From Freelancer To Founder: An Interview With URBN Web Design’s Founder Crystal Jones

Today we’d like to introduce you to Crystal Jones, ASBC.

It’s an honor to speak with you today. Why don’t you give us some details about you and your story. How did you get to where you are today?

Thank you for having me. It has been an interesting journey to get to where I am today. I grew up in Houston, Texas and left to join the Navy at the age of 17. I served for 6 years and I would say after my time in service was when my life changed. With no real job opportunities available during the 2008 recession, and no money saved, I found myself having to get creative to earn steady income. With very few real job opportunities available, I had to hustle to make ends meet. I was after I was near homelessness in 2009, that I said that I would never be in this position again. My entrepreneurial journey, I would say started at around 13, selling candy in the neighborhood. From an early age, I was surrounded by a lot of successful family members who run their own business or have a strong business acumen, including my mom, cousin Theresa, and my Aunt Mary and I always wanted that freedom for myself. I have always had a passion for running my own business but struggled for a while to find that thing that made me truly happy. After several failed business ventured, I combined my knack for technology, marketing, people and business and launched URBN Web Design, a web design & digital marketing agency for small service-based entrepreneurs.

I’m sure your success has not come easily. What challenges have you had to overcome along the way?

My biggest challenge I would say was just not fully believing in myself. I struggled with depression and just finding myself in the same situations over and over again. In 2008, I was almost homeless, took jobs that were not fulfilling, struggling to find my way in corporate america. I excelled in what I did but it just wasn’t enough for me. I came to realize that my dreams and goals for myself were bigger than this. I have always dreamed big but this limiting belief system was holding me back. After a failed attempt to go out on my own, that belief system got worse. I went back to work and I just felt like a failure. During the beginning of the pandemic, my hours got cut at work. That was the eye-opener I needed to build from to push myself fully out of my comfort zone to truly achieve my greatness. Almost losing everything humbled me and destroyed me at the same time and as a result, I was able to build a stronger foundation for myself and push myself out of my comfort zone. Since then things have been going great!

Let’s talk about the work you do. What do you specialize in and why should someone work with you over the competition?

Great question! I specialize in creating innovative, user-friendly and accessible websites to help promote your brand and grow your business. We help improve your conversion rates and increase your revenue through our top-quality services. Outside of that, we don’t just provide a service and leave you hanging, we consider ourselves business partners to our clients. We go out of our way to ensure that they have the tools that they need to be successful. As an accredited Small Business Consultant, I also offer free advice to service-based entrepreneurs on how to streamline processes, automate at least 70% of their business so they can focus on growing their business. We don’t nickle and dime for each and everything because we are truly invested in your success as a business owner. This is why businesses choose to work with URBN Web Design. We also have no problem referring our clients to customers and we are their biggest fans and supporters. I would like to say that URBN Web Design makes every client apart of the family.

What’s your best piece of advice for readers who desire to find success in their life?

The best piece of advice that I would share is stretch past what is comfortable and never give up. Success doesn’t come over night and I truly feel even successful people, reset the bar to strive to even greater heights. Don’t always worry about the “how” as long as you have a strong enough “why”. I believe in law of attraction and the method of setting clear intentions and putting it out into the universe. The how will come together. Just get moving and keep that traction going. I was also say to never stop learning and be resourceful. I have found that being resourceful is one of the greatest skillsets to be successful in anything that you do.

Speaking of success, what does the word mean to you?

Success to me is a fickle term. I honestly don’t think we ever truly achieve success. I say this because if you claim success then there is a part of you that has accepted where you are and you have stopped pushing yourself. I think success for me would mean achieving your goals over and over again. It’s a continuous cycle.

What’s next for you?

I have a lot of projects in the works in the next 12-24 months. I will continue to grow URBN Web Design into the largest service based marketing agency. I plan on offering more affordable options for start-ups in the near future and launching my consulting business that focuses on helping businesses streamline processes and continue to grow their business.

Finally, how can people connect with you if they want to learn more.

People can connect with me on my IG page @blackfoundr and @urbnwebdesign. If they are interested in learning more about our services go to www.urbnwebdesign.com