We had the good fortune of connecting with Natalie Pace and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Natalie, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
I believe there are a suite of factors that are important. First, in order to have a business, we must have something that we do better than most people. So, there are:
* a pursuit of excellence,
* natural gifts and talents,
* passion,
* peer debates
* board of advisors
All of these are essential to rise above the crowd.
Then, once we have a compelling first mover advantage in our product, we must place the customer as a priority. Trust and professionalism, with a heaping dose of attentive, informative, problem-solving customer service.
Once all of that is in play, in order for the business to be sustainable, we find that we’re in need of a sales team — a group of individuals who are going to be the rainmakers who keep the money flowing in. Often that group will be key to helping us become more vertically integrated, or to diversify our revenue stream, both in terms of products, customers and perhaps even regions or countries.
Perhaps, after looking at all of this, I would say the most important factor is to understand that no one becomes rich by themselves — that it takes a team. As the founder/CEO, we’re likely the quarterback, the owner and the coach, and in the early stages, also the chief cook and bottle washer. However, even in the nascent days of our new venture, when we are doing so much on our own, there are many individuals providing guidance, support and help (even if it is on an individual contractor basis).
After 24 years with my business, I can affirm that all of these things are key to success!
Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I’ve been adding a splash of green to Wall Street and transforming lives on Main Street since 1999. I’ve been on many national TV shows, including Good Morning America, CNBC, Fox News, NPR and more. Our Earth Gratitude project has featured the world’s sustainability visionaries, VIPs, as well as local leaders who are transforming their communities. Our easy-as-a-pie-chart investing strategies teach people to protect and grow their wealth, while also putting their money where their heart is and ensuring that they are not giving money to the very companies that they picket. This is very important because ESG investing is actually missing the E (environment) and includes at least 20% polluters. At the same time, the pie chart system itself earned gains in the Great Recession and Dot Com Recession, and outperformed the bull markets in between (which is why they have the enthusiastic recommendation of Nobel Prize winning economist Gary Becker).
So, many lessons have been learned along the way. Probably the most important is that if you have a great product and you proceed with integrity and honesty and are trustworthy, dream-come-true partners and support show up and lift you higher than you can imagine. The focus was never on being rich or famous, but rather on solving very real problems, and doing the hard work necessary to find game-changing solutions and to get those solutions noticed amidst the noise and confusion of the status quo.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well… we actually do invite people into our area frequently! Typically our guests stay at The Ambrose Hotel (a very green hotel in Santa Monica). We encourage walking, biking, micro mobility or the bus system to get around (The Ambrose offers all of these). The beach is a must. Figtree Cafe for the locals breakfast where you can sometimes get a discount. Then morning on the beach itself playing The Prosperity Game. A nice long bike ride along the Venice/Santa Monica bike path. A visit to The Getty Center on a Saturday night, when they stay open until 9 pm. Dinner at the The Getty restaurant so that you can stay even later.
We definitely have drinks and a meal at The Penthouse at The Huntley Hotel. A visit to the Farmers’ Market for Harry’s organic strawberries is a must!
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
H.M. King Charles III, H.H. The Dalai Lama, Prof. Gary S. Becker (Nobel Prize winning economist), Prof. Kevin Murphy (MacArthur Genius Award winner), Kay Koplovitz, Kathleen Rogers, Sia, Ed Begley Jr., Elon Musk, Anousheh Ansari, Wangari Maathai, Ron Finley, Arianna Huffington, The Duchess of Northumberland, Deepak Chopra, EARTHDAY.ORG, the NRDC, Global Green, Lynne Twist, Green Our Planet, Life is Good, Master Sha, Leon Krier, Christopher Van Buren, Bill Gladstone, Gayle Gladstone, Davis Lau, Trista Martin, Bryan Zee, St. JJM, Diane Mkitarian, Claes, Marc Miles, Howard Silverblatt, Liz Ann Sonders, Governor Bill Ritter, Kathy Jones, Sam Bartells, Heather, our volunteer team and many others whom I carry in my heart.
Website: nataliepace.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nataliewynnepace/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataliepace/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NataliePace
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EarthGratitude/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@earthgratitude
Other: https://earthgratitude.org/ https://www.youtube.com/nataliepace https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/its-up-to-us-podcast/id1621602290 https://open.spotify.com/show/3m8TpT9HAojgQXXOTCJDTV
Image Credits
Photos are by Marie Commiskey and Brian McLernon (the Power of 8 Billion).
