We recently connected with Crystal Johnson and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Crystal, thanks for joining us today. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?
I want to people to remember me as a woman who overcame tremendous challenges and carved her own path even in, especially in, the face of adversity. I want to help change the game for young women and open their eyes to believing in themselves, seeing that anything is possible for them, encouraging them to dream even bigger than their wildest dreams, and that they don’t have to settle for the “status quo” or anything else society has taught them they must accept for themselves. I want women to know that they are the author of their own story – no one else. And they get to choose what happens in the next chapter. You may not be able to change the past, but you can certainly change the future – your future, your family’s future, your son’s and your daughter’s future, by committing to doing the work. Success is a mindset game more than anything – Change your mind, change your life. Even when it’s hard, even when things seem impossible – you cannot fail if you do not stop trying. Just keep going and keep growing – Your success is inevitable.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Crystal Johnson. I am a boy mama, born and raised right outside Atlanta, GA. I am an Ads Strategist with a boutique ad agency, CJ and Co Creative, and I am a Female Empowerment coach. My family is the most important thing to me in the world. My first son was born at the end of 2020. I was on unemployment from the pandemic and when that time started to wind down, I knew in order to stay home with my baby and help provide for my family, it was time I finally made working from home work for me (after several failed attempts to create a profitable, sustainable online business over the years). This was the moment I DECIDED. It was non-negotiable. I went all in on myself and spend the next 2 months devouring everything I could about becoming a Virtual Assistant. Enter the Facebook ad that changed my life – going it alone just wasn’t working, and then there it was – a virtual assistant training program was opening their doors.. this was my chance. I made one of the SCARIEST decisions of my life that July.. I took almost my entire tax return and invested it into that program.. into myself. I told myself, this is it. If you push that “purchase” button there’s really no going back. I can’t tell you the amount of fear (and at time guilt) I felt taking that major chance, but I was commited to making it work NO MATTER WHAT. So, I went all in.. I bet on myself.
Within 1 month I had my very first virtual assistant client. I was putting myself out there (terrified, but doing it anyways.. “What will ‘they’ think? Will ‘they’ shake their head or laugh if I fail? But this time I had support. I was no longer trying to go it alone and figure it all out. I had support. I had community. I had coaches. And most importantly, I had a dream, a vision, and a massive WHY behind it. I lost my first client after that first month and I was devasted. She needed higher level support than I was equipped to provide and it felt like a gut-punch in the stomach. Maybe I just wasn’t cut out for this.. Other people can do this, but not me.. I wanted to quit. But I knew that meant getting a “real job” and leaving my baby and I just couldn’t do it. So I kept going. The first week of December, I signed 2 more clients, and then another. By March of 2022, I was well on my way with 6-7 clients. I had done it. I had created a real business making real money, but I was playing “jack of all trades, master of none”, and it seemed like I spent more time learning new systems to try and accomodate all the different things my client needed than actual working and getting paid. I knew something had to change. I started looking into different higher level, niched services to offer, and low and behold, another life-changing Facebook ad. This time it was for an Ads Manager training. I had thought about doing ads, but it seemed too hard.. I decided to check it out anyways. 1 week long training and I was sold. I spent the next 6 months diving into all things FB/IG ads, but obtaining higher level clients didn’t come quite as easily for me. I was back on the grind and wondering if I made a mistake, but I just kept going and believing that I would be successful. I would get to the ‘finish line’ if I just kept going… And then I got my very first ad client. Then another. An agency partnership (or 3), joined a next level ads strategist program, decided to also become a Certified Life, Mindset, and Success Coach, NLP and EFT practicioner and I’m getting Master Certified this year.
Throughout my business journey, I saw over and over again the importance mindset played in making it all happen. Believing in yourself, picking yourself up when things ‘aren’t working’, and continuing to learn and grow, and even try a different approach when the strategy you are using isn’t getting you where you want to be. In my ads business, early on I realized I was drawn to working with other women, especially coaches and course creators – what an amazing online world of women doing incredible things and helping others do the same! I knew I had to work with these women, but not just that – I wanted to be like these women. My overarching mission for both sides of my business is to empower women to earn more and do more good in the world by pairing the unstoppable mindset I have cultivated over the past 3 years of growing my business with the strategy and energetics it takes to create a sustainable business while raising a family.
Fast forward to now, summer of 2024… I just bought my first home (with a pool!), and I have a handful of dream clients that I absolutely LOVE working with, a group of amazing entreprenuer friends, and I am in awe when I look around at how much my life has changed, It was far from easy, and it certainly was not overnight, but all of the effort adds up. 2024 has been one of the best years of my life and it all came about from taking that giant leap of faith one night back in 2021 when I decided to bet on myself and go all in on the life I wanted to create.
To go a little deeper into the services and offers I provide..
For my my ads services, I currently offer done-for-you Facebook and Instagram ads strategy and management. I specialize in live launching and evergreen funnels for coaches and course creators. When course creators and coaches are tapped out on organic marketing, ready to work smarter not harder to grow their audiences, or tired of not having any clue what’s going with their ads due to lack of communication with their current ads manager or agency, they come to me. What sets me a part from others in my industry is that I deeply care about each and every one of my clients as a human being outside of business and ads management. I will go above and beyond to ensure we have everything we need to make your ads successful (and even tell you if you need to work on other things before beginning ads). I see paid advertising as a way to amplify the message of good-hearted people doing amazing things in the world and helping others to do the same through their programs and offers. My over-arching mission for both side of my business is to empower and get more money into the hands of good-hearted women so we can bring about positive change in. the world together in a major way.
For my coaching, I especially love working with entreprenuerial mamas just like me who have a big dream and are on a mission to create a sustainable business working from home to support their families while also taking care of their families and being present for their children. I am a certified Life and Success Coach, Mindset Coach, NLP, EFT Tapping, and Hypnosis Practicioner, and I am currently working on getting Master certified in all of these (graduation this fall!). I am also getting certified as a Health Mindset Coach so that I can help my clients more deeply with their fitness and nutrition goals. I am still just beginning my coaching journey, but the reason I wanted to become a coach was because of how absolutely crucial mindset work and having the support of coaches has been throughout my business journey. There is literally NO WAY I would be where I am today without the support of all of my coaches and the incredible amount of mindset work I have done myself. It is my passion and joy to share this gift with other woman to empower them to rise above whatever story they or society has been telling them about what is possible and help them create pure magic in their lives.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
My first two years in business, I only made about $20k per year… it was TOUGH. I even had to move in with my parents for a year to make it work while I continued to build, but here I am just celebrating 3 years in business last month (July 2024) and by mid-September (next month), I am on track to hit my first 6-figure YEAR in my business. It has been a wild journey. I have bet on myself over and over again. From the first initial leap to launch my business by investing in a VA training program with my tax return money in 2021, to ebbs and flows of clients, pivots in my services, investing with credit cards to take the next step and continue to grow my skillset.. I just kept going all in on me and my dream.. for my family and my future. I am finally seeing all the fruits of my labors over the past 3 years and it feels like pure magic! One thing I always remember when things seem impossible – You can’t fail if you never stop trying – Your success is inevitable!
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
Money mindset work has been an absolute game-changer for me. I was introduced to the concept in the spring of 2022 when I first began my journey into FB and IG ads management. I had no idea how much my subconscious beliefs around money and what was possible for me, my “money story” that was instilled in me by society and growing up, all had such a major impact on the way I saw myself, what I felt worth and deserving of, and even what I thought was possible for me. I never saw myself as someone who could make a lot of money, buy a house, you name it.. I thought money for was them, but not me, and that’s just “the way it is”. But it’s not true! Just because we are born into a certain financial situation does not mean that has to be the reality we choose to live in forever, We do have the power to change our lives.. our finances.. the power to choose the legacy we leave behind for our families. And money doesn’t make us “bad” or “evil” or anything like that. We have so many negative beliefs about money instilled into us that simply are not the ultimate truth. Money creates opportunity to do more good in the world when in the hands of people who want to create positive change.
A psychology major in college, I have always been intrigued by the human mind and what drives people’s thoughts and behaviors. And the truth as I have come to learn it is this – Our thoughts truly do determine our reality. They create it. We are all always manifesting, all the time. Whether we are focused on the positive or negative aspects of whatever we are experiencing is up to us. We have the power to change our thoughts. And when we do, and we do so repeatedly (the brain likes repetition and habits are totally a thing!), we hold the power to truly change our lives.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cjandcocreative.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cjandcocreative/ and https://www.instagram.com/xocrystalnicole/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/crystalnicolej/
