Her Story
About Natasha
Growing up as the youngest of seven on the west side of Chicago, I learned early that if I wanted something, I had to build my own path. As a first-generation college student, I had to use the resources at my disposal to create opportunities. When I was young, I would buy wholesale products or make custom artwork and sell it to afford school trips and summer camp - experiences my family wanted me to have but couldn't provide. This naturally led me into entrepreneurship and a strategic business mindset. I applied to 17 schools strategically hunting for scholarships, studied psychology with a chemistry minor and pre-med prerequisites, and got hands-on clinical experience by going to EMT school and working in the ER. After candid conversations with doctors, I realized medicine wasn't what I thought and pivoted to the business side of healthcare. I spent 8 years in workforce development, learning to advance myself by advancing others - if I could get my leaders promoted, I could unseat them and take their role, or spearhead new positions that would benefit the organization. I grew by growing people around me. After COVID, when C-suites were saying innovation is no longer optional, I saw my signal to get into the software innovation space. Now I lead business development at Atomic Object in Chicago, a 26-year-old organization doing software consultancy and helping organizations build and launch new digital products. I see enormous opportunity to combine networks and make Chicago a true innovation hub, especially to change who is in the room as we build.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Natasha
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to lifting others to help with my growth. In my last position, I was able to spearhead a new division within our company, and because it was successful, other markets and states within the organization were able to create those very same positions. That's basically what I'm doing now in my current organization too - they haven't had a business development head person, and they actually hired another person in Detroit just because it's been going so well. I'd say that growing and helping others grow has been my biggest achievement. When people think about their biggest achievement, they automatically turn to monetization and how much money they were able to acquire. I've been able to hit a lot of those milestones of growth, which is awesome, but I think what comes with that is realizing what's truly valuable. For me, that's my biggest achievement - being able to grow and help others grow.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Don't hesitate to ask for what you need. That's my biggest piece of advice, because I feel like women just ask for the bare minimum. I think you need to ask for what you need, and then ask for more on top of that. I also think a lot of women don't realize that they have the ability to pivot when they make a decision. They have the mindset that they feel obligated to stay in it, but you're not chained to one path. You can transfer your skills and create new opportunities for yourself.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
There's a lot of opportunity to combine networks. I'm seeing currently enormous opportunity for the city to become a true innovation hub, and especially to change who is currently in the room as we build. After COVID, a lot of the C-suites were saying out loud what I already knew, which is that innovation is no longer an option - it's kind of the lifeline moving forward. A lot of M&As happened, profit margins are extremely thin, and that was my signal to get into the space. I feel like this magazine is so important to help highlight to women that they can be at the table, not just for building and leading, but asking for more than what they need.
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