We recently connected with Erika Reyes and have shared our conversation below.

Erika, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

So, we all know about Covid, it took a toll on everyone in many different ways. It shut down the world in ways I never knew it could. Bills continued to pile up and we were both out of work and running out of ideas. We had gone through all of our things and tried to sell as much as we could just to make extra money. I have always loved crafting and after being stuck at home for so long I needed to escape, I needed to take care of myself for my own mental health. I did a lot of thinking and one day, of course after talking to Kyle, I decided I wanting to grow my hobby. From then on, I knew I was going to start my own business, make my own money and become my own boss!

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 background and context?

I created Krafted Kyndleigh (Crafted Kindly) in March of 2020. I started making simple stickers for our Yeti cups, car decals, and just little signs to hang around my house and I knew I wanted to do more! I started researching different t-shirts and prints. Spent so much time comparing inks, heat presses, vendors. you name it I am sure I have read about it! I wanted to offer the best quality and wanted to make sure it would last.

Now, I had lots of bumps along the way. I remember making a shirt that completely fell apart after the first wash and I was devastated and embarrassed. I did everything I could think of to make it right for my customer and make sure to keep their trust in me. And believe me when I say I learn from my mistakes!

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

As time went on, I went from making stickers downstairs at the kitchen table to turning Kynleigh’s bedroom into my office! I was taking over the whole house. Once I realized how much further I could take this “thing” I started my website and things took off from there! I love looking back at the growth we have had, and it just motivates me to keep pushing forward

I am still working in the dental field, but I have been fortunate enough to only work part time. I would LOVE to take this on full time and hopefully one day that will happen.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

I was super nervous because we were struggling financially and had a newborn. Covid was still a thing and I had just been let go from my job. I had a little bit of savings and I have always wanted to own my own business, so I decided to go for it! After a lot of back and forth and of course all the support from Kyle, I opened Krafted Kyndleigh and I have not looked back since.

I am having so much fun and doing something I love!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kraftedkyndleigh.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/krafted_kyndleigh
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/kraftedkyndleigh2528
• Other: Tik Tok: @krafted_kyndleigh

Image Credits
Erika Reyes and Kyle Mendenhall