Today we’d like to introduce you to Krystal Cain.
Hi Krystal, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I started my business in 2017 after I lost my father unexpectedly & was forced to leave my job due to budget cuts. Feeling lost with no sense of direction or what to do next, I decided I didn’t want to work in an office or for a corporation ever again & decided to jump in feet first into the entrepreneurial world.
Another huge reason to further push me down this road was that nearly 10 years ago, after double that time in pain & having to call off jobs, I was diagnosed with endometriosis. I continued to suffer & had to call off work a lot, using FMLA for backup. Prior to diagnosis, I was fired from jobs for missing work. it was also a factor in me leaving my final corporate career. While I finally have found relief for the most part, if I have to take time off, I can without guilt or fear of losing my job.
What started out with just bath salts & wax melts, has grown into a select line of home & body products that can be found in several shops throughout neo. I love that I get to share my love of horror, music, & movies with others in a unique way with my branding & one-of-a-kind scents!
So, what does the salty hive mean? No, I don’t work with bees, but I do love those suckers, I have a tattoo of one in fact.
Salty = sarcastic, snarky, a little angry at times, & also because I started out making bath salts so it’s sort of a double meaning.
Hive = your home base. [ Also, what my favorite band, 311, calls their fan base, so a community of awesome.]
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I sort of did some things backwards, like buying too much ingredients thinking I can make a whole bunch of items, where in the end, I make a select number & sometimes will bring in something seasonally or limited. — Also no longer make items I did at the beginning. I researched & learned so much about running a business from proper labeling to how to price properly in the first year.
I also had 2 businesses going at once, my home & body & an online gift shop, which now is one entity. Again, trying to do too much but now structured the right way after trial and error!
I was online only for the first 2.5 years, & once I started doing festivals & markets, I couldn’t believe what I had been missing out on – how much further I could be if I did that sooner!?! I have a great local following thanks to my in-person events! I love seeing all these familiar faces restocking their homes with my products!
Those are actually minor sounding now. My biggest struggle was getting others to realize what I was doing wasn’t just a hobby. It took a few years for some to see that I had a legit business & had a growing customer base. While it bothered me at first that I didn’t have their support, I had many others behind me & that negativity just made me work harder.
Anyone will tell you that being an entrepreneur is far from easy. I work more hours, sleep less [ ok, I have insomnia so it’s not that different there,] decline invites with friends & fam, have to miss parties because I work at markets/festivals on the weekends. I am the maker, designer, accountant, marketer, CSR, delivery driver, stocker, etc., etc.
Now that I’m 5 years in, I am making sure to block out weekends and time so I can dedicate it to myself, friends, & family. [Minus still filling orders & doing social media junk, of course. What can I say, I don’t shut off.]
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I make home fragrance [ wax melts, candles, & room spray] & body products [soap from body to hands, scrubs, lip care, & now men’s care.]
My melts are my top seller. I have had customers tell me they refuse to buy any other brand now!
Why do I make my products the way that I do? – Because who wants to showcase [in their home] a plain and bland-looking candle that says vanilla on it, that looks like you picked up off a retail shelf, manufactured by a machine?
Nobody. boring. [ Ok, well some people, so Not nobody, but not me, nor clearly my customers.]
My items make a conversation starter. or at least a good laugh. Perhaps a memory even!
My melts & candles open to a fun surprise inside further saying, hey this shit is far from your plain ol’ home & body.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Risk-taking…well I went full force into business. I didn’t have a job at the time. I had money saved & some inheritance money. I have a house completely paid off & zero debt. I felt like if it was any best time, it was then to go into the entrepreneurial life. Now obviously not everyone can say these things – However I knew if I failed, I’d have to go back to working in my former career or similar, which I didn’t want to do. I knew next to nothing on running my own business. I knew accounting at least. But I knew it was now or never.
I’m so happy I am doing what I do now – I was never happy or satisfied in my career, most times I would dread going to work & really brought my depression out more.
Do I work more than ever? Yeah. do I make less? right now – Yeah. but do I love what I do? absolutely.
If you can afford to take a chance, a risk to pursue something you truly want to do, go for it.
Contact Info:
- Website: thesaltyhiveandbody.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/thesaltyhiveandbody
- Facebook: facebook.com/thesaltyhiveandbody
