Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Crystal Nicole. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Crystal , appreciate you joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
People have always felt comfortable talking to me. Women and young ladies seek me out for advice, guidance and prayer.on a regular basis. I love helping people and giving back. Having a strong desire to see the next generation of young ladies become powerful leaders that dominate in every area of life, while also maintaining dainty and lady like qualities is how Dainty & Free was birthed. It is a mentorship program for all young ladies ages 6-11 but specifically for those with parents who are deceased, incarcerated or have substance abuse issues. We want to show these young ladies that despite their circumstances, they can thrive!
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?
I am a girls girl! I love all things girly and feminine. Dressing nicely, being properly groomed, using proper etiquette and being well grounded is a strong part of who I am. Through Dainty & Free Girls Mentoring Program, we offer various workshops and activities that teach young ladies these very same things. For instance, our very first session was a holiday brunch. We had a female fireman talk about safety and emergency protocol and a female police officer shared about anti bullying tips, We also had a quick lesson on table manners and how to properly set the dinner table. Dainty & Free also had a cooking class at a professional cooking school where the chef taught the young ladies how to make pasta from scratch. We also had a financial wealth coach and advisor share info on investing, saving money and general wealth tips for the parents and children. This summer, we offered a pool party to celebrate the end of the school year. A certified life guard gave a basic swim lesson and safety tips to the parents and children. We offer a summer reading program for a chance to win school supplies for the following school year as well as other educational activities.
For young ladies who may not otherwise have these opportunities or parents who don’t have the financial means, we bring these activities to them for free or very low cost. We operate in the Maryland area, but we also offer some virtual opportunities for young ladies to participate wherever they’re located.
My education and background is in mass communications, public relations and partnership development. I also enjoy and have experience in event planning, so planning interactive workshops and activities for Dainty & Free is a natural fit for me.
I also had the pleasure of co-authoring the “Successful Women’s Devotional” which is a #1 best seller and available for purchase on my website as well as info on Dainty & Free activities.
https://www.daintyandfree.com/
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Yes!!! When I first started, it was literally from scratch. I had no idea where to begin. I didn’t have a particular group of young ladies in mind to participate or that I was already mentoring, I had no website, no business address, no business email. It was a huge learning curve. Thankfully, I had a few connections who were able to help me pull all of this together. Although time consuming, I learned how to update my website and design flyers amongst other things. Our first workshop for the girls was sold out! We had over 10 young ladies registered, but on the day of the workshop, only a few of them showed up. It was a little discouraging and I wondered where I went wrong or if I should continue. I kept persevering and our next workshop, they not only registered, but also showed up and had a ball! The momentum kept building and building and continues to flourish!
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
Word of mouth! Most of the young ladies that participate learned about the program from the other young ladies and parents who participate.. Keeping in touch with them, making sure they are aware of our activities and all that the program offers is key. Having stability and integrity, keeping my word, starting each activity on time and delivering on the desired goals builds trust and excitement with the young ladies and the parents, Having a website and social media that is up to date where people can learn about the program, connect and register for the activities has also been key. Developing partnerships with schools, local law enforcement, first responders, etc. is also important. We’ve worked with a school resource officer who shares our program information with her students and parents. I’ve also been invited to speak to some young ladies at a church and school activities to share info about the program.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.daintyandfree.com/
- Youtube: @daintyfree
- Other: TikTok- @daintyandfree
