We had the good fortune of connecting with Crystal Crawford and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Crystal, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’ve been in Life Science and Cancer Research for 14 years. Early on i knew that I wanted to be very successful and wanted to be a business woman. Since I was a kid I would watch tv and always imagine myself as a adult who just was free and enjoying life and seeing the world. Unfortunately. where I come from in Newark, NJ we didn’t resources and education behind how to go about pursuing career goals. Everything I saw everyday was a job that helped paid bills not a career that gave you the lifestyle you wanted. I literally had no idea how to go about getting into this field but I know i had to start somewhere. Initially I wanted to be a Nurse, because I wanted to put myself in a challenging environment and see what I was made of . I’m naturally analytical and a critical thinker so it was natural for me to choose a career path that allowed me to do that. This was a weird headspace for me because my mom was CNA and she never glorified healthcare and literally nobody in my family is in either filed of Life Science or Cancer Research. So it took time, trial and error for me to reach my goals or even develop important ones.
Welp, I always sucked at Math so I never passed the NCLEX and had to change my path and stumbled into Pharma/Life Science. I was working in a call center at the time making was a ripe $8.00 and hour. I started to put my resume out there and see what happens. One day I got the call from a recruiter back in like 07 that it was an opening at Novartis Pharmaceutical and i jumped for the opportunity. At this time I wasn’t driving so i would walk about a half a mile to the bus stop catch two buses and a shuttle to work everyday all for $14.00 and hour (hahah life was simple in the early 2000s). I kept at this because I knew that if i stuck with it that I would have the life I wanted and would position myself to helped anybody around me when they needed me. Once Novartis was on my resume it was a wrap all the 500 fortune companies would hire me to for projects as a contractor, but it wasn’t easy. It was always a world full of “No’s” and intimidation from corporate America that enabled me to developed imposter syndrome but i didn’t let that stop me because i just knew that if i kept at it one day it would all pay off , I would always say to myself one day I will have access to what I want so set goals and keep going. I’ve dealt with racism, disrespect and discreditation from people in corporate America and unfortunately that helped me deal with the real world as a business women and just as a person. Til this day people don’t surprise me naturally from the things i’ve experienced in the real world. There were times I would leave from work and get a call “hay don’t come back tomorrow we ended the contract budget cuts.” Man my mind would scramble “how am I going to survive?” But I just knew i had to keep going. I had to get in a position that allowed me to help others around me.
So I kept going 7 years into the game I get laid off (life right?) so i sat down invested into resume writing, career coached and being at the top of my game. When I don’t know how to achieve something I learn about it. I mean everything from changing my linkedin profile to creating a personal website all of it. Then one day I got a call about a position in Cancer Research and truly I had no idea what this position entailed. “Cancer Research?! what is that? literally no one I know does this for a living.” Nailed the interview and got the job. Day 1 they told me I had to travel well that was different travel for work? who does this?.
I get to orientation and im immediately feeling that imposter syndrome that corporate America embedded in me for the pat 7 years. I walked out the room and called my favorite person my granddad I said “hay grandaddy I’m here at the hotel for orientation. I don’t think I can do this it’s too many white people nobody looks like me I’m not comfortable. My grandad said “that’s why you belong that room because nobody looks like you.” And it was that moment that put a chip on my shoulder to change my perspective on what this all meant. This was so much bigger than me this was an example I was leading a path I was taking and I earned the right to be in that room!
Ive seen directly how these major companies make process, decisions, etc so it is easy for me to manage so many things at once because ive been doing it my entire life. I stayed dedicated to keep going, when I got my Associate’s degree, I wanted my Bachelors, when i got my bachelors degree I wanted my MBA everything for me has to progress and its the same with my business that’s just how I am as a person.
I am most proud of building an invaluable skill set and showing others around me that if i can do this you can too. My professional career helps me invest into my business, represent my community in this field and it gave me the know how on how to develop a high standard for my products for my business as a Senior Cancer Research Professional.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Oh man my best friend did come to visit, and we tried to do as much as we could. Literally the Disney, Brunch, A silent party (which was new). I would say we are both explores im just more extroverted so when she comes back I would take her to the Highlight room for a rooftop brunch where the music and vibes are mad chill, then we can hit up Knotts Berry Farm and hop on some rides. Next day relax on Manhattan Beach or go Parasailing in Long Beach, on a kickback day we can hit up the two bit circus and play some cool arcade games, catch a live show or concert by the jazz band that plays outside of Venice Beach. Maybe go to my favorite Haunted Escape Room because I love Halloween. Eat off the taco trucks or LaLa’s on Melrose. Wine tasting in Malibu has to be on the list in fact we did go wine tasting at Kuusta the last time we paired some amazing cheese with a nice wine. The pop up museums are fun and interactive as well. We would literally be out all day
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to shout out my friends and family who are my biggest supporters and always believed in me even when I doubted myself. They are truly a major catalyst in my momentum. A few books that I’ve read along the way that I picked up from the late King Hussle aka Nipsey Hussle Contagious and the Entrepreneur Mind these books were really helpful into me defining my strategies as an entrepreneur, I would also like to shot out Vermont Slauson Economic Development center, they are really vested into growth and resources in local entrepreneurs as well.
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