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

Hi Crystal, thanks for joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

In 2019 I began working for a roofing company performing sales and inspections. I enjoyed the job and was determined to be the best inspector possible so I took a course that gave me accreditation as a HAAG Certified Residential Roofing Inspector. In January of 2020, I was performing an inspection and the roof of the structure I was standing on collapsed under me. I was out on workman’s compensation for 13 months. When it was time to return to working, I was no longer interested in continuing the same career so I decided to start my own business. This was an enormous risk as I had no idea where to even begin. I joined a group of other business owners to try to determine how best to go about this venture..

In June of 2021 I started a business called Strategic Networking Institute. The premise of the business model was to train sales teams and business owners on how to network for sales in the most effective and efficient way possible. From the beginning I had problems, as all business owners do. I was attempting to do this alone yet my knowledge wasn’t vast enough to handle all of the pieces that I needed to be successful. I needed experts in the areas in which I was not one, but I did not have the money to bring on a team. As I traveled throughout the world of entrepreneurship, I saw this problem again and again. As entrepreneurs we had our areas of expertise but we lacked skills in other areas. We were all passionate about the skills and services we were attempting to bring to the world but we might be lacking in marketing skills, or bookkeeping skills.

Another problem for me was that I could not determine how to value myself. How could I go to a business owner and ask them to pay me to train their sales team when I had no metrics behind me to back up the amount of money I would charge. My background was sales, not consulting. How could I prove I was worth the money if I had no experience? This problem persisted. As I met people, they could see what a great relationship builder I was and how this could translate into sales. I was offered commission and referral fees over and over again. This model did not work for me. I needed money up front as a retainer. This is what I knew would motivate me to be the best at my job. I had a few clients, but I was barely staying afloat. I was attending every networking event I could find. I was putting in hour after hour in 1:1 get to know you meetings with prospects. I was giving them my resources and building those relationships. Very few of those meetings turned into actual cash. And then a series of personal events unfolded that stopped me in my tracks.

In order to deal with my personal life, I completely stopped working on my business at all. Since the whole business was made up of just me, that was not difficult to do. For six months I did nothing related to my business. After that 6 months I had to decide if I was cut out to be a solopreneur. After much introspection, I determined the answer to that question was that I was not.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

It was a risk to start my business and some might see the fact that I dissolved it as a failure. I do not. I’m glad I made the attempt. Now I will never look back and wonder what might have happened. The experience also gave me the opportunity to learn new things, meet new people, and enter new environments that I had previously thought I had no business in. All of these are important to the career I am now building. This “failure” opened my eyes to the obstacles so many businesses face. There are areas in which the business needs help and owners do not know what to do or where to turn. I wanted to find a way to help.

The search to do so brought me to Sourced. I knew I wanted to help businesses succeed on this operational level, where I had seen so many other businesses struggle, and working as a Director within this company gives me the opportunity to do just that.

Sourced. is a company where all of a company’s back office needs can be met and executed under one roof. We serve companies of all sizes with our business acumen, proven processes, and creative solutions. I had all of those things in running my own business, but I love being in a place where I can put those skills into meaningful results for my clients. The company offers the following five services, and in my role, I oversee the execution of most of these five in some capacity.

Marketing
Accounting
Administrative Support
Talent Acquisition
Human Resources

The clients I support want reliable resources. They are tired of being let down by people and companies. They are often thinking, “Running a business shouldn’t be this hard,” and they’re right. It shouldn’t be. I get that personally.

There are two things that I believe set Sourced. apart from other companies. The first is our values, and the second is having all of these services and solutions in one business. The company values are:

Deliver Excellence
Serve Generously
Do the Right Thing
Team Before Self

When a business contracts services with Sourced. that business can be sure they are getting professionals who will do the job correctly, but will also operate with these values at the core of everything they do, delivering a client experience that is incomparable.

As the Director, Key Account Management for the company, my pride comes when I see the problems are solved. It’s that “Aha” moment where the client realizes they can relax and know that they are in good hands. They finally have the support they have been lacking. They have somewhere to turn to with questions. They are no longer adrift, not knowing where to find good help or people who won’t let them down. This is the moment that makes me excited to get up and go to work every day.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

At Sourced. I have found there are a few excellent sources for new client acquisition. Many of our new clients come from referrals from current clients. The best compliment a client can give us is trusting us to take care of their friends and family. Another excellent resource for clients comes from referral partners. People working as business coaches, CPA’s, fractional COOs or CFOs, and any other industry with an affiliation to the services we offer make great resources for new clients because they identify the need from a professional level. We work with many of these professionals to subsidize services they are already providing.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

My parents got divorced when I was 7. By age 10 I was a latchkey kid with a younger brother to watch over and 2 pages of chores. My mother was raising us as a single and very overworked single parent. From all of this I learned the lesson of being hyper-independent. I didn’t want to “bother” my already stressed parent so I figured things out on my own. I learned to improvise under pressure. I learned I could do “anything.” This sounds like a great lesson, right? In some ways it was. In some ways it was not. As an adult it made me feel like I needed to do everything on my own. I could not ask for help. I didn’t want to bother anyone. This shaped my early career choices. I chose jobs where I could be independent and where my success was mostly a reflection of my own hustle. When I opted to dissolve my business I had to look back and determine all of my mistakes. I realized the biggest mistake was in not trusting others to help me carry my burdens. I needed a “village” and I had neglected to build one. Coming to Sourced. I have unlearned the lesson of hyper-independence. I have learned that it is OK to depend on others. The value “team before self” reminds me every day that I am not alone on this journey of success. I am part of a family who is excited to help me on my journey of success. As one of us rises, so does the rest of the team.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://getsourced.com/
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/sourcedatl
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/sourced.
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/sourcedatl
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sourced.733