Today we’d like to introduce you to Natalie Cook

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?

The desire to run my own business started 12 years ago. My husband and I had a little hobby Etsy shop right when Etsy was taking off and we managed to pay for a vacation from the money we made. It was my first mini-taste of running a business, but I didn’t consider jumping in all at once or even think that was the business to go all in for.

A few years later, I felt a desire to go to get an MBA with a focus in finance and entrepreneurship. I was also working at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation at the time managing a small portfolio of for-profit grants. The combo of the two is what pushed me into the finance / CFO space. I spent a lot of time reviewing project budgets and grant budgets and started to find a lot of joy in the numbers. There was a particular finance professor that also spurred on a love for numbers by showing us the “real world” strategy behind them – that’s when it all clicked that I needed to be near finance.
And at the same time, working with a group of entrepreneurs with my Gates Foundation work is what brought that need for entrepreneurship back to the surface.

Fast-forward a few years, I made a transition to corporate finance at Starbucks managing a $1B P&L. While I had a great team and an interesting role, it wasn’t for me. That longing for freedom and entrepreneurship was too strong at this point.

In 2020, I took a big leap and left a recurring paycheck to see what I could do on my own (with a 3-year-old and a 2nd baby on the way!). Using the skills I had from the Gates Foundation, my MBA, and love of finance – started the firm working with pre-revenue start-ups strategizing how to fundraise and building forecasting models. After a few months, it naturally transitioned into CFO services. Within the last 2 years, I’ve worked hard to finetune the offerings and type of clients we support and continue to find better ways to provide a high value to my clients. Now I serve both the scaling business side and the preparing to exit business side in several industries. At the end of the day, I just get to hang out with cool business owners and help them feel confident in their numbers.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?

The biggest low I’ve had running Copper8 Strategies came last year. My family and I sold our house in Seattle and moved to Olalla, WA. At that time, I ended up getting burnt out. It took me almost 6 months to recover and in that time I was heavily contemplating shutting the business down or doing a major pivot. Thankfully, I was able to rest and take care of myself. Now I feel like the business is even stronger.
My burnout also led to a dip in leads, it took a few months to get the sales strategy back on track. Sales is one of the biggest struggles I see with my clients and something that has taken me almost 3 years to feel confident doing. I learn something new every day that helps me improve my sales process.
AND… Even on the worst days of being a business owner, I still choose this over going back to a corporate role. There’s no comparison.

We’ve been impressed with Copper8 Strategies , but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?

The goal of Copper8 Strategies is to guide clients from feeling overwhelmed by the financial side of the business and feeling stressed as an owner who should do better into being in control of their financial decisions, having clarity in their numbers, and being the company leader they always imagined.
We accomplish this by being their financial guide at their side, improving financial processes, and taking as long as needed to help them understand their numbers.
My goal is that all our clients get more money in their pockets, higher revenue, more peace and calm, and more energy to do what they want to do.

Two things make Copper8 truly unique:
1) We’ve created products to support growing firms from $0 to $1M in revenue and have full CFO services from $1m-$10M in revenue.
2) We take a coaching approach to our services and will take as long as a client needs to make sure they are confined to understanding their numbers. I never want a client to feel like they aren’t in control of their business.

Our services are:
Fractional CFO Guidance: Ongoing monthly expert working part-time for your business
Strategy Sessions: A one-time session to make smart money choices
Forecasting & Analysis: Create a business plan based on past, present & future conditions
Toolbox Subscription: Budget-friendly guidance & tools to grow your money skills

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?

I write an awesome finance blog >> www.financefightclub.com and am hoping to launch a podcast this Fall so please sign up for the newsletter to get simple finance tips!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.copper8strategies.com/
• Other: https://financefightclub.com/