Daily Inspiration: Meet Krystal Bowen

Today we’d like to introduce you to Krystal Bowen.

Hi Krystal, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My story began making a childhood dream a reality. I wanted to go into fashion and clothing design when I was 12. I had dreams and aspirations of attending fashion school, taking summer courses in places like London and Milan, and seeing my clothing brand written across t-shirts and purses. Fast forward about 23 years later, and my dream looks vastly different. I always had that “someday I’ll start a clothing brand” tick in the back of my mind, and 2021, I took the plunge. I didn’t want to use my name this time but wanted a piece of history to play with it. My husband had this cherished 1965 Ford F-100 inherited from his late grandfather, and it traveled to different homes and states with us- it was the last piece of his grandfather that he carried with him.

Unfortunately, in 2020 we had to part ways with it for financial reasons (and really because we could not keep the thing running to save our lives), and we were very picky about who we sold it to. We passed on many buyers looking for the right one, and as life would have it, the right buyer came along. The truck made a long journey across the Atlantic Ocean, making its final stop in a tiny town in France. The buyer was kind enough even to send my husband updates about how the truck was doing; he loved the story that came with it. So while penning every possible name I could think of, we always referred to the truck as Ruk, which my husband’s grandfather was so perfectly named (short for Robert). Still having the sale of the truck so fresh in my mind from the prior year, I started to play with different names and versions of how we could possibly carry on his legacy differently. That’s where Blue Truck came from. The clothing label was created in 2021 and has since added Blue Truck Printing, designed explicitly for custom printing for small businesses, family reunions, schools, and special events.

Fast forward to today, and the two complementary businesses work side by side, and we have reached customers across the country. While both aspects of the business are technically a hobby, I hope to one day step into the full-time role (at least that is the current plan). I have loved every minute of the design work, learned more than I ever thought possible about eCommerce and building a website, and am now adding a few varieties of digital marketing. It’s been a slow dream come true, but I have no plans of stopping anytime soon!

We all face challenges, but would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
What first gave me the idea of starting my business was a sleepless night spent on Pinterest, where I came across a blog that talked about something called POD, or Print on Demand. My whole life, I always hesitated to start because of inventory and the amount of money that often gets wasted or never used (or, for that matter, filthy). Everything seemed like it was a walk in the park. It was, in fact, no walk in the park, more like an off-road adventure where you were carving out the road ahead on your own while the vehicle was on fire. The designs were the easiest part. The integrations between eCommerce platforms, navigating ROIs, putting a solid business plan together, and traveling to trade shows to learn everything you never even knew you needed to know. The road could have been smoother, but the learning has been astronomical! I have met many new friends along the way, from other like-minded business owners, the supply chain reps, and even my customer base for the printing side of the house. It’s been rough enough that I have not given up and have no intentions of stopping now!

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might need to become more familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
My professional life and career have taken me everywhere, from working with classic and exotic cars at a world-renown classic car auction to working in the United States defense sector building rocket motors and launch vehicles. This is what I would all call part of my regular 9-5, and while I have had amazing growth in my career and have networked around the world with friends and colleagues from Japan to Canada and down to Brazil, my childhood dream still lingered in the back of my head.

While my education is in Operations Management (which has set me many moons ahead of my peers with Supply Chain and Contract/Legal knowledge), I have always had a heart for sales and education and the inner artist that I never gave a chance to. I have had a portfolio since I was 14 that I pull out occasionally to remind me of who I once was and my dreams for myself. The COVID-19 pandemic and having a son just a short while before it all began to start to put your dreams into perspective; seeing your child and having to explain to them one day how you gave up on your dream didn’t sit well with me, and I wanted to be a solid example for him to know he can become whatever he put his heart into. I’ve always been set apart from others because of my drive and tenacity. In every job I’ve worked project, I have poured myself into and overseen. I was always willing to give it 110% and see it through. Life throws so many choices (and consequences) at us, and for some, we hit that epiphany one day and never look back. It was time to put that same drive and tenacity into myself and reinvest into my and my family’s future. It has been one of my proudest moments (obviously, next to having your child to help carry on your legacy)!

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
My life was constantly turned upside down growing up. My father was not around; my mother ultimately left me and my siblings with my grandparents when I was 11, and before that, we moved back and forth from California, Arizona, and some parts of Nevada. I blame a lot of my hard work on the example my grandparents set for my siblings and I and many of the life lessons they instilled in us (including having owned their own business at one time in California).

One thing was always certain when people spoke of me: I was always known for giving my all on the job- even at 14. I learned to be organized, professional, courteous, and early. Not on time, but early! However, I also had this nagging gift of being unable to say no. It’s both a strength and a weakness in everything I do.

But my interest never changed from my childhood days to now. I was always interested in art and drawing and knew someday I would take the plunge, let go of my fears of failure, and set my sights on success. It took me over 20 years to get to this point, but I finally made it, and I’m not stopping!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.bluetruckclothingco.com
• Instagram: @bluetruckclothingcompany
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlueTruckClothingCo