Meet Natalie Levy | Founder and Managing Partner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Natalie Levy and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Natalie, do you have a budget? how do you think about personal finances?
I worked hard early on in my career to be in a position to be able to take financial risks today.

My business (our investment group) is mission-first while positioning for sustainability. I’ve been bootstrapping (self-funding) it and 2023 was our first break-even year of operating since launching in 2019. We took time to organically navigate to our ideal customer profile, value prop, and monetization strategy.

2024 will be my first (ever) cashflow negative year. I pulled back from corporate work in 2019 following the loss of my mother to suicide. A deeply tough event that had me rethink and reposition what I wanted to do and where I focused my time and effort. Luckily for my bank account, I started receiving sizable distributions from past private investments I’d allocated. I actually had my largest income year (by multiples) the other year, while being completely in charge of my own schedule and doing value-aligned work.

I don’t have a budget today, but am generally careful around weighing decisions as it pertains to cash outlays. What’s the ROI? We’re not stepping into paid marketing today, for example, recognizing how crowded it is, and realizing the value we bring through our member experience, and seeing true organic growth and brand visibility because of what we do and how we show up.

Do I feel silly making payments on my 2023 BMW X3 M40? Sure, but I wanted a fun car. I also choose to mow my own lawn (which my wealth managers laugh at me about) because I don’t like to spend excessively. I guess we choose where we think it’s worth it.

I’m not a wealth manager or financial planner but have a finance background and a hefty nest egg, so I’m able to make these decisions without worrying about putting (quality) food on the table and paying my mortgage. You need to assess your situation before stepping into risk and cash outflows.

I’m also building a substantial private equity portfolio that may pay dividends for years to come. Even if it doesn’t, I feel good with the trade I made to do enjoyable and impact oriented work aligned with my values and honoring several family members we’ve lost.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
She’s Independent Investments is a women-first investment group offering an entirely new way to support women’s financial independence and influence through investing and board placements. As a member-led investment group, She’s Independent marries empowerment and action, with the ultimate mission of closing the power gap in investing by getting more women on the cap table, in the boardroom, and into positions of influence.

We operate uniquely from any other investment group I’ve ever seen. We offer a true path to access and deep education alongside high quality dealmaking activities and investment allocations. Individuals – even without capital – can join (and lead) conversations navigating uncovering investment opportunities through to screening and digging more deeply into diligence before we potentially write a check to fund them.

I’m most proud of our mission and execute to create a truly welcoming, inspiring, and deeply insightful, educational experience for future investors. With less than 2% of venture funding going to women-owned businesses (and far less to diverse women-owned!) we need to change who is at the table allocating capital. Money is power, influence, and independence. The companies that get funded shape the world we live in. Do you want to see more women’s healthcare initiatives funded? Do you want products we use every day to have the influence from women and not just men? Then we need to fund women-owned.

Our journey of getting to where we are is a mix of my personal financial background spanning wall street to angel investing and private equity to my deeply impactful WHY that allows me to operate in a way that truly puts mission and impact first. I can’t count the number of #metoo moments and overlooked (deserved) promotions in my career. I can, however, be a part of the solution for future generations of women.

Building a mission-first brand is NOT easy. We want to offer access alongside a deeply insightful educational experience with true mentorship and support. It’s a high-touch operating model with LIVE events happening weekly for members, and additional external and internal events driving investor dialogue, growth, connection, and capital allocations. Learning and building for our organic audience has been fun, but figuring out our cashflow model while wanting to lead with access has been a heavier lift.

I want folks out there to know that they can be investors. They don’t need to look like those who have invested before them. They don’t need to come from wealth. We welcome diverse backgrounds and individuals who didn’t study finance or express interest in the field throughout their career. We value independent thought and individual expertise and believe that getting a new class of investors to the table changes everything in terms of power dynamics and gender gaps.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I live in Boulder, so would absolutely take a friend visiting out for a hike. A few of my local favorites include Lion’s Lair, Anenome, Anne U, the first / second flatiron loop, and Gregory.

Depending on how adventurous and active this friend is, I may also take them rock climbing. The gym is an easy spot but outdoor climbing is such a cool experience. Safety first so I’d bring a friend who is a solid technical climber so we could properly belay the newbie.

I’m a health nerd so would probably hit Zeal (shoutout to Wayde, the owner) or grab burgers at Wild Pastures because YUM. I’m gluten and dairy free and both of those spots make it easy.

We may have to grab massages at the Relaxation Station which is a wonderful no-appointment-needed $49/hour of bliss. Don’t go with the 7 (max strength) as you’ll regret it later. Get the combo, don’t forget about your feet.

If massages aren’t your thing or if you’re down for some yoga I’ve been loving the Kondition Kauit and Yin offerings for a more restorative experience.

If we decide to head to the mountains (with the recent snow, skiing will be sick!) I recommend Gravity Haus properties. Disclosure that I’m a very small investor, but they have a great setup with dog friendly accommodations, solid food, spa setups, and nice coworking spaces. They have locations in a number of CO (and additional) mountain towns.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Shoutouts to my mom Linda Levy and to Z Rockwell. Family members we lost to suicide in 2019 and 2020, respectively. They were bright lights and brought laughter and smiles into so many rooms.

Website: https://shesindependent.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shesindependent_/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/shesindependent/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ShesIndependent

Image Credits
Rachael SaBell https://www.roophotographs.com/about for a few of them https://www.nadinetlili.photography/blog/10-hudson-yards-ny/ for a few of them Kaley Elaine for a few of them