Natanyah of Merrick, NY, went from successfully flipping houses (a venture full of risks) to spa ownership to operating a fleet of taxis— an occupation dominated by men, both as owners and drivers. Deborah, her mother and co-owner, was an Uber driver when Natanyah saw the potential of operating a fleet of cars themselves. No other woman was doing this in her area so she realized it as a great opportunity to do something unique. She noted that whenever you visit a dealership, insurance broker or any establishment associated with cars and transport, the office is dominated by men.
She needed capital to buy cars and found the WVF site during an internet search and was impressed. “I’d never seen an association dedicated solely to funding women.” Natanyah gained a greater understanding of her financials through her sessions with WVF. “I learned from my last business that you had to spend money to make money. With WVF, I became savvier about numbers and able to make informed projections about the business. I credit them with the tools that helped me crunch my numbers and become more comfortable with that critical side of the business.” Working with a WVF staffer, Natanyah mastered forecasting and sees the benefit of setting realistic revenue goals for the business. She appreciates that the staffer researched the industry to assess her business and show her how she could best apply funds to accelerate profit for the business. “No traditional lender would have sat down with me to guide me like WVF did.”, she says.
Natanyah is also grateful that she is able to spend so much time with her young daughter which was very important to her when deciding on her next venture.
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