Imposter Syndrome as a Small Business

Meet Crystal from Copper Barrel Mercantile! This business babe is as vibrant as her inventory of plants and home decor. Crystal has a passion for her community that is inspiring and contagious, she is seriously working her butt off to make a positive experience for the Dawson Creek and Northern BC Peace Region. Thank you Crystal for taking the time to share some of your small business experiences!
Follow Copper Barrel Mercantile on Instagram or check out their website. 

1. What is success to you?

I have actually given this a lot of thought over the years because I believe the answer changes as we grow and create our ideal lives. It also has a different meaning to each individual. This is how I personally see success: living your life as your true (authentic) self, doing what you would enjoy and always having enough. I suppose you can read into that a handful of ways but it's just living, doing what you love, doing what makes you happy and getting enough money and or rewards in return to live happy, whatever your happy might be.

2. What’s the first thing you think of when you wake up?

Ahh Coffee Of Course. Once the coffee is on I go over a list in my head of the small things I need to get done that day BUT Coffee truly comes first.

3. What is a tiny failure you’ve learned from recently?

Blahaha Just One? I got excited about booking my first pop up shops and ordered a square card reader to accept payments without doing my homework to see if it would be compatible with my website. Yeah It wasn’t compatible, but returned easily enough with help from my hubby.

4. Who do you look up to in your industry or for business advice and why?

Currently I’m working with Renee at Kelp Forest Co. because I’ve started a little online e-commerce site. I needed someone that could walk me through the process step by step because I had never done ecommerce before. It felt overwhelming in the beginning because I came from a brick and mortar retail atmosphere.

5. What are you watching/listening to recently? (Netflix, podcasts etc)

I am completely addicted to clubhouse right now. It is a live chat room app. You can pop in and out as you wish, join rooms on specific topics of your choice and listen to people talk in real time. You can ask questions, start your own group or sit in the corner quietly and listen to a wide variety of people talk. Bring your note pad if you like collecting golden nuggets of information. I am also a huge fan of my queen Oprah and love super soul Sunday so its playing once a week on a long trail walk.

6. If you could deliver a time-travelling note, what message would you tell yourself five years ago?

Mellow the F$#^ Out. I am pretty sure you can’t swear on here but honestly I will would tell myself to mellow out. My gosh, things will work out the way they are going to work out and stressing is not going to change the reality of what will be. Take time to meditate and breath. Meditation doesn’t have to be sitting with your legs crossed, humming. It can just be living “in the moment” and taking a walk, taking in all the sounds, smells ect. Just taking time to be and let be. Do the best you can each day – don’t worry about the future and like Baz Luhrmann said “wear sunscreen” Maybe just listen to the song. 

7. What inspired you to take this journey in business?

The challenge and unknown. I really feel like I did an exceptional job of starting + growing my last company. I feel like I did all I could with brick and mortar. When we sold in 2019 we were doing almost 3 million a year in sales. That is a lot considering I started that business in our basement with 10 thousand dollars. I always wanted to try e-commerce and until we sold (my hubby and myself) I was not in a position to try something new. It’s the unknown. It’s creating something from nothing but an idea that gets me excited. Building a community or culture around an idea.

8. What surprised you the most about running a small business? (good or bad)

Blahahah How much work it is. Starting a business takes time, patience & money. Running a business takes flexibility, commitment, sacrifices, organization, creativity and constant training in your field to keep bettering yourself and your business. Maintaining that business once it’s on its feet, well it takes all that. You then just get the rewards.

9. How do you decompress when you are working too much or feeling overwhelmed?

I spend time outside and love salt baths. If I could have a salt bath outside in my garden I would be one magical creature. That’s probably why I love the (mineral) hot springs so much. Prior to covid we would make a trip to the hot-springs almost quarterly. I love being outside in nature, it clears my head and keeps me creative and grounded.

10. What are you focused on learning right now?

Currently I’m focused and learning how to grow a community based + profitable e-commerce site in my region.