Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Natalia Mendez Cortes. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Natalia thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Over the course of your career, have you seen or experienced your industry completely flip-flop or change course on something?

My career hasn’t followed a straight line; it’s been a series of U-turns that have led me to reinvent myself several times. One of the biggest was moving from the world of innovation consulting to the tech industry, a shift that also meant changing countries, languages, and perspectives.

In Colombia, I worked with an innovation and entrepreneurship firm that partnered with government institutions, public programs, and large corporations. I loved helping them think creatively and design better services, but innovation within public institutions often felt like a utopian dream. Results were possible, but bureaucracy made everything move painfully slow.

I lived with a constant dichotomy. On one hand, I was applying methodologies like Design Thinking and Systematic Inventive Thinking, the same ones used by tech companies in Silicon Valley, where people experiment, iterate fast, and invest in what works because they want to be the first to make a difference. On the other hand, I was in an environment where even entering a client’s building required multiple approvals, and nothing moved without sign-off from the big boss.
When the chance came to move to the United States, I chose San Francisco because I wanted to experience the culture of innovation from the inside. At Google, what surprised me most was the level of freedom I had to make decisions. Everything happened fast, sometimes so fast that not everyone could keep up with the pace. Later, at Culture Amp, I discovered the power of giving and receiving feedback, and how diversity of perspectives allows you to build truly amazing things.

Across all these turns, one thing has remained constant: my entrepreneurial mindset. Whether I’m consulting, working in tech, or building my own brand, I’m always exploring, learning, and creating clarity where there’s ambiguity. I’ve learned that reinvention isn’t a one-time event; it’s a skill, one that I now help others develop. Sometimes we choose the U-turns, and sometimes they choose us, but curiosity and openness are what turn them into opportunities for growth.

Natalia, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m Nati Méndez, known as the business clarity advisor, because clarity is what I’ve had to rebuild over and over again through every U-turn, and it’s what I now help others create in their own businesses. I´ve helped over 250 entrepreneurs and teams move from chaos to clarity, defining and testing go-to-market strategies step by step, in ways that make sense for their stage of growth and their goals.

When I work with small business owners, I get to serve people like Nayeli, who grew her customer base, paid off most of her debt, and built loyalty and referral programs that now sustain her Oaxacan shop. Or brands like Cuido, which focuses on education for resilience, where we led a full rebranding and launched its first physical product designed to support people through grief.

When I work in tech, I put on my strategy executor hat, helping deliver $48M in ARR impact through go-to-market initiatives. What I learn from small businesses, I apply to tech companies. What I learn from corporate, I bring back to the entrepreneurship world.

I love being that bridge between small businesses and technology, and between teams that work in silos and need someone who can zoom out to see the big picture, and zoom in to make things happen. My approach is simple: combine structured strategy with curiosity, because clarity isn’t about having all the answers, it’s about learning to ask better questions.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Another very meaningful pivot happened at a time when I was planning to study and live in France. I had planned that stage of my life in detail for many years. Without realizing it, while preparing for that plan, I ended up creating a business that lasted eleven years.

I wanted to keep my French at an advanced level because I knew I was going to study for a master’s degree, so I started teaching classes to friends. Then it started growing, and I found a niche among couples who wanted to move to Canada, where speaking French was a requirement. I knew they wouldn’t quit right when it was time to learn Le passé composé. For many years, that business became my livelihood.

However, my plans changed because the universities I applied to didn’t accept me. It hurt a lot. Still, having to rethink what I wanted to do with my life, knowing I was a professional in international business and passionate about entrepreneurship, led me to innovation. At that time, a company was looking to hire an entrepreneur to help build a new innovation and intrapreneurship department.

That experience taught me that even when plans fall apart, they can still build something meaningful. It’s a U-turn I’m deeply grateful for, because it opened doors I never imagined walking through, and it became part of what I now help others discover: how to find clarity and opportunity when everything changes.

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

Once, I wanted to have a gym chain as a client. I knew some of their customers and a few people who worked there, and eventually managed to get the contacts of the executives. I wrote them a handwritten letter, a kind of analog outbound campaign. It was part love letter, part breakup letter, from a “disappointed customer”, where I pointed out their pain points, almost like pressing a finger on a wound, and invited them to talk so we could fix things.

That letter ended up being shared among the executives, and we were in negotiations for a while. Even though the deal didn’t go through in the end, my team and I created a methodology to approach potential clients in creative yet respectful ways. That experience reminded me that even in business, creativity and empathy go further than formulas. Behind every strategy, there’s always a human conversation waiting to happen, and with real data, but always remembering that when we sell, we sell to people.

Each U-turn has taught me that clarity isn’t about certainty, it’s about direction. It’s about pausing long enough to see where you are, where you want to go, and what might be waiting on the other side of change. That’s what I help others do, turn their own U-turns into turning points for growth.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://natimendez.com
• Instagram: @natimendez.co
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nati-mendez/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@natimendezco