Hey Everyone, Crystina here!
For the last 6 months, I lived in my 1984 VW Vanagon, Pearl, traveling across the country while running my small business remotely. It was a liberating and adventurous experience, but as time went on, I started to feel a disconnect from the day to day operations of my company. So when I stumbled upon a piece of affordable property in Washington state, I saw it as an opportunity to bring fulfillment back into my life and my business. In this blog post, I will share my journey from living on four wheels to building a foundation for my business in a new location.
The Adventurous Antics of a Van Life Business Owner
Being a van life business owner is like being a circus performer balancing on a unicycle while juggling flaming swords. Okay, maybe not exactly, but it's definitely an adventure unlike any other. Picture this: me, Crystina, a small business owner living in a van, scooping up any WIFI I could at random coffee shops or gas stations to keep up with customer inquiries, contact with pattern makers, manufacturer updates, fulfillment receiving etc.etc.etc. It was a wild ride, and quite exhausting at times, let me tell you.
I sold my property in Colorado, not just to embrace the freedom of the open road, but also to embark on a journey of self-discovery. You see, I had been feeling a bit lost - from October - December 2022 I lost my brother, lost the relationship with my partner I thought id be spending the rest of my life with, lost my dog, and had a pretty nasty mental breakdown. I thought leaving colorado & traveling around the PNW, a place I had always wanted to visit but just never made it to, would help me find myself. Little did I know, it would also bring a whole lot of excitement and unexpected challenges.
Prior to my trip, I decided to put everything in a fulfillment center in california -I was failing at keeping up with order fulfillment, exchanges, returns, and customer inquiries- I was struggling really badly with depression, anxiety, and grief that just felt like a wall I could never get past.
one everything was secure in California, I hit the road searching for anything that would help me feel something.
Months passed, and even though was out having new experiences and trying to deal with my sh*t, I came to learn that me not having any true hands on day to day interactions with customers, only Brought more depression and anxiety.
right around the time of this realization is when I stumbled upon a cheap property tucked away in the Pacific Northwest. I had purchased property in colorado years back in hopes of having building erected to conduct business there, but building anything was just so expensive that it kept me from ever making any solid moves.
so, I sold my raw property just outside of Buena Vista, Colorado, and purchased a beautiful spot in Washington with a 30' Yurt that I call home, and a small cabin that was big enough for me to store some inventory, & conduct business from.
Now I'm I finally feeling a connection to the daily activities of my business again. I'm fulfilling orders in-house, which is every small business owner's dream. No more chasing down Wi-Fi signals in coffee shops or worrying about getting mail on time. It's just me, my business, and the beautiful surroundings of the Pacific Northwest. Stay tuned to hear more about my wheeling and dealing adventures of work and home life on my new property in Washington.