We were lucky to catch up with Crystal Hackl recently and have shared our conversation below.

Crystal, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Almost all entrepreneurs have had to decide whether to start now or later? There are always pros and cons for waiting and so we’d love to hear what you think about your decision in retrospect. If you could go back in time, would you have started your business sooner, later or at the exact time you started?

Looking back, I feel certain that the timing of my business was just right. Any earlier and I wouldn’t have been ready, and any later and I would have been restless. The journey hasn’t been an easy one, but the best things never are easy, are they?

I started my business in 2018 with a toddler in tow, as an organic extension of the work I was already doing. I was designing kitchens to sell cabinetry, but clients were looking for a more comprehensive service with someone they already trusted. So I began offering design services that would supplement the projects I was already working on, and then my project list grew thanks to great client referrals.

I built the business while continuing to work remotely and staying home full time, which then meant I was juggling 3 jobs! I knew a lot about kitchen design at that point, but not a lot about owning and operating a business. They are definitely not the same set of skills!

Mistakes were made, lessons were learned. But learning and perseverance through struggle is what builds our strength and resilience.

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?

Absolutely! I own Eagle & Vine Interiors, a full service interior design company based in Boise, ID. For the last 20+ years, I’ve specialized in kitchens and full-home remodels. In addition to designing and consulting for homeowners, I also offer cabinetry and kitchen design services to other designers, to give them the support they need to do the amazing work they are doing with their clients.

I believe we are better in community, and I value the collaborative partnerships I’ve built with other professionals – we grow together!

My design aesthetic could be best described as the intersection of Modern Organic, Luxury Coastal and Napa Farmhouse. It’s like denim, cashmere, sparkling wine – Comfortable, traditional and effortlessly chic.

Three achievements I’m particularly proud of are 1) earning my certification in kitchen and bath design (CKBD) with the NKBA; 2) earning my Science of Design certification with the NeuroDesign Academy, which has been foundational to the work I do every day, creating holistic spaces that are as functional and nurturing as they are beautiful; and 3) being selected to attend the NKBA W2W Leadership conference in 2022 and 2023. The connections I made there have opened doors for so many wonderful opportunities. I love the idea of women building one another up and the W2W sisterhood has done that really well.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I feel like my entire journey is a story of resilience! But particularly, the last two years stand out to me.

Sometimes life takes a turn you could never imagine, and that’s what happened in the spring of 2023. My husband and I had just made the huge decision to build a brand new home – our future retirement home – in another state. We began the process of preparing our existing home for sale, designing our new home, and creating a project plan for the move, on top of our existing work and home commitments.

Within the next few weeks, our resilience, courage and stamina were tested in ways we could never have predicted. My Dad was hospitalized with a critical illness, and days and nights became a blur of hospital visits and meetings with specialists. My parents’ home had a catastrophic flood and their belongings needed to be packed away so the damage could be repaired. My mom had surgery and began the process of recovery in a hotel while the house was under construction. We packed up my parents’ house and my house, sold our house, moved into our RV in my parents’ driveway, and began remodeling my parents’ home while building our new home. And in the midst of all of this, we lost my Dad.

It was a time of grief and loss and change blurring into one tumultuous season, where you keep moving forward because if you stop, you’ll break.

Obviously, work was put on hold for a time. When your world turns upside down, your priorities become undeniably clear, and mine was to be present with my family.

There are seasons in your life that once you’ve lived through them, everything changes, because you change. In that season, I learned I was stronger than I could ever have believed. I got really clear on my priorities, my “why” and my mission in life and work. I reimagined my company and brand. And I brought that experience with me into the work I do, because so often, the clients I work with are in transition too.

Once we moved into our new home, I relaunched my business under a new brand, in our new hometown. It certainly hasn’t been easy, establishing myself in a new market, but I now know I have the strength and resilience to press forward and make it happen.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Merging motherhood and work has by far been my biggest pivot!

When my son was born, I was working for a local kitchen showroom. When it was time to come back from leave, I realized I couldn’t do it. I wanted and needed to continue working, but it was clear to me that I needed to stay home with the baby as well.

This was several years before the pandemic, and very few women in our industry were working from home and raising a family. It was a big change – and I had absolutely no idea how I would make it work, but it was absolutely the right move for me and for our family.

I began working in the margins- during naptimes and between nighttime feedings, squeezing in the work when I could, and clients and the company I worked with were incredibly supportive of what I was doing.

I made the decision to start my own design company a couple of years in, in addition to working with the showroom as a contractor. Pivoting from employee to contractor to business owner has been incredibly educational, and has had an immense learning curve, but it has been a huge blessing in so many ways.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://eagleandvine.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/eagleandvine
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/eagleandvine
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/crystalhackl/

Image Credits

Crystal Hackl