At 72 years old, Mary Crafts still believes her best year is ahead of her.
This is the mindset that has defined her life. It carried her through poverty and uncertainty to building a multimillion-dollar catering company. Now, she has become a respected author and speaker, inspiring thousands through her message of courage, service, and personal growth.
But Mary’s story didn’t begin with success.
It began with a mother on welfare assistance determined to provide a better future for her small children.
“I knew I could do it. I knew I could support this family,” Mary said.
More than four decades later, her journey stands as one of Utah’s most powerful examples of resilience, entrepreneurship, and living with purpose.
The Hard Road to Entrepreneurship
To understand Mary’s story, we first have to understand that she didn’t originally set out to become an entrepreneur.
In fact, her early years were filled with a lot of uncertainty. Mary and her husband were wed when she was young, and she quickly learned of her husband’s mental health challenges. These challenges prevented him from being able to support their family financially.
The years passed, and they soon found themselves with two young children, but very little resources. Mary knew it was up to her to do something about it.
She tried everything she could to make ends meet.
She sold Avon door-to-door.
She taught piano and voice lessons.
She ran preschool programs.
Eventually, she and her husband opened an ice cream shop in Utah, hoping to introduce high-quality Italian gelato to the market. But the concept was ahead of its time.
“After being only open three months, we realized that Utah wasn’t quite ready for that step to paying $4 a scoop for quality, versus $2 a scoop for the giant scoop,” she explained.
The business ultimately failed.
And it wouldn’t be the last setback Mary experienced.
Mary’s second venture, an Italian restaurant, collapsed after a dispute between her business partners. Once again, she found herself starting over.
Each failure was difficult, but came with lessons that would shape the future of her career. Of the things Mary learned, these are a few that stuck with her:
- Never risk more than you can afford to lose.
- Be careful choosing business partners.
- Understand who truly holds control in a partnership.
“I learned the golden rule,” she said. “He who has the gold makes the rules.”
Mary took these lessons to heart, which would prove invaluable when her next venture finally took off.
The Red Wagon
Mary set out on her third business venture.
With no clients or social network, she loaded catering supplies into a little red wagon, placed her two small children inside, and went door-to-door offering her services.
It seemed silly. Yet, that effort became the foundation of Culinary Crafts, the catering company she would build over the next four decades.
From the beginning, Mary’s vision was different. She wasn’t trying to become the biggest catering company in Utah. She was trying to do her best.
Mary shares, “My mission was never to be the largest. I just wanted to be my best every day, bringing my best.”
Once her catering company took off, she hired a team. Her team focused on life’s most important celebrations—weddings, company launches, milestone events, and once-in-a-lifetime gatherings.
For Mary, each event represented more than a business opportunity. It represented trust.
“People do business with people they trust. There’s never been anything more true than that,” she said.
Through these relationships, integrity became the cornerstone of her company’s culture.
Even during the 2008 recession, when many competitors closed their doors or stopped paying vendors, Mary kept every commitment.
She paid her employees.
She paid her suppliers.
She kept her integrity.
That decision proved to be monumental. Vendors and partners sought out her company because they knew she would honor every agreement.
“The value, the hard cash dollar value of integrity, can be measured in my history. I never lost sight of that. That’s what it’s about,” Mary said.
The Turning Point
Despite her growing success, Mary faced a deeply personal turning point at age 50.
Looking at a photograph from her birthday party, she realized she was unhappy. Though she had built a successful business, she was struggling physically, emotionally, and personally.
She looked at that photo and said, “I never thought that this was who I would be at age 50.”
She was successful, but she was so unhappy.
And that moment sparked a transformation inside of her.
Over the next several years, Mary lost half her body weight and began confronting the fears that had shaped much of her life.
For decades, she had made decisions based on fear; fear of failure, fear of judgment, fear of not being enough.
Eventually, she made an intentional shift. Instead of letting fear guide her decisions, she began choosing values like love, integrity, joy, family, and service.
The result was more than just a personal transformation. It was freedom.
“This is possible. You can overcome fear,” she said. “I didn’t know that. I thought you had to live with it forever… Once you see it clearly, you can change it.”
Leading by Example
But, Mary didn’t give up her catering company.
Today, that company is led by her children Megan, Ryan, and Kaleb. Watching them step into leadership roles has been one of the most rewarding parts of her journey.
Like many founders, Mary worried about the sacrifices her family made while she built the business. Long hours and relentless work were necessary in the early years.
But along the way, she was teaching her children lessons far beyond cooking or business operations.
Through her example, they learned the importance of service.
After large events, Mary would often load leftover food into the van and take it to local parks to feed people experiencing homelessness. Sometimes she would invite struggling families into the office and serve them meals with full table settings and dignity.
Those events became lessons that shaped her children into the people they are today.
Inspiring With Purpose
With Mary’s shift from running her catering business and passing it on to her children, she has expanded her influence beyond entrepreneurship.
In recent years, she has become a speaker, author, and podcast host, using her platform to help others create meaningful lives.
Her message is simple but powerful: people don’t need to become someone new; they simply need to recognize who they already are.
“I want [people] to leave with a new vision of who they truly are. Not a new person that they’re going to become, but who they already are, who they came as,” she said.
Her philosophy centers on a few core principles:
- Overcome fear by recognizing it
- Stop hiding and embrace vulnerability
- Take ownership of your choices
- Strive each day to be your best self
Mary’s book Unbounded: From Sorrow to Summit shares the importance of these principles and how they can shape your life.
She says, “My favorite line from the book is [this] line: The healing starts the moment the hiding stops.”
Through her podcast, speaking engagements, and writing, she continues to share these lessons with audiences across the country.
Living a Meaningful Life
For Mary, success has never been about recognition or wealth.
It’s all about living life intentionally.
She describes a meaningful life as one built through conscious choices rather than simply reacting to circumstances.
She believes that we all have the power to choose. And once we make that choice, we are free to overcome anything.
That philosophy continues to guide her work today.
She mentors entrepreneurs, supports nonprofit organizations, speaks to audiences around the country, and encourages people to step fully into who they were meant to become.
Lessons for Entrepreneurs
Mary’s life is full of many lessons. But here are just a few for you to take with you as you expand and explore your own journey:
- Failure can be your greatest teacher. Each setback can teach you lessons as you move forward.
- Protect your integrity at all costs. Prioritize the important things and build value; that is what strengthens your trust and reputation.
- Choose your business partners carefully. Understand ownership, control, and alignment when entering business partnerships.
- Have a clear vision going forward. From the beginning, believe in the company you are building.
- Strive to be your best, not just the biggest. Consistently bring your best to every client and every opportunity.
- Lead with service and purpose. Meaningful success comes from lifting others and making a positive impact.
Looking Ahead
Even after decades of success, Mary Crafts isn’t slowing down.
She plans to write another book, expand her speaking career, and continue humanitarian work both locally and globally. Her upcoming book will focus on the principles she has learned throughout her life.
As someone once told her:
“When a wise woman dies, a library burns down.”
Mary intends to share her wisdom while she can. Because her story isn’t finished yet.
She believes the most exciting chapters are still ahead.
“At this age,” she said, “I still believe that my very best year is next year.”
Want the full story behind Mary’s journey?
Listen to the complete MountainWest Capital Network Podcast episode, where Mary shares how she turned her life around and created meaning even when life was hard.