734 Natalie Mills:

We all have big dreams. Question is, what challenges and setbacks are you willing to endure to make your dream come true? How bright does your desire burn? How strong is your resilience? Because to walk the ups and downs of the entrepreneurial path and build a big badass business is not for the faint hearted. Natalie Mills knew her destiny early, and listen on to hear her inspiring rags to riches journey to multimillion dollar success.

MELINDA

Hi, I’m Melinda Wittstock and welcome to Wings of Inspired Business, where we share the inspiring entrepreneurial journeys, epiphanies, and practical advice from successful female founders … so you have everything you need at your fingertips to build the business and life of your dreams. I’m a 5-time serial entrepreneur who has lived and breathed the ups and downs of starting and growing businesses, currently the game changing social podcast app Podopolo. Wherever you are listening to this, take a moment and join the Wings community over on Podopolo, where we can take the conversation further with your questions, perspectives, experiences, and advice for other female founders at whatever stage of the journey you’re at! Because together we’re stronger, and we soar higher when we fly together.

Today we meet an inspiring entrepreneur who knows firsthand what it means to live the American Dream. An immigrant from South Africa, Natalie Mills came to the US and started selling her handmade jewelry to neighbors at 8 years old.  Hers is a ‘rags to riches’ tale of resilience and desire, overcoming obstacles of all kinds to her product being named a best-seller by NBC in 2020 and winning her the Einstein Greencard Award, an achievement only given to the top 1% in business. She’s recognized as a trend setter and style leader in fashion with her signature “Bling” designs. She has dressed celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez, Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Lizzo, Saweetie and more.

How far are you prepared to go to realize your dreams? What keeps you going when you face what seem to be insurmountable obstacles? How do you pick yourself up when you’ve fallen down?

Natalie Mills is a wildly successful entrepreneur who lives by visualizing her desires and having the resilience to overcome whatever obstacle is in her path.

Starting out with just $100, Natalie Mills built her namesake fashion, jewelry and accessory brand – styling women globally with a “Luxury for Less” concept.

As a child from humble beginnings, Natalie says she alwayshad a passion for bling. Now known as the “Bling Queen”, Natalie says she couldn’t afford expensive jewelry and the pieces she could afford would just break apart. So, like the best entrepreneurs, she spotted a gap in the market andcreated quality jewelry that wouldn’t break the bank. Her mission is to offer affordable glamour, sophistication and style while giving back to those less fortunate.

Today Natalie shares her entrepreneurial journey, and the secrets of success. Hint, it’s all about living into your desires with visualization, letting go of negative self-talk, and having the resilience to persist through the setbacks and challenges. You won’t want to miss this, so let’s put on our wings with the inspiring Natalie Mills, and be sure to download the podcast app Podopolo so we can keep the conversation going after the episode.

Melinda Wittstock:

Natalie, welcome to Wings.

Natalie Mills:

Thank you, Melinda. Thank you for having me. And I’m just so excited to share my story with you and the audience.

Melinda Wittstock:

going from a hundred dollars to an empire is not easy, so congratulations on that. literally a rags to riches journey. What inspired you, and how did you get going?

Natalie Mills:

Well, yeah, you say that and you say it’s not an easy journey, and I can’t express the understatement that feels like when I hear that. Yeah and I sit back and I look at how far I’ve come and I wonder, how did you get so far? But it’s just really having that desire within you and that never give up attitude, as well as the faith that I have in the Lord Jesus, and really just that drive and that desire.

But started designing from, I would say, seven or eight years old. I used to go with my parents two vacations and pick up a whole bunch of sea shells and paint them together with nail varnish and get back home. And I would knock on all my neighbors’ doors and I would really sell them this handmade jewelry. So, realizing from a young age, I can be very creative, and I can make a lot of money doing it. The entrepreneurial bug literally bit me from a very young age. So, started off having just that kind of passion and that drive within me.

And falling on hard times, reaching to my teenage years and not having that disposable income, I would always be the one known as the bling queen. But I never really had the good money to buy the good jewels and the good bling. And it was always something from the market that would fall apart or break the minute I took it off. And I really thought, well, I could be the only one that doesn’t have all this disposable income and really wants to get a good piece of jewelry that’s not going to break the bank and not going to fall apart.

And that’s when my journey of starting this business really started was finding that gap in the market of bringing affordable yet quality pieces. And the rest is history, I’d say, from that idea and from that inception a good 10 years ago.

Melinda Wittstock:

Amazing. I often wonder when I hear entrepreneurs talk about how they kind of knew as kids. Because you’re, you’re speaking to one here right now where I went door to door demanding prepayment for my show when I was six.

Natalie Mills:

Oh, good.

Melinda Wittstock:

And getting it, like making a hundred bucks, my first ever hundred bucks. And coming home and saying, “Dad, where could we find a hundred chairs?” So, do you think that entrepreneurial DNA is just in some people and not in others, or if you’re not like some sort of childhood prodigy that this is something that can be learned?

Natalie Mills:

I think a lot of people have just got it. And both me and you seemed to have had it. I know in seventh grade, sixth grade and seventh grade, I was supplying stationary to my whole school. So, I figured out that there was a reseller of this special pen that everybody wanted around the corner, and nobody knew that it was there or how much it was. So, I would go and buy it, triple it up, and go and sell it to the whole school. So, I was known as the stationary supplier.

If you’re not born with it and you don’t understand it, when you start getting more mature and into an industry, you get that entrepreneurial bite. And I think when you get that, if you’re not born with it, when you get that do you really thrive on that entrepreneurial bite and figure out, well, this is really what I want to be or this is really what I want to do and build from there.

So, both of it, Melinda. I definitely think it could go both ways. But we’re not all built for that. Right? I think we’re not all built to have the ups and the downs and the highs and the lows. And that’s why I think the world is so beautiful because we’re all so different.

Melinda Wittstock:

So true. Walking that entrepreneurial… or running the entrepreneurial roller coaster where in any given day, you can be up, down, all over the place. All the uncertainty, the things you can’t control. And it’s so constant almost that you become at peace with it, or at least I have. And it takes a while, though, to get that.

And for people around you that are not entrepreneurs, sometimes there’s like a look of terror, like how on earth do you cope with that? So, what do you think is the mix? Is it just this kind of inherent resilience or the ability to accept and be able to deal easily with uncertainty?

Natalie Mills:

I think definitely resilience. I think definitely resilience. But it’s that desire. It’s how bad do you want is where the question is. And when we put ourselves, our plans for our life and where we want to be, sometimes people are moved by that. And sometimes that shifts and people change. And well, if that’s what it’s going to take, it’s not really the road I want to travel. But the ones that know that’s where I want to be one day know that that resilience and that desire is within them to withstand the hard knocks and withstand all the storms that they’re going to face on that journey.

So, I always say we can all dream big, but if you don’t have that desire, it’s not going to happen. And that desire is the driving force that foresees and overtakes all of this cloud of emotion that can stop you in your tracks if you’re not really feeling like that’s what I have to do.

Melinda Wittstock:

I agree with you. You have to want it bad. You just have to adjust. I think it’s even a step further, being able to imagine yourself successful, like seeing it in your mind’s eye. You know where you’re going, and you don’t know exactly necessarily how you’re going to get there. But you know you’re going to get there. You have the desire. You’re going to do what it takes. But you can imagine it done. Did you have that sense really early on, like I’ve got this?

Natalie Mills:

I was four years old.

Melinda Wittstock:

Yeah.

Natalie Mills:

So, I think when I could talk, I used to tell my mom, “Mom, one day I’m going to be in America and I’m going to be on TV.” And you look back and I say, “Mom, can you believe I’m in America now, and can you believe I go on TV?” And she’s like, “Absolutely I can. You said it from four years old.”

Melinda Wittstock:

See? You knew.

Natalie Mills:

I’m a big manifestor. I do my vision boards and I put it out there. But I put it out there without expectation. And I know\ the plans that the Lord has for me so I don’t mix that up. But I do dream big and have those aspirations and have those dreams and have that vision, because that vision is what’s going to drive you. It’s kind of like, where am I going? Where is my destination? And that’s what’s going to drive you to get there.

And something that I find so fascinating with manifesting is when you put your mind to a picture, your brain starts to subconsciously do all of these actions to help you get to the point where you want to be. So, when you start programming that vision, subconsciously the brain does its magic to do these things and make these decisions or help you make those decisions that are going to get you there. So, I mean, you’ve got to always say dream big. There are no dream police. It’s the only place where you’re not restricted, so dream big.

Melinda Wittstock:

It’s interesting, though, how many people restrain their own dreams, actually. It’s like they try to manifest or do a vision board or visualization of any kind. But somewhere in there is some sort of counter intention or something deep in their subconscious, that little niggly voice that says like, “Oh, I want this I’m going for this. But oh wait, who am I to have that?” Or something like that. Did you ever have any sense of that? Did you have anything like that you had to overcome?

Natalie Mills:

Of course. I think we all do. Right? I think we all get those questions in our mind. Well, you’re not going to do that, and you’re not going to get there. But I think what is so important in those kind of situations is being so self-aware of those thoughts and drowning them out quickly. So, when it does pop into my mind, or I do think of something, I drown it out, and that’s not the way to think, and off you go, thought bubble, and change your direction of what you’re thinking.

And I think a lot of what comes with it, Melinda, is a lot of disappointment that people have. Right? There’s a lot of hurt, a lot of disappointment, a lot of the doors closed. And I think to one stage that when there are so much of that in your life, it’s very hard for you to see beyond that. I always say that it’s…

Melinda Wittstock:

[inaudible 00:09:09] circumstance, yeah.

Natalie Mills:

And I always say a dream is not dead. It’s just maybe not in your season. Doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen. It’s just people restrict themselves to timeframes. Like I want this, but I want it in four months. Well, if it doesn’t come in four months, they think, well, it’s not going to come. But that’s not how it works. Right? In fact, you’ve got to release the time. You’ve got to release those restrictions of what you’re putting in the conditions. There’s not terms or conditions on manifestation.

Melinda Wittstock:

Right, yeah, exactly. So, this is a really interesting thing, especially for entrepreneurs that are control freaks. Right? Really trying to prescribe the, how rather than thinking about the what or the why. Right.

Natalie Mills:

Yeah.

Melinda Wittstock:

And how you get there, universe has its own plan that’s probably better than yours, or God or source or however we want to term it. And when we get all up into the how, just even in terms of managing a team when we’re focused on that rather than they might have a better how than you.

Natalie Mills:

Absolutely. Absolutely. And I mean, yeah, I agree with you on that. And it’s like you’ve got to have that trust and you’ve got to live a life of faith. And I think that faith is just knowing that you are worthy, and knowing that you are deserving of those good things that you wish for yourself. And that takes a lot of self-exploration and a lot of self-love that gets you to the point. And I think when you realize that you are so deserving of that, you also start peeling away those restrictive layers that you have.

People that have gone through trauma in their life might feel like they’re not worthy of something. But when you start unpacking and moving that trauma away and realizing how beautiful and deserving you are, the more you believe it, the more you can dream those big things, and realize no matter what happens, I’m going to figure this stuff out.

Melinda Wittstock:

Yes. So, so true. So, take me back in time. So, when you started your business, you set up shop you and you started selling your jewelry, did you always have vision boards? Did you always have this awareness or this spiritual awareness that was driving you, or is that something that you learned and finessed along the way?

Natalie Mills:

I’ve always had it in a way that I think when you get more mature, you understand it better. You know what I mean? So, I think me saying at four years old, “This is what I’m going to be.” I had it in me, but I didn’t understand it because I was just too young to understand it. So, I think as you go along… And I think the more you embrace it, the more you attach it to a lot of things that you’re doing.

So, one thing that I used to do is I used to have a whole bunch of cards. And I would wrap the cards and I would say, “Thank you for…” Like “Thank you for securing this account and thank you for” a whole bunch of stuff. And I used to fold up the paper, and I would put it under my bed. And I really did it… not for everything. I didn’t do thank you for everything, but those really big dreams that you feel like you want to have. And then every once in a while, at the end of the year, I’d pull up my mattress and all the paper would fall down, and literally would be like tick, tick, tick.

Melinda Wittstock:

Amazing.

Natalie Mills:

Yeah. So, it wasn’t just the manifesting on the vision boards, which I do, but also just writing it on a piece of paper. And I mean, gratitude, Melinda. You’ve got to have gratitude. So, I’ve got gratitude balls and gratitude bowls. And literally everything I’m just so grateful for. And balancing that what I want with what I’m grateful for is such a healthy mix of your journey in life, in everything, because it just makes you a different person.

Melinda Wittstock:

Oh, that’s such a profound point. Because when we desire something and we’re aiming from it from a position of lack or want, you can actually push it away. As opposed to imagining it done. And with that spirit of gratitude that you’re talking about, like, thank you. Thank you in advance. I know it’s coming. Thank you. And being in that spirit is much more from a place of love.

Natalie Mills:

Absolutely.

Melinda Wittstock:

It makes a big difference, doesn’t it? It’s a fine point on visualization. And I think a lot of law of attraction people don’t necessarily get it’s not enough just to say, “Oh, I want this. Here’s a picture of it.” [inaudible 00:13:43].

Natalie Mills:

Yeah. I mean, gratitude’s the most powerful emotion that you can have. So, to have that gratitude first and foremost before you even ask… I mean, what do they say? What is the journey to happiness? Funny enough, I was looking at this the other day. And I was really researching happiness mean. And when people aren’t happy, how do they get happy? How do you go from a sad, depressed state to a happy state? What is that?

And I was going into a lot of research into it, all came back to gratitude. Wake up and say thank you for five things. Could be your bed, your water next to your bed, the slippers that you put on, your kids, your home, your car. Five things you are grateful for, and do that every day. And you’re going to have such a huge shift with happiness in your life that it’s just so profound. So, the gratitude is the seed that’s going to create that happiness and that joy into your life.

Melinda Wittstock:

Yeah, and when you’re in that happiness and joy, like for anybody looking back in their life when they’re in that, that’s when you attract all the great things. Right? That’s when you meet the right partner, or suddenly you have this amazing business opportunity, or just something seems to land in your lap. Those things only ever land in your lap, just truth be told, if I look back on my life, is when I’m in that zone of gratitude. I can’t think of a time where I’ve been miserable or frustrated or in the sort of scarcity or lack, and something amazing has happened.

Natalie Mills:

Yeah, you’re right. It’s like that space of that attraction. Right? The more you give, the more you receive. And one thing’s very interesting when you say that. We tend to be way more actionable and do a lot more output when we are in those good spaces.

So, sometimes we think like, well, why am I going through such a dry spell, or why is everything going wrong with me? But what’s happening is we’re attracting ourselves. And the more you attract yourselves, the more you retract, the less action there is because action creates action.

So, when you are in those happy moods or those different frameworks, you kind of put up more, more energy, more phone calls, more deals, more trying, and that’s when you receive it. But with that retraction in those unhappy moments, you fall back into a bubble, and that kind of return doesn’t happen, you know what I mean?

Melinda Wittstock:

Yes.. I completely understand what you’re saying. And you know what’s really weird? Hearing us speak, we’re making it sound really simple. And on one level, it is really simple. Just do it and you’ll see the result.

But do you find that people overthink it and think, oh. Like they’re so skeptical that they can’t believe this would be true, so they don’t do it. Or they try it a little bit, and like what you were saying before, they put a time limit on it, like it’s got to happen within four months, and it doesn’t so they give up. So, people end up just self-sabotaging.

I remember, for example, being on my journey. And I have such powerful analytic mind as well as an intuitive mind. And it’s a right left brain balance kind of situation going on in my head. But my analytic was so powerful that I would question everything. And I had to know exactly how it worked and how it would… I am a tech entrepreneur. Do you know what I mean?

Natalie Mills:

Of course, you got that analytical side then, yeah.

Melinda Wittstock:

Right? And I found myself overthinking it and I think I had this subconscious belief that it had to be hard to be valuable. Right? And I realize now I was putting all that, subconsciously of course, on this, and therefore delaying my ability to manifest. It was only once I really came into awareness that that’s what was going on or just the overthinking of things.

Natalie Mills:

Yeah.

Melinda Wittstock:

Right? So, it always sounds easier than it is, in a way, for a lot of people.

Natalie Mills:

It is. It sounds easier. But like I always say, never give up, but it’s really hard. It’s so easy, but it’s so hard. But I think if you go back to that proverb, how do you eat a elephant, one bite at a time, that’s exactly what it is.

So, you’ve got to release that expectation. You’ve got to release that need for immediate and instant results. You’ve got to let go and release, but you’ve got to start. It’s kind of like climbing that ladder. One step at a time is going to get you to where you want to be. No one’s going to get to the top of the ladder without climbing it, you know what I mean?

And each step has got its challenges. Each step has got its test. You get tired maybe on the sixth step, and then you bounce on the seventh and the eighth. But then the ninth step there’s a little bit of rain, there’s a little bit of thunder. Hard to get there. But it’s taking those motions and do what you can with what you got at that time as you go.

So, it is hard. It is challenging. But that what’s inside of you. That’s where you get that built in desire, that built in strength that we all have got. We have all got that. And that’s where you got to tap into those on those moments where you feel like this is going to be a little bit hard.

But it’s hard not do it. I always say, pick your hard. It’s hard to make a good fortune, but it’s hard to not have anything. It’s kind pick your hard because both of those are going to be hard. The question is where do you want to be from those hard times or those hard actions.

Melinda Wittstock:

So, I think of all the things that you’ve manifested. I mean, here you are. You’ve dressed celebrities like Jennifer Lopez and Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Lizzo. How did all this come about? This was a thank you note under your bed that said, Thank you, Jennifer Lopez, for wearing my design?

Natalie Mills:

So, actually, it was on my vision board. I had there celebrities. So, that was on my vision board. But I think what’s important is you can’t just put something out on your vision board and not do anything with it, you know what I mean? There’s a lot of action that’s got to go into it.

So, I also say we’ve got the most beautiful jewelry. That really does help us get to our dream. But it’s like, I want to dress celebrities. How am I going to do that? It’s about creating the most exquisite pieces of fashion that’s going to get me there. So, it’s having that feeling of knowing that this is the greater picture, but also having the understanding objectively of what really needs to be done to get there.

So yeah, very fun. Pictures all over my. So funny. I looked at my manifestation board before I even came to the United States. And a piece of paper fell on me, and it said living the American dream. And I did this. I said, “Well, let me put it on my board.” And I had no plan at that stage to come to America.

And I looked at my board, and I think eight months after that I got on a plane. And it was so profound to look back at what I put on this board. My boards are put out, but then they’re filed away, you know what I mean? I don’t stare at it. Some things I stare it every day if it’s something I really, really want. But I put it out there and I release it.

And looking back on that and just the favor the Lord has given me and just the strength to get through that, it’s just incredible when you look back on it. That’s the pretty picture, but underneath that is so much hard work, a lot of hard work. Blood, sweat, tears, you name it is what we go through. But my desire overrides all of that. All of the time my desire wins.

Melinda Wittstock:

Gosh. I mean, it’s no wonder you won the Einstein Green Card award. This is a huge honor, really. It’s only for the top 1% globally.

Natalie Mills:

Yeah. So, it’s not really one that’s awarded. It’s the U.S. government, the Einstein Green Card. It’s really looking for individuals that have got extreme talents in their respective fields. And I was granted this, humbly granted this, by the government for my talents in business, funny enough. So, that was just knowing that the government’s got  my back. And I’m in the United States, the best country in the world, living the American dream. And the government says, “Right, you’re welcome here,” that is the biggest achievement on my life to have received that kind of an acknowledgement for everything that I’ve done. And it’s those moments that just make it all worthwhile.

Melinda Wittstock:

So, talk to me about a really challenging moment that you had. So, you have your gratitude practice, your visualization. The really important proviso that you talked about is releasing it, like you put it out there and you release it. You’re not so focused on it you’re pushing it away. But so you have all these things going on.

And all the same, surely as I know I’ve lived them, even with all the resilience, even with everything, even with all the tools that you’ve got at your disposal, your talent, your drive, your spirituality, all of these things, there are tough moments. So, what were some of your most heart stopping entrepreneurial moments where you’re just like, oh my God, I’m running out of cash or… I don’t know. Whatever it was. How did you get through it?

Natalie Mills:

Yeah, well, the big event that happened with me actually happened about eight months after I landed in the United States. I got really ill, like super, super ill. And I was unable to get out of bed. I was just withering away. I couldn’t eat. And went to the doctors, and they couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me. And I was unable to work and I couldn’t function.

I would literally look at my computer and my brain would crash. If you would think of your phone freezing and crashing, that’s exactly what would happen with my brain. And I just felt to myself, this must be some kind of a nervous reaction. Could be some kind of a breakdown. And I really had to get better, a lot healthier, to do that. So, it was really a severe sickness that knocked me down.

But at the same stage, I knew a lot of the time when I was going through this that it was a big test. And I felt it was a test of my character, a test of my personality. And sometimes we need these tests to change us, to become more humble, to ground us, to change us in some ways so that the next chapter that we are going into, we are different in some ways.

And I always looked at it like I know this is a test, and I will pass this test. And I’d say again, I know this is a test. And this carried on for I’d say a good six months of my life, and it was the hardest time. And I remember looking back and thinking have I lost my mind. And I mean that not in like, have I lost my mind? Have I gone crazy? I was literally scared that the old Natalie had gone. And the Natalie with the very analytical brain and entrepreneurial fire. And I literally thought like, has this gone?

And I remember looking in the mirror the once and thinking I’m so scared that person is no longer. But I just knew through the faith. I am a devout Christian. And I know I leave my hands in the Lord Jesus, and I would always envision him picking me up out of the pit, picking me up out of the pit. And again, holding on to my desire. Why did you come to the United States, Natalie? Why did you do this for? And get back up. And slowly I pick myself back up. And after that, I feel like I was stronger than I’ve ever been. A lot more grounded, but stronger in a different sense.

And that was a very pivotal moment for eight months, not knowing what is wrong with you, and really not feeling well and losing all that weight. I mean, sometimes I remember I would just lie outside in the garden just staring at the stars and thinking is this it. And I’ve got to sleep and wake up in the morning. I say, “Thank you that I’m alive today.” So, that was truly a big test, but something I’m just so grateful for because it just made me a stronger person to prepare me for the next journey that I had here.

Melinda Wittstock:

Honestly, when you look back in your life and you think of the moments where you’ve had the most growth or you’ve learned the most, it’s always from the challenges and the setbacks. It’s never from the success. The success we just think, great. Look at me. Woo hoo. But there’s not necessarily a learning [inaudible 00:26:45].

Natalie Mills:

I know. Well, what do they say? The rough seas build the best sailors. That’s it. The rough seas build the best sailors. And I’m a [inaudible 00:26:53] professional, seasoned artist. That’s what I always say.

Melinda Wittstock:

I think we have a lot in common there. I think of the ups and downs of my journey. And with each one of these things that you learn or you grow or you walk through, storm or rough seas or whatever, you do come out stronger.

Natalie Mills:

Yeah.

Melinda Wittstock:

Another analogy that’s often made in the context of entrepreneurship is like the refiner’s fire. And I think what you do with jewelry, Natalie, I mean, you do the same thing in business. I mean, you’re an alchemist, in essence. I think the best entrepreneurs are. From seeing a gap in the market, seeing something, creating something that’s truly original and truly beautiful.

Natalie Mills:

Yeah.

Melinda Wittstock:

There’s a great phrase that the Native Americans use: “in beauty it is done.”

Natalie Mills:

Wow.

Melinda Wittstock:

Which is very powerful because beauty isn’t like a vanity thing in that context. It’s just that the sanctity of it, the truth of beauty. Right? And so, I think when we’re entrepreneurs and we’re creating literally something out of whole cloth, something that hasn’t been done before, or a new approach, or a new… Could be a new business model, a new piece of technology or whatever. There’s an alchemy. There’s this transformational aspect. And so, how can we transform the world or buying habits with a new product if we’re not also transforming ourselves?

Natalie Mills:

Yeah, absolutely. And I think one thing I’ve learned during my entrepreneurial journey as well is let the market speak and you need to listen. I think too many times we do go on this journey where we see something and we feel like 1,000% this is it. This is going to change the world. Everyone’s going to buy it. And you put it out there and crickets.

Melinda Wittstock:

Yeah.

Natalie Mills:

So, what I’ve learned is let the market speak, and then I will listen, and then I will deliver. So, if you’ve got that great idea or got something that you feel like it’s working but there’s crickets, be open enough to receive it. Take that knock on the chin. Don’t take it too personally, and see how do I adjust this according to what the market is looking for and what do they need.

Because I think so many times we’ve got this idea that we love. We all love our ideas. Right? We’re all passionate about what we do, but sometimes the market isn’t. And we attach that whole thing to failure, to this idea doesn’t work. But it doesn’t mean it doesn’t work in its current form. It’s about being resilient enough or being open minded enough to change the form of that idea that can create something that the market really wants.

Melinda Wittstock:

A hundred percent. I think of Thomas Edison, 10,000 tries on electricity, had given up on the first one, yeah, like where would we be?

Natalie Mills:

I will say that. Where would we be if the world gave up? Like literally, where would we be now if the founder of Zoom gave up? Where would we be if Mark Zuckerberg gave up? Thomas Edison, we’d still be in dark, but I’m sure somebody else would’ve came along with that same idea. But look, where would we be if we all gave up? It would be a sad state of affairs. So, we can’t. We can’t all give up.

Melinda Wittstock:

It’s so true. So, that kind of failure, or what you describe as crickets, I mean, that’s just feedback. And learning to accept two things, I think, that I’ve learned along the way is that two things are really inevitable. Change is inevitable. Being willing to just accept that. Uncertainty is inevitable. And if you’re an entrepreneur, failure is also inevitable.

You’re going to have all kinds of big, small, whatever sort of “failures” with air quotes around it. They’re not, really. They’re opportunities. And to what extent you can flip that dynamic in your head, not make it about your own personal limitations or something like that which keep you trapped.

So, what’s next for you, Natalie? You’ve done so many things. You’ve achieved so much. You have such a big vision. I think you’re completely unstoppable. So, where are you taking your business next? What have you thanked the universe for that hasn’t quite happened yet for you?

Natalie Mills:

Well, I mean, there’s a lot that I don’t like to speak out of turn, but we’re going to have to find out on that. But I think what’s next for us is we just launched our beauty range, which is something that Natalie Mills Beauty’s gone live. And we’re really revolutionizing the beauty industry with having our really innovative products. And we created the beauty face masks using silk technology. So, it’s no longer the non-woven thing.

So, getting of age, I’m like, well, you know what, I really want the best cream. And would I trust all these brands? But no, I trust myself. So, I’m literally creating my beauty range according to what Natalie Mills standards are for myself. And that’s how much passion I’ve got in this beauty range. So, Natalie Mill’s Beauty is what’s next. And really just, I think, just spreading the words.

I think our company culture is a culture… Our company slogan is a culture of kindness. And I always look at the products that we got are really the bridge to get our message across. And the more people that we touch, the more people we can spread our message to and just encourage them. So, really just continuing with our word and our mission. And our Natalie Gives Back philanthropy program as well. And you just never know what comes up.

But there’s a lot planned for our beauty line and for our accessories. And we are looking at doing some more jewelry designs that are based around your story. So, what is the story of your life? And really articulating those kind of stories for you to wear and to embody and to wear on you in a blingy glam way. So, yeah, that’s where we’re at right now is just, you’re right, unstoppable. Let’s take over the world.

Melinda Wittstock:

I love it. I have no doubt that you’re well on your way to that. And how inspiring.

Natalie Mills:

Thank you.

Melinda Wittstock:

I love the message and what you’ve done. It’s wonderful, absolutely wonderful. Natalie, I want to make sure that everybody knows where to buy your jewelry, your beauty line, and all the things that you do. I know you have both eCommerce and retail, but what’s the best way?

Natalie Mills:

Yeah. So, I think the best and quickest and easiest ways to go to nataliemills.com. There’s a shopping extravaganza there. I think you might need to repeat it because my South African accent, I’ll go nataliemills.com, and [inaudible 00:33:45], what? What did you say?

Melinda Wittstock:

Okay, nataliemills.com in my best Americanized Canadian. How about that? Nataliemills.com.

Natalie Mills:

That’s it. That’s the best place to go. And we’ve got thousands of designs fit for everyone. But very much glam, very much glitz, and very much affordable luxury is what I call it. So, we really cater to the affordable market that no matter what kind of your disposable income is, we’ve got something for you to make you feel and look beautiful.

Melinda Wittstock:

How wonderful. Well, thank you so much, Natalie, for putting on your wings and flying with us today.

Natalie Mills:

Thank you, Melinda. This was lovely. A good chat. Thank you.