Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristin Berry.
Kristin, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
About a year before I started my business I had some pre-cancer removed from my hairline. I love being outside, and though I wore sunblock every day, I did very little to protect the crown of my head. I decided that I needed to start wearing hats to protect my skin from further damage.
I never really wore hats, and honestly didn’t think I looked very good in them. To feel more comfortable, it was important that I found one that really fit my style and personality. Of all the shapes and styles of hats available on the market, I found that I really liked the casual versatility of trucker hats.
I bought a few different trucker hats, and they were okay, but I quickly felt like they were lacking something. It was the branding. All the trucker hats I owned were branded with things that I felt some affinity for, or I wouldn’t have purchased them. But, the messages weren’t “me” enough. I started seeing what I wore on my head, sort of, I imagine, the way someone getting a tattoo feels about what they mark their body with. Unlike a tattoo, I could take off one hat and put on another. But, like a tattoo, when anyone took the time to notice the branding I wore, they were learning something about me. I realized that the substance of that message really mattered to me.
I became a Christian at 21 years old, and ever since then, my faith has been the foundation of everything I am. If I was going to wear something that conveyed a message, I wanted that message to be about the hope and restoration I found in Christ. I had a hard time finding trucker hats with this message, so I decided that I was going to make them myself.
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?
It’s been hard trying to adjust my expectations for the growth of my business in relation to my other priorities as a wife and mother. When I started TastySalt® my oldest daughter was about a year and a half. About six months after I started working on TastySalt®, I left my part-time job to focus more on my business and to be home full-time with my daughter. The first year and a half or so in business was a blur. I woke up at 4 or 5 in the morning at least six days a week to work before my daughter woke up. Then, I’d spend the first couple of hours after she woke up going back and forth between caring for her and finishing up whatever projects I had going for the day. After I’d finally push my chair away from my desk to focus more on my daughter, I’d steal moments away to work on my phone all day long. Most Saturdays my husband would take my daughter out so that I could spend extra time working. I signed-up for every vendor opportunity I could and spent just about every weekend in the winter and spring selling at shows.
In all this busyness, I never got tired. I sprung out of bed every morning excited to work. I was confident that if I put enough time, effort and energy into growing my business, all of my future hopes for it would be realized. That hope energized me beyond what my body could handle.
When I got pregnant with my second daughter, I was super excited to be expecting. But, I was also determined to not let it slow me down. I continued at the same pace as always at first. But, then one Friday night, about eight weeks into my pregnancy, I stayed up almost all night getting ready for a show the next morning. Though I was exhausted from that show, I woke up the following morning at 4 am do to another show. It was an outside event and it rained all day. A week later, I was sick with pneumonia.
Having to take the time to recover from pneumonia forced me to let go of the tight grip I had on my business. I hated it at first. I was so afraid that without my constant pushing and pulling, TastySalt® would just crumble to nothing. I was sort of right. My business took a big hit. But, the reality of what my constant unrelenting pace could cost me and my family hit me harder.
That experience reordered my priorities. I decided that if I had to lose TastySalt® because I was putting my faith, family and health before it, so be it. I love my business and still have so many plans and hopes for the future of TastySalt®. But, I’m okay keeping it as a part-time business for now.
I just recently made the really hard decision to close my Shopify store to focus only on my Etsy shop. Building my Shopify website took hundreds of hours. But, I started homeschooling my kindergartner this year and with my focus more on family, the expense of the Shopify platform just wasn’t worth it anymore. I’m so excited for the future of TastySalt® though. I’ve always seen it as a family business. My husband has helped me a ton all along the way. And, my oldest is so creative and has an amazing aesthetic already. I’m really excited to see how she contributes to the business in years to come.
Please tell us about TastySalt®.
TastySalt® is a Christian Trucker Hat brand. All of my designs are inspired by Scripture from the Bible. The designs are vibrant, contemporary and fun. Because most of the designs don’t look “religious” there’s a lot of interest in them from both Christians and non-Christians. I offer my hats both with or without the Scripture references that inspired them. I am passionate about creating beautiful, high-quality items. Everything is designed, cut and pressed by me. I will never ship an item that I am not completely satisfied with.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Not one special moment stands out. But, I loved being outside. I especially loved spending summers at the beach, swimming in the ocean for hours was my favorite thing.
Pricing:
- All trucker hats are $24
- Free US Shipping for orders over $35
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tastysalt.com
- Email: kristin@tastysalt.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tasty.salt
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tastysalthats
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