When serial entrepreneur Natalie Mills started her very first business, she was flat broke.  With R57 in her bank account, she was pursuing a partnership with one of SA’s big 4 banks for her ‘One Call Home Solution’.  With persistence, tenacity and an ability to push through her own doubts and fears, Natalie landed her deal with a major bank and her journey as a young, female South African entrepreneur shifted into high gear. 

Since the heady days of her first business venture, Natalie has gone on to create and launch a bespoke range of quality, fashionable and affordable jewellery – Crystal Creations. The jewellery line is available in Edgars stores and Natalie went on to launch three boutique stores in the Mall of Africa, Clear Water Mall and Mall of the South - and a franchise network is in the pipeline.  In just five years, Crystal Creations has become an established premium brand in female jewellery, watches and accessories, with the trademark crystal embellished designs epitomising Natalie’s love of all things creative, and opening the mind to the “new” and “possible”. 

Natalie’s love affair with crystals stems from her belief that true beauty and strength have many facets and layers, and always come from within – for Natalie, crystals are a fitting representation of a woman’s beauty.  “I think it’s normal for people to be attracted to outwardly beautiful things, but crystals remind us that true beauty, strength and vitality all start from the inside, and then resonate outwards.  I hope that my jewellery will remind women that although we can see beauty around us, we should also be able to feel and appreciate the beauty that is inside each one of us,” says Natalie.

Natalie’s designs have adorned some of SA’s top celebrities and Crystal Creations has been a proud sponsor of the You Spectacular & Huisgenoot Tempo.

“New” and “Possible” seem fitting descriptors for the petite dynamo, who has never let her lack of tertiary education or formal qualifications hold her back from being a prolific businesswoman whose business drive is balanced by her passionate commitment to women empowerment and giving back to her community. 

Her early childhood had a profound effect on shaping Natalie’s life – her mother was a born entrepreneur, business woman and role model.  Her incredibly close relationship with her father was tragically cut short when he passed away suddenly, and a teenage Natalie soon found herself having to go out and work to support herself when the family fell on hard times.  With no financial prospects to study after finishing high school, Natalie threw herself into everything she did and relished every opportunity she was given at work.  Blessed with many special mentors in her life, Natalie was street-smart and self-taught, likening herself to a sponge that absorbed everything going on around her - traits that have not diminished over the years.  

“I have incredible aspirations for myself and am tenacious about going out there and getting what I want, accepting that there will always be bumps in the road, and that these are all part of the journey.  I have always invented myself as I go, and don’t believe in overanalysing anything.  The bottom line is being successful in business isn’t about having enough of or the right resources before you start.  Being an entrepreneur means you have to be resourceful with what you currently have – skills, drive, ambition, mentors, passion, attitude, faith and all that good stuff.  It’s about doing what you can, with what you have, where you are,” says Natalie.

For most, a successful and thriving business in your home country would be a great achievement, but accepting the status quo was never on the cards for Natalie.  Since a young age, she had dreamed of making it in one of the toughest and biggest markets in the world - the United States. 

“The US is the world’s largest market, and I wanted to test my capabilities and ideas against some of the most prolific entrepreneurs and business people in the world.  In 2015, I went across to the US to exhibit the Crystal Creations brand and product range and test the market reception for our offering.  It was an eye-opening and life-changing experience and I knew that if I wanted to make it in the US, I would need to focus there,” she says.

A year later in September 2016, her husband Jacques, 3-year-old daughter Tuscany and Natalie packed their bags and headed for the US.  With the South African operations of Crystal Creations in the capable hands of a local team, Natalie and her family arrived in Texas with high hopes, a few bulging suitcases and very little else.  It was a huge adjustment to start all over again, in a new country, a new culture and an incredibly competitive market.

“The one thing that really surprised me about the US is how supportive the people are of each other – in business they take networking to a whole new level.  I was expecting to have a tough time as a foreigner and that finding my feet would be difficult as an outsider.  But it was exactly the opposite.  I have been incredibly fortunate to meet dynamic business people who have encouraged and supported my ideas.  The real breakthrough came when my brand and designs were identified by key US executives and brand experts as having international appeal.  Consumers want a story connected to a brand that they can relate to, and pretty soon I was dreaming of being the next Michael Kors or Tori Burch. It was during the executive development meetings that I had in the USA that my message and vision for the business was shared and encouraged by the most incredible fashion brand names.  The next phase of by business dream was born, and the Crystal Creations brand I created in South Africa is now well on its way to being reinvented in the US market under my personal brand, as ‘Natalie Mills’,” she explains.   

With the next chapter of Natalie’s entrepreneurial journey unfolding in the US, Natalie’s passion for South Africa and her roots remains as strong as ever. “Crystal Creations is a South African home-grown brand, we are of international appeal and standards.  I am so proud of the fact that we have made it to be showcased and featured amongst high profile jewellery brands internationally. Crystal Creations was created by a South African woman, in the South of Johannesburg, and I am exceptionally proud of my roots, and even more excited about where those roots will take me on a global stage.”

• Personal philosophy - Be fearless in pursuit of what sets your soul on fire. Attitude above all things is more important than formal qualifications.
• On what drives her to keep pushing forward -  the first one is my faith.  The second is my belief in the universe, the power of manifestation and the law of attraction in that you get what you give.  I start each year with a vision board and I meditate daily to manifest what my heart most desires. Third is my family – Ilove being an entrepreneur while that may demand many sacrifices, my family understands this and supports me. I want my daughter to grow up and know that there is nothing she cannot do a as long as she has dream, and the grits to put her dream into action.
• On what it takes to make it as an entrepreneur – You can fall as long as you rise again, stronger and wiser.  Take action, don’t over-analyse everything – sometimes you just need to let go and invent some of the stuff along the journey. Believe in your capabilities – if you don’t believe in yourself, you cannot expect anyone else to either. Never be satisfied with the status quo. Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you are and really listen to people and their ideas. 
• Lessons learned – Being an entrepreneur doesn’t mean you are fearless and have all the answers.  Quite the contrary – being scared and afraid of failure is what drives me to channel my emotions and hyper-focus on the end goal.  Not everyone will be happy for you and being an entrepreneur often means you won’t be accepted, even by those you think are closest to you. You will be seen as opinionated, demanding and over-ambitious, and that’s ok.