Meet Crystal Geffrard | Skin Care Brand Owner & Graphic Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Crystal Geffrard and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Crystal, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I think of risks as opportunities. You can either take the risk and see what comes out of it or you can overthink the risk and think about the what-ifs and not take any action. I take risks because I always ask myself “What’s the worst that I can happen?” I could get denied, I could get rejected, the product doesn’t work, no one is going to buy the product or I could get approved, I could get accepted, my products work and everyone loves them. If you don’t take risks you never unlock your full potential. You don’t get to see what obstacles you’re able to face.

Launching SKINN By Crystal was a really big risk for me being that I’m making everything by hand, using natural ingredients and trying to make sure those ingredients are all skin types friendly. I faced many doubts and people telling me that I wouldn’t be able to do it or that it wouldn’t be successful.

One big part of taking risks is believing yourself. If I didn’t believe in myself and listened to the doubts, I wouldn’t have launched and still be thing of the idea of laughing my brand. I believed in myself and took a risk and that same risk is paying off and clearing the skin of many.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’ve recently graduated from Florida Gulf Coast University and during my academic career I was a server. During my last year, I decided I wanted to work for myself so that’s when I launched SKINN By Crystal and C.Creative GFX (previously Graphics By Crystal)

I would say working full time as a server, being a full time student, creating skin care products, and producing graphics was extremely hard. There were many long nights trying to create logos, manage orders, manage the social media pages, and creating handmade soaps and oils. Learning time management was super important for me and once I learned that, I was able to juggle school, work, and my two businesses with ease.

I feel success paths are different and individualized. No journey will be the same but one thing I can say is to never give up or doubt yourself.

I’m proud of myself for graduating with my Bachelors and even more excited to apply myself to my business and begin attending pop up shops this year with the new amount of free time I have.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love downtown Fort Myers so my stop would be there and hopping to the different bars and restaurants around.

First stop would be the Beacon Social Drinkery & Rooftop Bar for a quick drink and views of the water.

Then I’d head to Downtown Social House and hang out in the garden, enjoy the live music, have a couple bites and drinks, and play the giant jenga and giant connect four.

From there, Top Golf for more drinks and play.

I’d then end the day at Lumbar Axe Whiskey Bar & Grill with axe throwing.

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?
My mom and dad were really helpful in encouraging me to launch my brand. They tested all my products when I finalized the ingredients. My mom bought 10 soap bars from me and handed them to coworkers and friends and they became customers.

My dad was the male face of my brand letting his friends know that it’s not just for women, it works for men as well.

Website: skinnbycrystal.com

Instagram: @skinnbycrystal, @c.creativegfx, @crystal.taisha

Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/crystaltaisha