There is no use sugar-coating it—running a business is hard. You and I though? We were built to do hard things.
I am a fierce advocate
for SMALL businesses.
Mama Bear for Small Business
I'm Natalie Franke
Founder,
Author,
Community Builder,
Multi-Passionate Creative,
HEY THERE!
You see, I was raised in a family full of science nerds. Mom: nurse practitioner. Dad: nuclear engineer. Sister: doctor. Grandfather: rocket scientist (yes, literally). Science always seemed a natural fit, but like you’ve experienced, sometimes our paths lead us on adventures we never anticipated.
With a camera in hand, my entrepreneurial journey began, and while studying the psychology of seeing in undergrad, everything clicked. Art could meet science in a way that fit my nerdy brain and fueled my creative heart. Books and brains met creativity and community. It was different. I was different.
I am not the cool kid. Never have been. I used to wish I was… until I realized that loving who you are is perhaps the coolest thing of all.
MY STORY
Entrepreneurship can be lonely. Running a small business can feel isolating. However, it doesn’t have to be that way. That’s where I come in.
I faced hardship head on and thrived in my season of struggle. How? By leaning on the strength of my community. Here is the truth that we so often forget…
In the last decade, I founded multiple companies, wrote two books, cultivated a global community, and empowered tens of thousands of independent business owners to rise together doing what they love.
And in that same season, I was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor, underwent neurosurgery, fought against infertility, and gave birth to two miracle babies.
Champion your success. Fight the good fight.
Raise the tide. Lead with love.
Stay gutsy and keep the naysayers on their toes.
You don’t have to do this alone.
Champion your success.
Fight the good fight.
Raise the tide. Lead with love.
Stay gutsy and keep the naysayers on their toes.
My second book, Gutsy, became a USA Today bestseller and I joined Flodesk as the Head of Marketing.
A new era awaits...
2024
The Next Chapter
I published my first book, Built to Belong, in August and welcomed my second miracle baby one month later. A season of triumph after years of fighting forward.
2021
The Triumph
Rather than get a traditional W-2 job, I took my wedding photography business full time after graduation and grew it into a six-figure business.
2012
The LEAP
I moved to Philadelphia to pursue a degree in Visual Studies with a concentration in the Science of Seeing at the University of Pennsylvania.
2010
The Student
Discovering photography changed the trajectory of my entire life. The camera became my gateway to creativity and connection. It also launched me into my first business.
2008
The Photographer
The year this entire adventure began. From a tenacious toddler to a gutsy little girl with a lemonade stand—I’m not sure whether I found entrepreneurship or it found me.
1990
The DREAMER
Running a business is lonely… so, I co-founded a community called the Rising Tide Society. It became my newfound family. Then, HoneyBook acquired RTS to fuel the movement as it spread across the globe.
2015
The Realization
Life got hard. I was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor, underwent neurosurgery, endured recovery, and began infertility treatment after years of waiting for a miracle.
2017
THE DIAGNOSIS
How I Became Me
Because I’m More Than a Resume (and so are you!)
