Natalie Franke: Facing Hardship Head-On

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Today’s guest knows a thing or two about surviving hardship and coming out the other side. Natalie Franke is an author, community builder, and mama bear for small businesses. As Head of Community at Flodesk and the USA Today bestselling author of Gutsy, she leads tens of thousands of small business owners while fostering a spirit of community around the world.

This conversation had me feeling all the feels! Natalie opened up about her journey founding multiple successful companies while navigating neurosurgery, infertility, and seasons of burnout – and how she maintained a perspective of gratitude through it all.

If you’re going through a hard season and need some words of encouragement, press play on today’s episode or keep reading below!

Founding a Movement

Natalie started her journey as a photographer in high school. She photographed weddings throughout college and after graduating, decided to pursue the business full-time. Although the business was financially successful, it started to take a mental toll.

“I wasn’t equipped to handle that amount of work,” Natalie says. Her revenue high of reaching multi-6 figures was an emotional rock bottom.

To get through that difficult season, Natalie founded Rising Tide Society – a community of entrepreneurs that started as a local coffee meetup and has grown to 75,000 members in over 400 cities.

Separating Your Identity from Your Business

After successfully growing Rising Tide Society, the community was acquired by tech startup HoneyBook and Natalie decided to take a full-time position at the company.

After putting so much of her identity into her brand as a photographer, it took a lot of unpacking old beliefs for Natalie to separate herself from her business. “Your identity isn’t rooted in your job, whether you’re an employee or an entrepreneur.”

This is something I’ve had to work on as well – but finding a way to separate your work from your identity provides a much healthier perspective!

Facing Hardship Head-On

Throughout her business journey, Natalie was also facing unimaginable challenges in her personal life. In her early 20s, just weeks before getting married, she was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor and found out she wouldn’t be able to have biological children. “It felt like a door slamming shut.”

Natalie made the difficult decision to have surgery and remove the tumor. Six months later, she started fertility treatment. Now she’s a proud momma of two little ones.

“I would do it all again tenfold for 30 seconds with these two,” Natalie says. “It was so worth it.”

Create Success on Your Terms

Natalie stayed at HoneyBook for almost eight years before moving on to her next adventure at FloDesk. “Sometimes you have to lay something good down in order to pick up something great.”

Natalie knows taking a full-time position isn’t the typical entrepreneur success story, but it was the right decision for her. “Your definition of success can and should look different from anyone else’s. It’s okay if you take a path you don’t see anyone else taking.”

There are so many different ways to scale your business – it doesn’t have to look like a mastermind, course, or passive revenue stream. Maybe you’re interested in speaking – or like Natalie, writing a book!

Natalie’s best advice for any entrepreneur looking to grow is to let go of industry expectations and what other people think. Find your own definition of success.

Building Wealth as an Entrepreneur

When Natalie took the full-time position at HoneyBook (and later Flodesk), it was a non-negotiable that she made the same take-home salary.

She also ensured her contract allowed for external work, so she had time to work on her books – an important part of negotiation for any entrepreneur looking to move back to full-time! Always keep the window open for other business opportunities.

Even though Natalie is technically an employee, she still has multiple revenue streams alongside her job, including investing and affiliate income. “I’m a very complicated tax case.”

Get Started Today

Natalie was raised by a single mom and grew up with a scarcity mindset. She had to work through her natural risk aversion to start investing. Now looking back, she wishes she had started sooner.

One of her top pieces of advice for entrepreneurs would be to invest strategically and start saving for retirement as early as possible.

If you need help getting your financial game plan together, check out The Blueprint Model, my personal finance course for business owners!

Challenge Your Money Mindset

The biggest belief change Natalie had to make was understanding that wanting to make money isn’t greedy. Like so many small business owners, she struggled to charge for her worth. Talking to other entrepreneurs helped shift those beliefs.

Natalie’s advice for other business owners would be to “baby step” your way into a better relationship with money. Challenge any aspect of your money mindset that results in stress or fear, and talk it out with someone you trust.

“I believe that entrepreneurship is one of the best gateways to transform your financial situation, to build legacy wealth, and to do good in your community. As I generate wealth for myself, I have a responsibility to do good with that wealth.”

Lean on Your Community

“I’ve always prioritized people over everything else,” Natalie says, “and that’s opened every door for me.”

The biggest shifts in Natalie’s business came when she built a community, first with Rising Tide Society and later around her books. Her mission is to remind other entrepreneurs that they’re not alone.

“You never know what tomorrow is going to bring, what opportunity might lay in front of you, or what relationship could change the trajectory of your entire life.”

Perspective is Everything

Looking back at her journey of founding multiple companies while navigating neurosurgery and infertility, Natalie says, “Your perspective is everything. You can’t control what happens to you, but you can control how you look at it.”

Her final note to everyone listening: “Never underestimate the power of being kind.”

More from this Episode

To hear the full story and more about Natalie, press play on the player above for the full interview or click here to download the transcript.

Read Natalie’s Books : Gutsy: Learning to Live with Bold, Brave, and Boundless Courage +  Built to Belong: Discovering the Power of Community Over Competition

Free Download : 2024 Marketing Trends with Flodesk

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Natalie Franke

Natalie Franke is an author, community builder, neuroscience nerd and mama bear for small business.

As Head of Community at Flodesk and USA Today bestselling author of Gutsy, she leads tens of thousands of small business owners while fostering a spirit of community over competition around the world.

CONNECT WITH NATALIE:

Website | Instagram | Linkedin

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