POSITIVE BLACK:  So where do you see yourself having the most impact?  I mean the conference has its own demographic of existing and start up business women.  Is that where your main target is? 

NATALYN:  Yes and no.  I know that there are a lot of takeaways for everyone who attends the conference.  Personally, I’d love to connect with school-aged teens and to give them the tools to hold their own.  To help them understand that there are options and resources for them to have their own business if that’s the path they choose.  Especially for our teen women.

 POSITIVE BLACK:  And to that effect, the fact that this conference even exists sets an example in itself.  I think it’s great that you’ve taken the initiative to create a platform for a dialogue of this sort.  It lends to the perspective that anyone witnessing this can see what their destination or their journey could be.  Hey, I told you I was a fan of this whole concept. 

NATALYN:  Thank you so much.  I’m very excited.  Everyone involved in this process is excited from the vendors, to promoters, and speakers on down.

 POSITIVE BLACK:  At the risk of sounding stereotypical, does the conference address keeping a productive and constructive attitude within business?  You know, like “no hating”? 

NATALYN:  Well, an ongoing theme with BBWR is ‘you won’t get far with negativity’.  Don’t entertain it.  Just try to stay positive.  I know there’s going to be competition out there, but I always say that if God’s going to open up a door for you, make sure you walk through it gracefully.  There are enough opportunities out there for everybody.  Stay focused on what you want to do and what your mission is.

 POSITIVE BLACK:  So having a home improvement company seems like quite the leap from working at AT&T.  How did you make that transition? 

NATALYN:  Well, it kind of happened indirectly.  I started my business in ’07.  I migrated to home improvement through being a real estate agent.   I got my real estate license through AT&T, while still working there in ’05.  Real estate was great for me until the market took its infamous turn around 2007.  I had recently had a makeover done of my home; new floors, painted, masonry work, etc. and a lot of people were impressed with the way it turned out.  I would pass on referrals to contractors and make recommendations to friends about how they could update and upgrade their homes, so I thought I’d create a business for myself as a middle-man for home improvement projects.  With the state of the housing market, less people were buying and more people were investing in their existing homes.  So the timing was great for me to launch a business servicing this market.