The story
This is not a résumé. It is the slightly ridiculous series of events that got me here.
You're not reading the success story afterward. You're here while I'm building it.
twelve chapters, in order ♥
The chapters
open one, or open them all
- Chapter 01: Before the apps, there were Easter flowers.
- Chapter 02: The instinct didn't wait for a TED Talk.
- Chapter 03: Love, Three Kids, Three Years.
- Chapter 04: Entrepreneurship met underwriting.
- Chapter 05: Then the world sent everyone home.
- Chapter 06: The dog jumped out of a second-story window.
- Chapter 07: A different kind of school day.
- Chapter 08: Kimber.
- Chapter 09: Honest work, and a quieter question.
- Chapter 10: 250 pounds of sugar.
- Chapter 11: The entrepreneur got loud again.
- Chapter 12: I guess Grandpa knew what he was starting.
The story, chapter by chapter
Before the apps, there were Easter flowers.
Natalie's love of business began with her grandfather, Anthony Ricci.
Every Easter, he put Natalie out selling Easter flowers. It became a family tradition.
He didn't sit her down for formal business lessons. He taught her customers, inventory, timing, supply, demand, selling, money going out, money coming back.
Most importantly she discovered there is something completely different about making a dollar because you sold something of your own.
She loved watching inventory disappear, figuring out what people wanted, making the sale, and counting the money afterward.
Her grandfather made business feel possible.
For my grandfather, Anthony Ricci — the first person who taught me how much fun business could be.
The instinct didn't wait for a TED Talk.
Natalie's entrepreneurial instinct continued into adulthood. She started and ran her own business.
It wasn't a sudden new interest later in life. She had already tried to build something of her own.
Love, Three Kids, Three Years.
Natalie and her husband built their family together: three children within three years.
She still wanted to build a business. The children were in daycare. She was trying to raise babies, run a business, and manage life.
It became extremely difficult — not because the children were an obstacle, but because competing responsibilities are real.
Entrepreneurship met underwriting.
Natalie's family wanted to buy a home.
Self-employment created practical mortgage qualification difficulties. She needed traditional verifiable income. So she got a full-time job.
It was a practical decision. The business instinct didn't disappear. It became quieter.
Then the world sent everyone home.
COVID sent Natalie home. She started working remotely and discovered she loved working from home.
Remote work changed family flexibility, presence, daily life, and what she wanted from a career.
Going backward became difficult.
The dog jumped out of a second-story window.
WAIT. WHAT?
Natalie's puppy had severe anxiety. As office life returned, she did not want to leave the puppy alone.
Then the dog jumped out of a second-story window. Yes. Seriously.
That became an absurd but genuine turning point. Nope. I need to work from home.
Natalie built a remote career. The details of that career stay private. The decision does not.
A different kind of school day.
Natalie later chose to homeschool her children because she wanted something different for their education.
Full-time career. Mother of three. Homeschool. Business ideas still running through her head.
Kimber.
Kimber was Natalie's Boxer. She died at only four years old after serious illness.
Natalie loved her deeply. There were also substantial veterinary expenses.
That combination of grief and financial pressure became one of the events that pushed Natalie to think seriously about creating additional income again.
Honest work, and a quieter question.
Natalie started doing Instacart to generate extra income. There is nothing embarrassing about the work.
The story matters because she had years of experience with business, products, customers, and selling — and began realizing she might create additional income differently.
250 pounds of sugar.
10 × 25
250 pounds total
WHAT AM I DOING?
One Costco Instacart order included ten bags. Twenty-five pounds each. Two hundred fifty pounds of sugar, total.
Natalie was moving the order and thinking: what am I doing?
There was nothing wrong with doing Instacart. It was honest work. But she knew how to build businesses and products.
There has to be a smarter way for me to make extra money using what I already know how to do.
The entrepreneur got loud again.
Modern tools changed what was possible. Natalie could start creating things she could previously imagine but not realistically build alone.
Only founder-approved public builds belong here. Private ideas stay invisible.
I guess Grandpa knew what he was starting.
I GUESS GRANDPA KNEW WHAT HE WAS STARTING.
I took a pretty long detour. Three kids. A house. A career. A pandemic. A flying puppy. Homeschool. Heartbreak. 250 pounds of sugar.
But somehow I ended up right back where Grandpa started me. Building things. Selling things. And absolutely loving it.
Find something people want. Figure out how to give it to them. Make the sale. Learn. Do it again.
WHEN YOU'RE YOUNG,
YOU DREAM OF MAKING SIX FIGURES.
THEN YOU GROW UP,
MAKE SIX FIGURES,
AND REALIZE…
IT ISN'T ENOUGH.
TOO MUCH SOFTWARE
HANDS YOU ANOTHER JOB
AND CALLS IT EMPOWERMENT.