' perception and more about my own."

"You can't be an entrepreneur for other people. You can't start a company for other people. You have to love it more than you ever thought of loving something that wasn't a human being," Blake Lively explained.

The actress confessed to Entrepreneur that "the demands will kick you down and rob your life" but was quick to add how, in spite of everything, "it is (still) so rewarding."