We recently connected with Crystal Cauble and have shared our conversation below.

Crystal, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

All of my adult life I worked 1 to 2 jobs was very happy with it. I was the main provider for my small family for many years and even though it was hard I loved it. Due to several issues that came up when I was pregnant with my second daughter, I had made the decision to become a stay-at-home mom. I had been a stay-at-home mom for 5 years and was really struggling to be something other than just a mom. Money was tight and it was hard that I felt like I wasn’t helping. I did a few small jobs. However not of them where a good long-term fit. My best friend Kim saw this and encouraged me to start my own business. I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do that would make me happy and I came back to woodworking. I grew up in the garage working with my dad on different projects and I was the only girl in my high school woodshop class. I have done several wood projects since including my custom wooden countertops in my kitchen. Even though I’m a tomboy, I still have that girly side. I saw a pair of wooden earrings and the light when off. I can do that!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I have always had a passion for wood and woodworking. I still have to wood gumball machine I made in middle school, and I use the jewelry box I made in high school every day. My husband even calls me a wood snob because I love wood so much. Our house is filled with all the wood projects we have done. When I decided to start my own business, it was time to put all of that love and tinkering to good use. I have made a large selection of earrings and I’m branching out to several other small wood engraved items. I have always had a unique look and that shows in what I make. I don’t want someone to see something I make and think they can get it from somewhere else. I don’t buy any premade cut files I have customized all of my designs myself and there is a strong Disney influence in my designs. I’m always looking for inspiration for new designs everywhere I go. Everything I make is very personal. Most of my designs have been inspired by my friends and family. In building my own business I have found so much gratification seeing how far I can take this. It is exciting to see how proud my girls are and how exited they are to see my business grow. This has been an exciting journey and I’m enjoying the grow in myself that comes with it.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

So, I don’t have a traditional business partner. My best friend is a small business owner as well and we are always working together to help grow both of our businesses. We work most markets together and are always helping each other every step of the way. How we meet is a very funny/awkward story. I meet my husband in high school and we were friend before we started dating. When we were just friends, he dated Kim for a while and took her to homecoming. That is where I meet Kim for the first time and all I remember was how jealous I was because I really like the guy she was with. they broke up less than a month later and I didn’t see her again. About 15 years later my husband was talking to her on Facebook and she was going through a bad divorce. She had a daughter about the same age as our youngest and he said we should all do dinner together because we didn’t have any friends with kids, and it could be nice. I was really nervous know that was his ex, but it was a long time ago and I decided we could see if the kids got along. After a few awkward hellos we started getting along great and now we are best friends and are working hard together to grow both of our businesses.

Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.

My best friend has a small business that she has been growing for year and I help her out as much as I can. She was able to quit her “day job” and was working on growing her business. With the volume of orders, she had she was struggling to keep up with them. She couldn’t afford to hire someone. I stepped up and was helping her several days a week. She was encouraging me to start my own business and on black Friday we were working a pop-up together and I told her about a laser engraver that I found that was on sale. She bought it as payment for all the work I had done for her. I had no idea what I was doing, but I got to work. I jumped in headfirst and had my first market within a few weeks on getting the laser. It took a lot of time trying to figure out how to create cut files and how to make the laser work. Unfortunately, with all the research we did the laser we bought just wasn’t quite up to the volume I was making, and it burnt out in 6 months. I decided to upgrade to the CO2 laser I really wanted. I got my new machine less than a week before my first wedding expo and I had to adjust to a completely new laser, and all new programs. I had a huge learning curve trying to learn how to make my earrings, but it has made it where I have come up some really unique designs.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.threeturtlesdesigns.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/threeturtlesdesigns/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/threeturtlesdesigns