Describe a decision you made in the past that helped you learn or grow.
Starting my own business changed everything. Actually—make that two businesses. Both taught me how to lead, evolve, and trust myself in ways I never imagined.
Starting PegCityLovely was the first.
Starting Natalie Bell Consulting was the second.
I didn’t do it all at once. PegCityLovely came first, over 13 years ago, back when I was already a full-time HR professional. I was a social dynamo in real life—always in community, always in conversation—and Twitter just amplified that. But 140 characters wasn’t cutting it. I wanted to go deeper. I wanted to tell real stories, in my own way.
So I started a blog.
I had no idea I was building a brand at the time. I just knew I wanted to share parts of my life in Winnipeg that felt real. Fast forward just over a decade later and here we are—PegCityLovely still exists, still evolving, and still mine.
Natalie Bell Consulting came much later, and honestly? It was overdue.
After more than 20+ years in corporate HR, I still wasn’t seeing the kind of change I knew was possible. I was doing good work within systems that weren’t set up to listen, shift, or grow. So I decided to go solo. Not because it was easy. Because it was necessary.
What I Learned from Starting My Own Business—Twice
People sometimes ask: how do you do both?
And the truth is, they’re different—but they come from the same place. Starting my own business opened doors I didn’t even know I wanted to walk through.
PegCityLovely is where I get to be fully myself. Unfiltered. Unpolished. Creative. It’s content, but it’s also connection. Community. A place where I’ve built trust just by showing up honestly—over and over again.
Natalie Bell Consulting is where I take everything I’ve learned in my 25+ year HR career and actually use it to make workplaces better. Not just on paper. In practice. I get to help organizations build cultures rooted in equity, leadership, and real accountability—and the work I do actually gets to matter.
It’s wild to say, but: I get fulfillment from both.
And I think that’s rare.
The Personal Growth That Comes from Building a Business
Starting a business doesn’t magically give you confidence. You build it. You earn it. You fall on your face, and you get back up with receipts.
The growth for me hasn’t been loud—it’s been layered.
I’ve learned that I can trust myself.
That I know when something’s a no, even if it looks shiny.
That my ability to see people—whether it’s a coaching client or a follower in my DMs—is part of the magic.
I’ve also learned that human behaviour is endlessly fascinating. Just when I think I’ve seen it all—surprise! We’re still out here evolving, learning, unlearning, trying again. Myself included.
And those moments when someone sends me a DM to say thank you for saying that out loud?
Or when a client tells me they finally feel seen as a leader?
That’s the stuff that grounds me.
That’s how I know I’m in the right place.
What Starting My Own Business Has Taught Me
Honestly? That I can do hard things.
But more than that—I can do them well.
Starting my own business—twice—reshaped how I define success, alignment, and growth.
For PegCityLovely: success means still being here after over a decade in a space where so many people burn out or lose themselves trying to keep up. I haven’t changed who I am or how I show up—and that means something to me.
For Natalie Bell Consulting: success is about alignment. Saying yes to the projects that fuel me. Working with people who get it. Creating space for impact, not just deliverables.
Both businesses have helped me grow. Both have held up a mirror. Both have asked me to choose myself, again and again.
Where My Business Journey Is Headed Next
I’m not done.
I’m building something that lasts—not just for the algorithm, not just for a season.
Right now, I’m dreaming about deeper coaching work. More thoughtful content. Bigger impact in rooms where decisions get made.
Because at the end of the day, I didn’t just start a business.
I started a new way of being.
And I’m still becoming.
Inspired by a WordPress blog prompt: “Describe a decision you made in the past that helped you learn or grow.”
Thanks for sharing!
Mac