Catch my article from Shoutout Atlanta: Meet Natalia Taylor / Freedom Advocate

We had the good fortune of connecting with Natalia Taylor and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Natalia, how do you think about risk?
As it relates to investing, with risk comes opportunity. In order to get from one state of being to another, it may involve some level of risk. To me, there are varying degrees of risk. There’s the risk you take that can put you away for years, lets call this foolish risk; and, then there’s calculated risk. When you’ve taken a moment to weight all options and you come to the conclusion that the risk is necessary. For me, I recall the financial crisis of 2008 very well. I was getting close to graduating college and companies were on a hiring freeze due to the melt down of the economy. I was a co-op with Honda manufacturing at the time and I clearly recall the fear in the market, especially for people about to retire. Their portfolio’s, which they’d built for many years so that they could live comfortably in retirement, were tanking. It wasn’t their fault. They were just doing what everyone had recommended at the time which was invest in a 401K if you want to be able to retire one day. Well, many of those people were not able to retire because they lost so much. Living through this time in history definitely shaped my mindset about investing. I no longer saw it as a spectator sport. I knew I needed to be involved in order to understand what was happening with my money. So, in 2020 when the world learned of Covid and market’s started to tank again, I took advantage of the opportunity to take some money off the table and start investing in myself. This of course was a huge risk. I was potentially sacrificing my future retirement to start betting on myself. So, I would say taking risks has played a huge role in my life, and I would do it again if the opportunity arose.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I started my business, part time, three years ago. I knew I wanted to be in business for myself, however, I wasn’t sure what that business would be at the time. I’m a huge believer in energy and I felt a force telling me to just get started. All of the signs were pointing me to my business today, Shop Fine Honey Boutique. We first began as an online store with the idea that we would be drop shipping. After doing more research and testing the business model, I knew this model wasn’t in alignment with who I was and what I believed. I wanted to provide quality clothing and products to women like me. Women who were maturing and after raising the kids and putting everyone and everything first for so long, they were finally ready to start making themselves a priority.

What sets us apart is that we always lead with the customer in mind. I can remember feeling unhappy many times after having terrible service and handing over money that I worked really hard for. I want my customers to know that we value them and we make it a priority that they have a great experience all around. It makes us feel good to know that we did we a great job and that customers want us to exist.

I got to where I am by staying in motion. It wasn’t easy and I didn’t expect it to be easy. I overcome challenges by asking myself what’s the next best move I can make. Then, I put one foot in front of the other and keep going.

Some of the lessons that I’ve learned along the way are not to be busy for the sake of being busy. There’s a big difference in being busy, and executing. The execution is what sets you apart from others. It’s something I work on everyday.

I want the world to know that we’re here. We’re small, but we’re growing and we want to build something that makes you proud. Please check us out on social media @shopfinehoney, and we’re online at www.shopfinehoney.com.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Atlanta has some of the best restaurants period. I’m not from Atlanta, but I come over often to shop, eat , and get my hair done. For me, Houston’s would be at the top of the list for restaurants to check out. Their food is just spectacular. I’m a girl who likes to shop, so Avalon would be on the list of places to go and hang out. We’d also have to check out some of the local black businesses like Kandi’s restaurants and Cynthia’s wine cellar because I love RHOA. I’d also like to stop by Fin & Feather’s in Douglasville. Another black owned establishment (I believe) with awesome food. I probably sound real touristy so I’ll end it here.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
If I had to shoutout a book, it would be “As a Man Thinketh” by James Allen. At the time of finding this material it was in the form of a PDF and it changed my life. It changed the way I saw myself and It definitely changed the way I thought about things. I believe it’s required reading for people who want to do and be better. I also want to shoutout my family, especially my husband, sister and my kids. My husband for believing in me. My sister because she has always been my ride or die. And my kids, they are the reason I push so hard to become successful. I want them to see mommy calling the shots and making moves in hope that they too will want to be an entrepreneur one day.

Website: www.shopfinehoney.com

Instagram: @shopfinehoney

Facebook: @shopfinehoney

Youtube: Natalia Y Taylor

Image Credits
Krystal (Fearless K)