We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Crystal Sutton. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Crystal below.

Crystal, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

I believe the definition of success is different for everyone. To some, it can be measured in stacks of money, to others in follower count. To micro-businesses like mine, success for me is more-so the production of a product where clients and buyers are specifically looking for me. Where people know my brand and recognize my products. It’s also finding a sense of fulfillment in productivity, enjoying at least some of what you do while also being able to support yourself.

Crystal, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am an active duty Air Force member who’s been serving for 17 years while also trying to grow and balance The Driftwood Home, a hybrid creation of candles, furniture and vintage goods. I started my business to try and supplement my active duty income because I wanted more financial security. My business originated in painted and refinished furniture and over time has evolved into a full-fledged home interior business. I am a sponsored content creator by one of the largest paint furniture paint companies in North America and am listed in a local space in Chesapeake, Virginia where my clients can shop my furniture. I also have an Etsy shop that sells vintage goods as well as my soy candles and interior fragrances. The thing that sets me apart in my industry is the thoughtful creation of my aesthetic. I try to take all my products whether it’s furniture, a vintage find or even my candles and curate it to fit my niche. I love that the forefront of my business is built on vintage, antique, and reusable materials. The candles I produce have a unique vintage look to it, but it also is more than just a candle, it’s a heavy duty reusable glass jar. I frame my furniture and vintage wares to have several purposes and fit different looks. There is always more than meets the eye with everything.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

My business started with $25. I took $25 I saved from my military paycheck and used it to buy a piece of furniture from a thrift store. I took some paint I had in my garage and mixed my own “chalk” paint and ended up painting a nightstand in a bright canary yellow with blue drawers. Now that I look back on it, I regret my color choice, but I listed it on Craigslist for $50 and it sold in a couple of hours. I took the profit I made off the nightstand and put the cash into an old plastic pretzel container for saving. I bought several pieces of furniture with that $25 and continued to save the profits until I saved close to $1000. At that point I was getting better and better at painting, and definitely better at photography, but I also started contracting custom jobs as well. Over that first year I made close to $4000 which was a lot of money for a young enlisted person at the time. I quickly outgrew my pretzel jar. Over the next 5 years I saved all my profits and invested in equipment to help me streamline and “professionalize” my business. I bought a spray gun, built a spray booth, invested in professional photography equipment, built a website etc…it was a constant battle of save…save…save…spend…spend…spend. But it paid off quickly when I landed a contract with Homestead House and Fusion Mineral Paint, creating photography and blog content for them on a salary. It was the best thing that could have happened to my business.

Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?

I currently run all my business through my Etsy, with the exception of my furniture jobs. I now sell my furniture in a local space called 3 Little Black Birds in Chesapeake, Virginia. Etsy has been good to me in terms of growing my business. While the fees (and the constant increases) aren’t ideal, you can’t beat the traffic to Etsy and the audience Etsy has cultivated. I am a firm believer in time is money, and until I retire from the military, every minute counts. I simply don’t have the time or energy to devote driving my own traffic, editing my own site etc simply to save a few cents on a sale. That may change in the future, but for now Etsy has a unique handmade audience, and has done a really great job of sending buyers to my site. I like the ease of inventory tracking and shipping through there as well. There are a few cons, like I said the fees can be quite high especially for a brand new shop. Etsy also tends to side with a customer when there is a dispute which can be frustrating but I have learned to keep documentation of things as well as remain professional in all aspects when speaking with a customer. People just feel safer shopping on Etsy than they would going to a random website.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thedriftwoodhome.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/thedriftwoodhome
• Facebook: facebook.com/thedriftwoodhome