Meet Crystal Crawford

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Crystal Crawford. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Crystal, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?

I’ve definitely found myself in situations where I’m the only person who looks like me, and it can be challenging. But over time, I’ve learned to embrace that about myself and truly focus on my purpose there. In the past I felt like this always worked against me and I realized it’s the inherit trauma that most Black entrepreneurs and professionals face, but once I changed my mind set to realizing this is something that who I am is what makes me unique, I embraced that and use it to my advantage.

Firstly, I’ve learned the importance of confidence. It might sound simple, but believing in my own abilities and contributions is crucial. When you’re the only one who looks different, it’s easy to second-guess yourself it really breeds Imposter Syndrome. But I remind myself that I’m in the room for a reason and that my perspectives and skills are valuable. My friends always call me the best of both worlds and navigating through a lot growing up in Newark, NJ helped me be able to navigate through the real world and have really thick skin.

Building relationships with people has also been key. I’m very social so make a conscious effort to connect with others on common ground, whether it’s shared interests or professional goals. Exposing myself to so much gave me a wide variety of interest, so I can talk to anybody about almost anything. Establishing these connections helps break down barriers and fosters a more inclusive environment where my input is welcomed and respected. I humble myself and learn from people who I’d would be willing to trade places with. I am always curious and inspired by people.

I’ve also found that being well-prepared is essential. I can be a bit of a free spirit but I stay prepared for the Good, Bad and Ugly. Knowing what I am skilled at inside and out means that I can contribute effectively, which helps in gaining credibility and respect. When I come to the table with solid knowledge and well-thought-out ideas, it makes a big difference in how I’m perceived. The one thing that always gave me a competitive edge is when people underestimate me and my ability to go after everything I want without fear. When I represent women who look like me in space that was not created for us to exist in, it’s not to say to others, “hay look at me and what I’m doing”, but it’s really to signal to everybody who comes from where I come from you can do this too! It’s also a reminder to those who don’t look like me, never to count us out we have goals, ambition and can add value as well.

Lastly, I try to be proactive about creating opportunities for dialogue and understanding. I am very calculated so looking at me from the outside in you can easily wonder why I’m not moving in the direction you think I should be moving in. Rather Iam planning to go in the direction that I want to go in and for me that requires a solid plan. If I sense that there might be some misunderstandings or biases, I address them thoughtfully and constructively. It’s about finding the balance between standing up for myself and fostering a collaborative atmosphere. I learned to embrace myself and find my voice and I am not afraid to stand up for myself and prove what I know and what I can do. At first, it was always a harrowing thing to say where I was from, or this is my background, or how I didn’t grow up with any resources, guidance, or connections for this, but I am proud to say that I am doing it. Honestly sometimes I don’t even know how I’m doing it but it’s an indescribable passion and vision. So over time I developed a profound sense of confidence by overcoming a lot in my personal and professional life. Business wise I’ve made a lot of mistakes, loss a lot of money but that’s part of the journey. I can always look back and learn from that. I know the feeling of failure, so I know what not to do, so I don’t internalize not achieving a goal I just change my course of action, change my plan. Therefore, my mindset goes from taking it personal from a failed proposition to thinking about what I did wrong, how can I do it better or if this is even the path for me because there are so many other paths to take to get to where you want to be. At first, I wasn’t always so confident people always tried to put me in one box or another and it almost sub came to others’ ideas of me vs. who I was and was happy with. Once I started to navigate through uncharted waters alone my confidence followed. I am unapologetically myself and will continue to be that way. I do what works for me and pursue what makes me happy, I can’t live any other way. I may not be everybody’s cup of tea, and I am ok with that because everybody is not mines, and that’s life. Every business deal may not be meant for me to land and that’s ok there’s other deals out there and so on, I am a natural survivor. Soon enough I would be the definition of what didn’t kill me made me a hell of alot stronger and smarter.

These approaches haven’t eliminated the challenges, but they’ve definitely made it easier for me to be effective and successful. Even when I’m the only one who looks like me in the room I have the confidence to be myself.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

the journey has been the best part so far. I sometimes look back and have no clue how I did this but i will tell you being focused and ambitious may seem like so generic but if I didn’t have my drive I would have given up ages ago and never made it out of the inner city. Resilience has been crucial to surviving. There were definitely moments when things didn’t go as planned or when I faced setbacks, I lost a lot of money and a lot of sleep, but I keep going. I never feel like a failure is the end for me, it’s just a way to learn and change course. Which helped me push through was the ability to stay focused on my goals and not let temporary obstacles derail my progress. I’m very resourceful and self-reliant. When someone connects me to a resource I’m always internally grateful for it but trust I can most certainly and fearless go after what I want, it’s the ultimate level of independence and freedom for me.

For those just starting out, my advice is to view challenges as opportunities to learn and grow. Developing a resilient mindset involves understanding that failure isn’t the end but a step towards improvement. It’s about perseverance and learning from each experience., adaptability has played a huge role in my success. The ability to adjust to new situations, embrace change, and remain flexible in the face of evolving circumstances has allowed me to navigate various challenges more smoothly. Navigation through Newark, NJ growing up adapting in certain situations kept your head afloat. Being optimistic about how far an idea can go. This requires for you to have the mind set of not that you can’t but how you can, being creative in problem solving and keep a to do list, write down everything especially your goals. You can’t hit a target you can’t see but realistic and not emotional. I know it’s hard as entrepreneurs our businesses are our “babies” but understand not to take things personal and focus on the purpose. Be inspired by the competition and not threaten but it. Something I would always say to myself is that, “I will keep my eyes on my own plate, that way I’ll never starve.” It’s an urban colloquialism for telling yourself or someone to worry about you, your purpose and path and not worrying about what someone else have that you don’t. Chances are you don’t know their story and how they’ve gotten to the point of success, and when you become success, you would be that person with a story to tell. It’s never been a personality trait of mines to compare myself to people because I like being an individual and celebrating that. Thus, why I created Liberated Eyewear to be a reflection of that. Starting a prescription eyewear brand is by far the hardest thing I’ve ever done! I’m up against giants who started companies before I was born (haha)! But looking at some of these massive companies lets me know I can go that far too if I keep at it. I don’t use my experiences in life as an excuse, rather my experiences are a compass. Like many others from my community, we didn’t have the best examples to follow business, career you name it. But I always thought to myself “If everybody is doing the same thing at the same time, then what else is out there to do or explore? Is there something else to do other than what everybody else is doing everyday? Seriously if everybody is going left, what happens if I go right and explore what’s over there? “Can I just live life on my own terms?”Ask yourself very important and curious questions every day, write them down and change your mind set on information you receive. I started my brand because I didn’t see anybody else who looked like me doing this and I was up for the challenge to what I am capable of as a Black woman and as a business woman and most importantly as a Black woman in this business!

As a Cancer Research and Life Science professional for 14 years being organized and managing a lot was 2nd nature to me. So it was intrinsic to be very ambitions about my goals. I figure if I can trailblaze in a career path with no many examples to follow, imagine what I can do with something that I can freely create. So it’s a mindset thing, stop thinking about what if you fail and think about, what if you fly.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.liberatedeyewear.com
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• Facebook: @liberatedeyewear
• Linkedin: @liberatedeyewear
• Twitter: @liberated_inc
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