Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Forth.
Amanda, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I founded The Crystal Boutique in 2017 when I was living in Pushkar, India for a few months. After ten years of living in Santa Monica/Venice and working in Media and Advertising Sales for companies such as Conde Nast and DailyCandy (NBCUniversal), I had burnt out and needed a break from “the grind.” I was feeling completely unfulfilled by the thought of a “higher job title” or a higher salary and was feeling a massive void in my life. So, in 2017, I decided to quit my comfortable job in Advertising Sales and buy a one-way ticket to India to travel, study yoga and live with no plan for the first time in my entire life.
I continued to travel while conceptualizing and building The Crystal Boutique business model throughout India, Nepal and eventually ending up in Bali, Indonesia where I “never left” so to speak. Two years later, I am residing in Bali the majority of the year and split my time between Los Angeles and the East Coast when I’m in the US.
So, how did you get into crystals?
I began to learn about the beauty and benefits of crystals when I was living in Los Angeles and continued to collect them when traveling and living in India. Within this time, I quickly realized there was no source of information about crystals that was written in “plain English” or modern day language – all of the websites and books I was finding were written in intimidating and “new age” language. Thus, the idea of building a brand of crystals that would guarantee the best quality crystals and take the guesswork out of what “what these pretty rocks do” was born. We speak to our customers in a language you would talk to your best friend in so that everyone feels welcome and a part of the community we are building.
Great, 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?
Starting my own business has been an absolutely fascinating experience and absolutely nothing like what I expected it to be.
The road has been incredible and so much more emotional than entrepreneurs seem to talk about. While I’ve learned more about business in one year than I could in five years as an employee of a corporation, I have learned more about myself than I could have expected in such a short period of time.
When starting The Crystal Boutique, I quickly realized that it’s 100x more work than I actually thought it was going to be (classic rookie entrepreneur mistake?). For me, the challenge was taking the time and finding the patience to learn computer programs that were totally foreign to me – so learning patience and letting go of your ego that you “know everything” is a must when starting a business, or you will just end up angry, frustrated and lying to yourself. While I’m a huge fan of outsourcing work, it was important for me to understand the programs or platforms that I would be hiring people to help with – so having a solid understanding of the new tech languages I was going to need to be able to speak to was a time-consuming task!
My advice to anyone starting their entrepreneurial journey is the main obstacle that will keep popping up is your own fear of failure which is often fueled by external chatter of others that might question what you’re doing. If you can push through that, I believe anyone can find a way to make their business successful if they don’t give up. I once read somewhere that there are only two emotions entrepreneurs feel – elation and anxiety – I don’t think there’s a more accurate quote on starting a business than that!
Also, leave your ego at the door. It will save you so much wasted energy if you stop pretending you know everything and are the best at every aspect of the business you’re trying to run. If you don’t understand something, hire someone who does. And don’t waste your time on trying to make everything perfect – only your customer will know if something is going to make sense for your business – so get your product out there for them to tell you if it’s perfect or not! Otherwise, you’re just wasting time and money for your own ego’s sake.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about The Crystal Boutique – what should we know?
The Crystal Boutique is the first “brand” of healing crystals to exist. We offer our customers a welcoming environment to learn about healing crystals without all of the “preaching” that many holistic and healing businesses come with. We use fun and modern language to communicate with our customers and take the guesswork out of buying crystals. The Crystal Boutique’s best selling “Crystal Kit’s” are a perfect example of our DNA – we carry curated crystal kit sets such as the “Soulmate Finder Crystal Kit”, the “Workplace Wellness Crystal Kit” and the “Chakra Starter Crystal Kit” (each including a handful of crystals that complement the name of the kit). In 2019, we will expand our offering to include chic and modern crystal jewelry and “healing lifestyle” clothing. At The Crystal Boutique, there is no judgment if one buys crystals “just because they are pretty.” All are welcome on The Crystal Boutique’s journey to live our most fearless and authentic lives.
I am so proud of the authentic community that The Crystal Boutique has built. Through our rapidly growing Instagram, a growing group of tens of thousands of people have come together on their journey of authenticity, fearlessness, and healing.
Finding a mentor and building a network are often cited in studies as a major factor impacting one’s success. Do you have any advice or lessons to share regarding finding a mentor or networking in general?
My mentors have always been people that had a work/life balance that I envied and admired. I was lucky to work with women (at Conde Nast and DailyCandy) who always put their families before work. Find a mentor that has values that you respect. If your mentor lives a life making millions of dollars but is not fulfilled in other areas of life, this should be a red flag as if you choose to learn from them, you will likely develop similar habits. A mentor is an incredible asset to your life that can teach you a quicker path to living your “best life,” so to speak – so focus on their values over the kind of car they drive first.
Contact Info:
- Website: TheCrystalBoutique.com
- Email: amanda@thecrystalboutique.com
- Instagram: @thecrystalboutique and @amandaforth
Image Credit:
Dennis Arthur
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