Caitlin Crosby began her career not with direct entrepreneurship, but with the fame of being an actress, singer, and songwriter. At 27 years old, Caitlin collaborated with actress Brie Larson to start the LoveYourFlawz campaign, supporting women struggling with body image issues. While promoting LoveYourFlawz and touring as a singer, Caitlin stayed at a hotel using traditional metal keys and was fascinated. Intrigued by the uniqueness of the key, she stamped it with “LoveYourFlawz” and wore it around her neck. She began to experiment with the idea, creating and selling keys on her tour stamped with words of encouragement like “love, strength, and let go.” Caitlin wanted to support people dealing with all sorts of issues, encouraging them to eventually pass the key forward to someone who needed it more.
Caitlin’s business quickly grew and became too much for her to handle alone. Soon, Caitlin met homeless couple Rob and Cera, employing them in the business and giving them a means to exit homelessness. Thus, The Giving Keys company was formed, spreading encouragement through a unique product with the mission to “create employment opportunities for people transitioning out of homelessness.”
Both Caitlin’s business and her entrepreneurial journey are outstanding. Caitlin is particularly exemplary in her desire and passion for entrepreneurship. Even with a busy life of singing and touring her music, Caitlin found time and energy to personally make the giving keys. This is a testament to the immense motivation and drive behind her pursuits. She was not driven by the money, which was likely 
very little in comparison to her primary jobs, but rather she was motivated and impassioned by the social aspect of the business. Caitlin didn’t want to sell to people, she wanted to inspire people; selling her keys was simply a means to inspire. In that task, I believe Caitlin has been enormously successful. The idea is brilliant because Caitlin did not preclude the social venture at the point of selling inspirational keys. She went above and beyond the social call of her venture, seeking to provide inspiration doubly, to both the makers and the buyers of the keys. Employing the homeless was a masterful technique to expand the social venture and widen her business’s social and cultural impact.
Personally, I’m inspired by Caitlin’s tenacity, wisdom, and drive. Not only did she build the business as a hobby while working full-time, but she was continually and profoundly motivated by positively affecting the world. First with LoveYourFlaws, and now with The Giving Keys, Caitlin’s encouragement, inspiration and love has been spread throughout the world. I yearn to be driven by my faith and passion for others as much as Caitlin is. I aspire to impact the world in my own unique way, having the tenacity and wisdom to carry out my ideas in a meaningful way. The Giving Keys, both its journey and its current impact, inspires me.
What an inspirational story to go along with the creative idea! In this situation, Caitlin started out with the purpose of inspiring people to love themselves and their uniqueness. She saw the problem that people feel badly about themselves because of society’s expectations and wanted to solve this by spreading love and kindness. Thanks for providing the story behind the product because it adds so much more emotion, meaning, and value to the product (otherwise, it would just be a cute little key necklace with good intentions). Great Post!
This is so motivational. I love how Caitlin seeks to have a social impact in the world; it’s evident that she wants to make a difference in people’s lives. Everything about this business sounds amazing. The fact that she employed 2 homeless people in her company is incredible. Caitlin’s certainly an inspiring and motivating lady to others around her.
Wow, what a fascinating and inspiring story! Caitlin’s entrepreneurial spirit and qualities are so unique. Also, the Giving Keys has an awe-inspiring business model.