Natalie’s 2023 Reading List

Engaging in a book is one of my favorite ways to spend time.

The world of Audiobooks is best. For one reason, it’s easier to commit to, but for another, it takes any task that used to be boring or tedious and makes it fun: cleaning, brushing my teeth, shoveling snow, painting, and driving. Books also accompany me when I cook and garden, two activities I enjoy, but sometimes enjoy more when I’ve got a companion book.

Yearly Stats:

• My 2023 goal was 52; 1 per week. I’d like this to be a habit for the rest of my life.
• I ended up at 60 this year.
• I also had a goal to READ 12 books, one per month, and to start creeping u

When I left Jottful in August of 2023, I had written this to describe my next steps:

➡️ I’m looking to do the people ops work I so love for a more well-established company. That may be in a strategic, lead people ops or HR role.
➡️ Or I’ll seek out a strong leader who needs a strategic, people-focused number 2 in a COO role.
➡️ I plan to stay in Michigan, likely working remote or hybrid
➡️ I will continue to run my vacation rental business, and will expand it. Still an entrepreneur at heart!!

Fast forward to January of 2024, and here’s the story of what manifested…

The first thing I do once I’ve made a decision to leave an organization is talk

This is one of my favorite sayings in life.

Here is how it has played out for me:

1. In 2003, I moved from Chicago to Michigan after college without a job. 
2. In 2004, I left a full-time job to take a part-time job that only paid $10 an hour for 18 hours a week! I had no idea how I was going to support myself. 
3. 10 years later, in 2014, I left a career I had loved without a job or a plan. 
4. In 2015, I left a job I loved at a company I didn’t love, again, without a next step.
5. And, now 9 years later, in 2023, I did it again…walked away not knowing what was next or where or when I’d safely land.

Seems risky, doesn’t it?
So, the questions are: 

• Wh

“What would that experience be like? Getting in on the ground floor, the excitement of a new product, software, or solution, the unknown, doing whatever it takes, the super fast growth….Could I handle it? Would I like it? Or would it feel like too much of a risk?”

Those were my thoughts exactly. I was in a job I liked making a salary I liked, but given some recent changes at the company, I was open to looking for my next opportunity. 

It was an imperfect decision-making process: it came down to taking a calculated risk, with eyes wide open, and having a healthy sense of adventure. 

Below are the things I considered before making the jump, and many of the things I learned about start-up life while livin

This is by no means a comprehensive list, but as you’ll see, it’s A LOT to have learned:

1. There is nothing like the start-up experience. You just have to go through it. Dawn was true to her word - she shared everything with me - the numbers, the strategy, the investment conversations, the learnings, the marketing, product questions, and the difficult stuff. I was involved in nearly every decision. I learned how to build a business from the ground up. That education is gold. 🌟

2. Working alongside someone who has such perseverance and resilience - the ability to never be set back by failures - has also been invaluable. Dawn is incredible at this. In the first few

After just over 5 years, I’ve made the very difficult decision to leave Jottful.

Why was it a difficult decision?

When I joined Jottful, I said this:

“I want to find an owner whose values I share to help them build a company from the ground-up, building the kind of team and culture we both want, eventually getting to do the work again that I love most.”

5 years later: I did find an owner whose values I share. I have helped her build the company from the ground-up. 1 customer at a time; well past 700 now. Our team and culture is what I’m most proud of, and what was by far the hardest for me to leave. 

So, why leave? 

It’