Sapphire Manager Natalie Heeley continues to take the Forever world by storm as she secures the number one spot in the UK for the third year running.
As a leader admired by many across the world, a devoted mother to two wonderful children (plus one on the way), and a business-builder whose success continues to surpass expectations, Natalie carries with her an air of professionalism, power and self-confidence that many would envy. Forever’s Editor, Kate Hodge, caught up with Natalie at her beautiful country home to talk business, mindset, and why she’s Forever Proud…
KH: WHAT DID LIFE LOOK LIKE WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED FOREVER?
NH: I’ve been in Forever about ten years now but my background is in marketing. I was made redundant twice and the second time I was pregnant with my son Will. I therefore became a mum at home, which was great because it was what I always wanted anyway, and Rosie came along pretty quickly after, but money was a struggle. For ten years prior to this, my mum Jan Whittaker had been asking me to look at Forever, but I’d never been interested before. However, things changed when I had both children and I found myself wanting something that was going to be flexible, something that was going to be challenging, and something that was going to give me loads of support because I didn’t have much confidence or belief in myself at the time. Will was two and Rosie was five months old when I started my Forever business.
KH: WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOURSELF IF YOU COULD GO BACK TO THOSE EARLY DAYS?
NH: If I were to start the business again, I would tell myself to never compare myself to other people. It’s so easy to do, but we need to remember that we are all on our own journey and we all come into it with different challenges, different goals and different skills. Every Forever Business Owner needs to realise that they are individuals who are able to make it happen. In fact, the only way you can fail is by quitting, so you need to make sure you are getting up each day with that positive mindset, getting out of your comfort zone, and working on challenges to ensure you overcome them. Self-belief also plays a crucial role. It took me two years to get to Manager because I didn’t believe that I could do it, and it took me a long time to learn that you have to work on your mindset daily.
KH: HOW DOES IT FEEL TO SECURE THE TOP SPOT AGAIN?
NH: It’s pretty amazing to be recognised as the number one FBO for the third year running, but it’s not just down to me – my team is just incredible and I want to say a big thank you to them all. This achievement is also a testament to hard work. When I started my Forever business I worked literally every moment I could around the children, and it just shows that if you put that hard work in, it will pay off in the long term.
KH: WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO FBOS WHO ASPIRE TO BE LEADERS IN THE FIELD?
NH: Firstly, it’s important that you do your research and make sure you are clear on what tools, events and trainings are available to you. You should then access these tools and trainings yourself before sharing them with your team. I think the company trainings and events that I’ve benefited from the most are the Success Express events. They are so important as they keep you motivated, they help to build team spirit, and the trainings are absolutely incredible. The Advisory Board product trainings are also essential as they will help to build your confidence when it comes to retailing the products and they will also help you to coach your team. Using the tools on foreverknowledge.info has also been beneficial to my business because everything is at your fingertips and you can access it from home in those little spaces throughout your day.
As well as promoting the company trainings and events, being a leader requires teaching others the basics of the business. It’s teaching people how to retail the products, how to do a great product launch, how to make a phone call, how to do a one-to-one and how to run a Business Presentation, whether that’s a home BP or over a coffee. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel as it’s worked for forty years; you just have to be persistent and teach others. For me, a massive part has been teaching others about mindset. I believe that 80% of our success is down to what we are telling ourselves so I constantly remind my team to work on their mindset daily.
KH: HAVE YOU ANY SUGGESTIONS FOR THOSE WHO FEEL THEIR BUSINESS HAS SLOWED?
NH: Remember not to compare yourself to other people – running a business is not a race and it is perfectly normal to go through stages where business remains at a steady pace. However, if you are keen to see growth, it may be worth looking back in your diary to remind yourself what activity you’ve been doing. Look at the past three months, how many one-to-ones have you had? How many guests have you taken to the Business Presentation? Ideally these are face-to-face activities but they could be online, and although you will probably find that you’ve done a bit, it’s likely you have room to do a lot more. Just try increasing your activity and you’ll soon see the results you crave. What I do, and what I tell my team to do, is to try and do a minimum of three to five one-to-ones per week, and attend a Business Presentation, with a guest, on a weekly basis.
By doing this amount of activity, you are likely to recruit one to three people each month. If you aren’t going to the BP, a big part of the jigsaw is missing – the BP will give you the motivation and encouragement you need to confidently talk about the business; make sure it plays a key role in the diary, but most importantly, don’t give up and know that you can do it.
KH: WHAT HAS THIS PAST YEAR (2016) LOOKED LIKE FOR YOU?
NH: This past year has been pretty magical: I turned forty when we were out in South Africa at Global Rally and this was followed by the most amazing family holiday. My kids, my mum, my brother and sister, we all went on safari and we really just spent loads of time together making memories. I had a big party with my team out in Johannesburg, and I also picked up a million dollar cheque which made it a pretty spectacular birthday. When we came home we had a few more parties, so it’s literally been a year of celebration and having fun. Amongst all this I also met my partner, we’ve renovated our beautiful farm house which has always been a dream come true, and then to finish the year off I found out that we are expecting a baby!
KH: WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR 2017?
NH: This year my focus is being a mummy again. Rosie is now eleven, Will is twelve, but this time it’s going to be so, so different. All those years ago I didn’t have much money or time, I was a single parent and there were lots of challenges that we had to face; this little girl is going to grow up in an entirely different environment. Our house is nearly finished so we are going to be living in our dream home and we can’t wait to introduce our baby girl into the family. It’s going to be pretty scary going back to babies but we are all so excited. I’m also looking forward to working with my team, watching them achieve Chairman’s Bonus and Eagle Manager, and obviously I am going to have the opportunity to meet lots of new mums which means conversations that could lead to them changing their future. All in all, 2017 is going to be a great year.
KH: WHY ARE YOU FOREVER PROUD?
NH: Forever has provided me with financial freedom and for me that means choices; choices to do whatever we want, when we want, without having to think about whether we can afford it. That’s been pretty life-changing for us. I’m also able to work closely with my mum and sister, and together we’ve been able to change our family’s lives. It’s humbling to know that by simply sharing the opportunity, we’ve changed hundreds of lives around the world as well. I love meeting so many different types of people and to work in such a positive and motivating environment is rare these days. That’s why I’m Forever Proud.
"Remember not to compare yourself to other people – running a business is not a race and it is perfectly normal to go through stages where business remains at a steady pace. However, if you are keen to see growth, it may be worth looking back in your diary to remind yourself what activity you’ve been doing."