We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Natalie Nicole a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Natalie, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
I owe it to my parents for teaching me how to work hard from a young age. Too often, I see kids getting handed things in life nowadays rather than learning the skills to conquer it. I admit I used to hate having to wake up at 3:00am as a 16-year-old kid to go make a wage at the local coffee shop. I learned to embrace early mornings and then late nights doing sales for a local chiropractor to afford my gas for my commute to school and save for college. I often questioned myself with, “Why me? Why can’t I have it easy too? However, I simultaneously watched my parents work hard since a young age and now I watch them bless people on the regular because they can.” Knowing what it’s like to scrape by to then watching your efforts reap a reward makes you 10x more grateful. Today, I thank my parents for teaching me grit, so I can excel in life and appreciate what comes from putting the work in.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
In 2018, I started pursuing a calling to go to Africa. My family thought I was crazy. I knew no one in Africa nor the mission group I decided to join at the time. I was taking a big leap of faith you could say and it was the best one I could have ever taken.
While reflecting on my time spent in Africa as my first trip came to an end, I was given the vision to create a business to continue impacting the villages I had just encountered once I returned home. A light bulb moment occurred and I felt that I had stumbled upon my true purpose at that very moment.
Upon returning home, I started Impackedful Creative with the hope to tie brands to impacting the greater good. I meshed my passion for the creative world to helping those in need. Months later, I resigned from my full-time marketing and creative role, moved across the country to be in a fresh environment, and embarked on this new adventure knowing I wanted nothing more than to provide hungry bellies with food, leaving them saying, “I’m packed full.”
Why?
Because I believe it all starts with food. A kid who is malnourished nutritionally is likely going to have an incredibly hard time staying healthy, learning, or providing for themselves in the conditions in these villages. When a child receives a meal, they are then able to become equipped with the skills they need to thrive. This belief led to the creation of Impackedful partners and donates a portion of its profits to Feed My Starving Children (FMSC), an organization I have volunteered at since a little girl, and Children’s Cup, a partner with carepoints planted in country in Africa, to first feed, and then educate, empower, and provide medical attention to those in need on an ongoing basis.
I feel that at the end of the day, it’s not about how much money Impackedful makes. It’s about how big of a positive impact the business can help make.
With that said, I’m currently getting prepared for my business to host my first ever community MobilePack event in collaboration with FMSC in Dallas, Texas. This event will provide 50,000 meals to children in need. It’s the same food I get the privilege to prepare and serve in the villages I help support and lead mission groups to in Eswatini, Africa. From funding to gathering 250 volunteers to come pack meals, I’m excited for this event and the impact it’s about to make an impact near and far. By coming together as a community, we are making a difference and that gets me excited more than anything!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
- Resilience: Have the ability to adapt to challenges, setbacks, and failures is crucial in any journey. Resilience helped me and continues to help me persevere through tough times, learn from mistakes, and keep moving forward. Be willing to embrace the tough seasons and realize they are equipping you for something even bigger you didn’t know you were capable of taking on.
- Community: This journey can feel lonely, but I’ve learned to tap into a network of other hard working, authentic, and passionate business owners. When you have even a few friends to phone for advice or accountability in the tough seasons of life you’re in, the long hours don’t seem so bad. If you’re willing to help, odds are someone else is too. You don’t need to know it all, sometimes you simply just need to ask how someone else handled a similar situation.
- Purpose: When you have something you deeply resonate with, you stay fueled. By finding purpose and meaning in your work you lose sight of just chasing after a dollar. The money comes when you genuinely want to help. Find something you care about, and work hard for it.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
Systems, systems, systems! I live or die by my task lists, Google calendar, and daily routine. Life and business can seem overwhelming, but when you have order in place, you begin to stay grounded in the chaos.
- Prioritize Tasks: When you’re feeling overwhelmed, it’s crucial to prioritize your tasks based on urgency and importance. Break down your to-do list into smaller, manageable chunks and focus on completing one task at a time. For example, I always write out my top 5 to-dos for the next day each night.
- Time Blocking: In addition to using task lists and calendars, consider implementing time blocking techniques to allocate specific time slots for different activities or types of work. By setting aside dedicated time for focused work, meetings, breaks, and personal tasks, you can create a structured routine that helps you manage your time effectively.
- Delegate and Outsource: Create SOPs and don’t hesitate to delegate tasks that can be handled by others or outsource certain responsibilities to free up your time and mental bandwidth. Recognize that you don’t have to do everything yourself.
- Routine and Stress Management: Incorporate time to focus on YOU. I personally like to start my day with devotion, a walk with my dogs, and a workout before diving into my work. I find getting some movement and uninterrupted thoughts in can help reduce stress, improve my focus in the day, and bring a sense of calm amidst chaos. Prioritizing self-care and mental well-being is essential for maintaining resilience in the face of overwhelming situations.
Contact Info:
- Website: impackedful.com
- Instagram: @natalie.nicole1 or @impackedful
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-nicole-impackedful/
