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

Crystal, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

The foundation for starting my government contracting company stems from my start in the industry serving as a Program Manager and then later, as the VP of Programs for Totally Joined For Achieving Collaborative Techniques (TJFACT), a federal government contracting firm based in Atlanta, GA that is now an official mentor to my company. . Seeing my dedication and commitment to help grow TJFACT’s footprint in the federal government contracting space, TJFACT’s CEO asked me if i was interested in starting my own business as a government contractor. While I always knew that I wanted to work for myself, I figured that it would be in an entirely different area for which I have a passion. –However, when he asked me this question, I didn’t hesitate to say, “Absolutely!” While confident that I had the “stuff” to make it in owning and running a government contracting business, I knew that there were a multitude of things that I would have to do completely on my own, while leveraging resources, guidance, and support, as necessary, that TJFACT’s CEO offered me. While employed at TJFACT, I was exposed to the government’s process for awarding contracts to obtain the services it requires, and I gained an understanding of how lucrative it can be for contractor companies in providing these services. Also, in my role at TJFACT, I greatly appreciated how my work meshed my educational pursuits (Political Science w pre-law concentration, Criminal Justice and Public Policy Administration) and career pursuits (Law Enforcement, Higher Education and Govt Contracting). -. So, starting my own business in government contracting presented an opportunity for me to accomplish my longstanding goal to work for myself and to utilize my background in helping government clients achieve their objectives while providing services to them in the areas for which I am most passionate.  

I like to journal and I went back to a journal entry I made several years prior where i jotted down multiple names for my business. . Immediately, I knew exactly which one that would become the name of my company,   Living Invigorating Valuable Experiences – LIVE. It had to be LIVE. I had gone through so many obstacles in my life to this point that tried to limit me in living life, including undergoing open-heart surgery in 2012. In surviving that experience, I gained a second chance at life, and , LIVE was the only name for my business that summed up my life experiences and who I became as a person having lived through them. The name means everything to me. It’s a daily reminder of how precious it is to experience every single moment in life,  the opportunity that i have to make a difference in the lives of others in my life,  and how important it is to push through the tough times and those struggle moments when they occur.

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 am Crystal Fleming, a daddy’s girl raised in a big family. As a child, I had the pleasure of living in different states including California, Alaska, and Nevada. As such, I gained various perspectives on life and was exposed to different and impactful cultural experiences. I am a college graduate and faithfully served the city of Atlanta as a police officer for few years. I am a devoted daughter, sister, and mother to my son who attends Georgia Tech University. 2012 was a game changing year for me when I underwent open heart surgery. Despite the risks I accepted as a police officer, having this surgery was an intense realization that my life could be over in an instant. After my heart surgery and recovery, i transitioned to a career in higher education. I worked as an Associate Dean of Student Affairs and thought I had found my tribe in terms of my career path.

I later realized that working my way up in higher education was not what i thought it was. With the stress and lack of support I experienced in this role, I had to make a decision for the betterment of my health and leave my job. Having a decent amount of savings and my educational background and experience, I figured that I could easily conduct my search for a new job. Unfortunately, that was not the case. It became extremely long and difficult to find new employment, leading me to downsize in my personal life. I call this part of my life my valley period. Because i was a single mother and due to length of time I was unemployed, I accepted a job at FedEx unloading trucks between 11pm and 4am. The pay was $10/hr and barely covered my gas expenses because I was driving 30 miles in each direction to work. What remained of my savings evaporated. Swallowing my pride, I applied for and received government assistance (food stamps) and eventually filed for bankruptcy. It was one of the most humbling times of my life. I was submitting applications for jobs daily but no real progress towards gaining employment in my field. My stress level was at an all-time high. I decided to stop applying and just live in the appreciation for the FedEx job that i did have. I changed my perspective and looked at unloading trucks as a workout while taking the opportunity to get to know the stories of my coworkers.

I fast forward to my introduction into the world of Government contracting through an old friend that i worked with at a previous job. She called me one day while i was on a field trip with my son, whom i was now homeschooling because i could no longer afford private school. She informed me that the CEO of her company wanted to meet me. Wanting to be properly prepared, I asked her if our meeting was an interview. She replied no, and Ii went to the meeting in my jeans. Well, it turned out that it was an interview. We met for two hours, and I walked him through my portfolio and all that I had done in my work career. In the end, although dressed inappropriately, I felt good about the meeting. He called me for a return visit the next week, and this time showed up interview appropriate-lol- to have another great meeting. He told me that although he wasn’t looking to hire me, he had an opportunity for me. He stated that he could only pay me $40K per year and that if anyone offered me more money before starting work for him in the next two weeks or even afterwards, I would be crazy to take their offer. As crazy as that sounded, he was very convincing about the potential for growth for his company and how I could grow with it. I figured that I had nothing to lose and took him up on his offer. I was excited about the new industry and the opportunities for learning it presented me. I jumped in with full eagerness and excitement in assuming the role of Corporate Program Manager for TJFACT. I was also given the opportunity to make my role what i wanted. I took the opportunity to do so and never looked back ! Let me just say that within 3 weeks, I was given an increase in salary to 55k, and within a year, I was earning over 6 figures. After 2 years had passed, I found myself laying the tracks to launch LIVE, and after 5 years, i found myself completely working solely for myself.

My customers are both government (local and federal level) and commercial. We are a company that provides subject matter experts to customers to deliver solutions and meet the deliverables on contracts that we have been awarded. Our focus areas are Professional Services, Program Management, and Education and Training, but we also provide services in a number of other areas like Human Resources Consulting, Executive and Administrative Support.

Although we provide some of the same services as many other companies, I think what sets us apart from other companies is our approach to our supporting our people through our employee-friendly culture. I believe in taking care of the whole person. Through my own experiences, I realize how much people have occurring in their lives that they don’t express or want others to know. I realize that it is imperative to treat people the way i want to be treated and how I’d want my son to be treated by his employer. My employees are my team. I show them that i care through providing an ear when they just need to vent about the customer they are supporting, providing social activities outside of the work location, providing kudos and spot bonuses in recognition of their hard work and achievements, and giving them an opportunity to participate in other activities that our company or my nonprofit executes. When you take care of your team, they want to do well and aid in making your company successful. They want an opportunity at employment longevity in the company.

I am most proud of our culture. I am a Christian. I believe in God, and I live my life accordingly, day in and day out. We open our corporate staff meetings in prayer. I am proud that i don’t hesitate to live that part of my life for everyone to see through my operations. I believe that the 2nd chance that I have been given and the opportunity to start LIVE was all because of God, and I don’t take it for granted. I don’t force my beliefs on others, but It’s important to me to allow my faith to guide me daily . I am also very proud of the service work that i do through my nonprofit, Live Immeasurably More. LIVE aids in providing resources to continue my community work. I love helping others and it is a blessing to be able to give back in many ways.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I can say that i resisted social media for a very long time. I didn’t use social media in my personal life and had no desire to learn to use it in business. A moment that resonates with me is when I attended my friend’s 5th anniversary party for her business. While talking to one of her guests, also a business owner, he told me that i would have to use social media. I listened to him talk in the moment, but it wasn’t until months later where I really thought about what he said. I began to see that there was clearly a need for social media in today’s business market.

It was a slow process for me, and I am still learning. However, I’ve jumped in with the help of others. I have someone else maintaining my business social media accounts to ensure we are marketing appropriately and getting information out as needed. I am slowly starting to post items as well and will continue to work on my growth in that area.

I would say to others that a lot of networking is done through social media, so don’t miss out on opportunities by not wanting to take the plunge.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Relationships are a big key to growing the business in our industry. I am by nature an introvert, but i can be social when necessary. I have had to learn how to be more engaged in networking events and sell my company. I follow up on these connections and j work to build relationships to get to know others better. Participation in professional organizations and the different events hosted by them is important. Another big reputation builder is providing good work to your customers and establishing good relationships with them. Your name is everything in this industry, and if your employees perform well or poorly, it will be talked about amongst customers and within the industry.

I also believe the fact that I have a nonprofit and give back to the community on a regular basis has helped build my reputation in my market.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.invigorateliving.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ProvidingMore
• Other: 501c3 – Live Immeasurably More – www.immeasurableliving.org