117: Turning a Pile of Failures into a World of Difference with Crystal Paine

If I told you that this week's episode was with a "grandma blogger" who built her business on a pile of failures, would you guess that I was talking about Crystal Paine?!  Probably not!  But it's true.  Crystal is so honest in this interview, as well as in her newest book: Money Making Mom: How Every Woman Can Earn More and Make a Difference.

Sarah and I just love the way Crystal shares from her heart and holds nothing back.  She's also incredibly passionate about helping women to get out of survival mode so they can thrive.  You won't meet many successful online business owners who care more about giving than earning, but Crystal does!  Listen on, Brilliant Business Mom, for a breath of fresh air.

On the Podcast

01:33 - Is Crystal a Grandma?!
02:56 - Can you Relate?
04:49 - 2 Parameters Crystal Sets to Take Back her Time
07:26 - Before You Quit, Ask Yourself This
08:36 - Rejections, Setbacks & Failures...What to do
10:27 - The World Needs You!
13:38 - Spoiler Alert - Crystal has Failed at Things!
15:58 - On Learning New Tricks

Press Play on the Podcast Player Below to Hear from Crystal!

Is Crystal a Grandma?!

Crystal doesn't have any real-life grandkids, but she's considered by some to be a Grandma blogger! That's because she started blogging 10 years ago...when most people had no idea what a blog was. Crystal initially started a "mommy blog", but in 2007 she started MoneySavingMom.com as a side hustle. After a year she realized that it was growing so quickly and doing so well that it made sense to give it her full attention. Crystal now has a full team of people working with her -- including her husband Jesse of 12 years.

Can you Relate?

In the course of helping families to save money and get by with less, Crystal realized something important about her audience: There was simply a point for many families where they were doing everything right and no longer had a “budget” problem but really had an income problem.

Can you relate? I know there are some Brilliant Business Moms out there who are brilliant at budgeting, but maybe you have a child with special needs and the expenses are just too great. Maybe you want to serve in missions more often, but the budget won't allow it.

Crystal has been passionate about this topic for years but decided to wait until the timing was just right.
She now has many years of experience with running a business as well as making mistakes and learning from
her failures. Crystal shares ways for women to bring money into their families by combining their passions,
gifts, and skills and making sure it is a blessing and not a burden. 

2 Parameters Crystal Sets to Take Back her Time

1. Crystal sets time parameters that allow her to give designated time to both her family and her business. One way she does this is by “co-homeschooling” with her husband. She teaches in the morning and makes sure to remain fully present and invested in what she is doing. In the afternoons her husband takes over teaching and
managing the kid’s activities and Crystal is able to fully focus on her business.

2. Crystal recently took email off of her phone, and that has made a huge difference! Since she uses her phone for her alarm in the morning (Shoutout to the Sleep Cycle App!) it stays right next to her in bed. Having e-mail on her phone was causing her to be bombarded with “to dos”, stress, and ideas that were preventing her from getting a good night’s sleep!

Before You Quit, Ask Yourself This

Growing a business is hard! If you're on the fence and thinking about quitting, ask yourself this question: "Is my business a blessing or a burden?" Does your business give you the quality of life you want
for your family or is it causing you to be stressed and continually unhappy? If your business is becoming
a burden look at how you can either scale back or change directions.

Rejections, Setbacks, & Failures...What to do

Even 10 years into online business, Crystal confesses that she still faces rejections, setbacks, or even failures! And it happens more often than the rest of us might think. There are also challenges involved in leading a large team that just make life a little more complicated. When things get really challenging, and Crystal is tempted to quit, she always goes back to her "why" Knowing her "why" keeps her going through all of the difficult things, because those hurdles are worth it when you've accomplished your mission. Crystal’s “why” is to inspire and encourage women to stop living their lives stuck in survival mode.

The World Needs You!

While there are plenty of books on the market that will help women make more money, Crystal wanted to send a different message out into the world - one that would remind us of the true purpose of money.

Making more money isn't about building your own little empire - filled with nice cars, big houses, and beautiful things. Yes, making money can be a blessing to your family, but it can also make an impact on the world around you.

Crystal knows what it's like to live life with outstretched arms. She knows what a blessing it truly is to serve and give to others, and she wants more women to experience life this way.

So, get off that couch, Brilliant Business Mom, the world needs you!

Spoiler Alert - Crystal has Failed at Things!

Crystal loves to say that MoneySavingMom.com became so successful because it was "built upon a pile of failures".  As with most successful entrepreneurs, Crystal is certainly not an overnight success. She tried a large
range of small businesses that failed. Crystal has sold on Ebay, resold books, sold handmade
cloth diapers, and tried many different blogs! Before Money Saving Mom, Crystal had a blog for
young moms, one for Christian women, a blog on politics, and a website about saving money.  All of these blogs were flops!

However, each of these failures taught her lessons that have made her the successful business woman she is today. Crystal always focuses on learning and growing in everything she does.  In every situation, Crystal asks herself, "how can I make this better?"  

“The day that you feel like you’ve arrived is the day that your business starts to die"

On Learning New Tricks

Crystal has jumped on the Periscope band wagon and is loving it! Although she is an introvert she scopes
twice a day and has loved being able to connect with her audience immediately and authentically. Not
only has Periscope given her access to a new group of fans and followers but she is also going outside
her comfort zone and learning and growing!

(That's one thing we really admire about Crystal - she's always trying new things and finding ways to grow as a person!)

Find Crystal Online

MoneySavingMom.com
@moneysavingmom on Periscope
Head to MoneyMakingMomBook.com to get more information about the book and get Crystal's 5 Day Course on Making an Income from Home.

Pssstt! We're also hosting a book club for Money Making Mom! The book club kicks off on Monday, November 9th on Periscope.  Get the full details right here.

Other Resources Mentioned on this Episode:
The 2016 Brilliant Business Planner