We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Will Craig a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Will, so happy to have you with us today and there is so much we want to ask you about. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others developed certain skills or qualities that we are struggling with can be helpful. Along those lines, we’d love to hear from you about how you developed your ability to take risk?
Hello, thank you so much for this opportunity to share my story again with your readers. It’s truly an honor to share my journey. How I developed my ability to take risk is….
As long as I can remember I have always been the type of person who took risks and marched at the beat of my own drum and made no apologies for it. I’ll be honest it sometimes hasn’t been received well. But when I am passionate about something I have the ability to become laser focused. And until I achieve the goal I don’t stop trying. Every position I held when I was in the corporate world I started at the bottom. I eventually moved up the ranks and became an executive and it didn’t take me long either. I am solutions driven. So naturally my mind goes into finding a solution and not focusing on the problem.
In finding solutions most times you have to go against the grain. I wasn’t afraid to step outside the box and I for sure understood my value and I wasn’t afraid to ask for a promotion or more money. Most people are afraid to walk into their bosses office and ask for a new role or more money. Not Me!! I didn’t just go in there asking for more I showed them the value in having me apart of their team. I also had proof to back up my request and each time I walked out victorious. So, when it came to deciding to be an entrepreneur, I figured out what I wanted out of life and researched my line of business (key is to research). I no longer desired to work a 9-5. So, one day after being a part of the best company I had ever worked for. I went on break and at this time I wasn’t happy with where I was anymore career wise. I came back from break and decided today would be my last day and I just knew if I took the risk, God would guide me. I was right and I haven’t looked back since, it was absolutely the best and scariest decision I had ever made. Taking a risk can be scary but I just didn’t think about that I thought about everything good that would happen if my risk paid off!!
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Will Craig I am the owner of Beyond Dreams ATL. A full-service luxury event and floral design company. The most exciting thing about my job is I get to create magical moments and meet some of the most beautiful souls all while doing what I love. I never take it lightly when I meet a new client, it is my mission in my business to make sure I take their vision and bring it to life. Not only do I get to create but, meeting new people is the best part, most of my client’s become family by the time we get to the event date. I have gained so much knowledge from meeting different clients and the bonds I have built is priceless.
My business is 100% based on referrals, I’ve been in business for over 15 years and have yet to pay for promotion or marketing. Word of mouth is the best marketing as people only use those whom they trust. That is big in this business!! People remember how you made them feel and not what you have done for them.
There are so many new things coming up within Beyond Dreams ATL, but you will have to wait and see… There are some big things brewing for sure…
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The 3 most important qualities I would say you need as an entrepreneur is: Honesty, Integrity, and Customer Service. These 3 qualities have kept me in business and continues to keep me a step above the rest.
The advice I would give someone who is in the early stages of their entrepreneur journey is, first remove the thought of fear. Look every day when we wake up whether we are working for someone or ourselves. Fear is going to be there…. The fear of money, fear of not having customers, fear of just the unknown all together. So, I say if you are someone who is anxious you really need to think long and hard about starting your business. There will be so many days where you won’t have the customers you want or the orders that you want. But keep going and don’t get so focused on what you haven’t achieved. Focus on what you are achieving and as long as you do that. Your hard work is going to pay off!!
Also, take the opportunity and create your customer experience there is more to being in business than just producing products or selling a service. I found it extremely helpful to think as a customer and what would I want to experience if I was the customer. It helps you to form a better workflow and overall experience and forces you to look at it from the customers standpoint. After all our customers are the reason, we are able to stay in business. So, if you take care of them, they will take care of you.
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
The most impactful thing my parents did for me was to make me get a job at the age of 14. I know sounds crazy right!! At the time I swore they were just mean lol however, it shaped me into the entrepreneur you see today. It forced me to deal with the real world and understand what the value of a dollar was. Since the age of 14 I have pretty much been independent when it came to taking care of my needs. Yes, they still paid the overall bills but forcing me to pay for my clothes, cellphone, and shoes I was forced to understand the value of the dollar and what hard work can get you. Ever since then I have always had my hands in multiple things, and I know without a doubt it is the reason I work so hard. Hard work truly pays off and its even a better feeling when you start at the bottom and see your dreams work for themselves.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.beyonddreamsatl.com/shop
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/beyonddreamsatl
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/beyonddreamsatl
