For some time now, the notion of girl power and black girl magic has been quite rampant. Natalie Petit and Natacha Lorius are proof that there is indeed fire when women come together and support each other. They have been friends since childhood and recently started a career consulting firm- Refined To Thrive. The name itself has a story of its own, but you will get to know that as you follow their journey of starting up a consulting firm.  

Natalie Petit, who works within higher education, describes herself as student-centric and loves to advise students and help them navigate their careers. One major dilemma that teenagers and young adults often face is choosing a career, getting started, and figuring out how to sustain it. Natalie says she loves helping and organizing events for her community, helping people in diverse capacities, and being a resourceful guide. On the other hand, Natacha has a background in healthcare management but currently works in medical technology. Unlike her friend Natalie, she did not set out to help people with their careers; she stumbled into it. People sought her for assistance, mainly because of her ability to transition from working in the hospital setting (health care) to technology. In the process, she decided to channel her energy to teaching people how to thrive. Additionally, she continued to do this work because she found it to be a fulfilling way to give back to others and the community. 

It was not until late 2020 that they had a conversation and realized they were doing the same work individually. Natacha had mentioned to her friend that she was planning to start some business based on her work to reach more people. Natalie went on to mention that she was also considering a blog or some type of similar business. While Natalie was talking on the phone, Natacha did not want to ask Natalie if she wanted to work as partners because she felt that Natalie was already doing her thing. Natacha asked, though, and her friend said, “I was hoping you would say that!”. Interestingly, Natalie had referred people to Natacha in the past. There was an instance where she referred someone to Natacha. She later caught up with the person she had referred, and that person suggested to Natalie that she and Natacha should partner together. And the rest, as they say, is history.  

The name of the firm- Refined to Thrive, was not just a one-person idea. It came from inspiration and a deep longing for more. Natalie got the inspiration for “Refined,” while Natacha got that of “Thrive.” Natalie says they did not want to do something cliché, such as “Natalie and Natacha” or “Nat-Nat.” They could have done all those regular combinations, but they wanted to do something that people would gravitate towards. Inspiration comes when one least expects it, often while doing the most random things. 

Natalie was listening to Maverick City Music when she heard the song “Refiner.” The song was on repeat when she and Natacha were trying to figure out a name for the firm, and she had an urge to consider it. In her understanding, refiner meant knowing that one was whole, but how does one fix, make new, or sift through some other things that were not so great and needed to be removed or cleaned to be made new and better. For Natacha, she discovered a quote in 2020 that says, “the goal was never to survive and advance, it was to thrive and conquer.” Natacha established that every human being has to work, but instead of just working, surviving, and going through the motions, why not do something one loves and enjoys doing, which gave intrinsic satisfaction and things that one genuinely thrived at? That was the motivating factor for her -to thrive and not just to survive. In the United States of America, people usually retire around sixty-six, but Natacha did not want that for herself. She doesn’t want to grow old and look back say, ” I survived.” She wants to look back to say she thrived! Likewise, she wants their clients to feel that they can thrive. However, they recognize that to thrive most people need just a bit of refinement. 

Like all projects, there have been challenges along the way. The very first challenge was creating the name. At some point, they even searched Google for name ideas. When they realized that they needed help, they had to hire different people to work with them. They knew what they wanted to do and their direction, but creating the name was the most challenging part, so they say. Another challenge they had was knowing each other as business partners because, as business partners, they had to deal with money, deadlines, and different things that they had not encountered in their decades of friendship. Natacha recalls when someone who was also an entrepreneur said to her that she and Natalie would not be friends for long because friends and business do not work together, except they ensured they set boundaries. 

Both Natalie and Natacha still work full time at their regular jobs and are active in their communities as well, and that is a challenge against sleep, remaining sane, and figuring out how to do everything. There were moments that they contemplated whether they should continue, but there was always one of them who was like, “No. We are doing this!” When asked how they balance both their full-time jobs and being entrepreneurs, Natalie said whatever she puts her name into, she commits full-time work into it no matter what it is. In her words, “If you do a 9 to 5 and then proceed to do entrepreneurship, just know it is 24/7”. Natalie does not think there is some kind of balance as they are both still figuring out what the market wants and what is effective and best for their market. Natacha believes that many calendars, lists, shared documents, texts, emails, and voice notes help them remain organized, making it look like they have some balance. They do not necessarily see it as a sacrifice because they both enjoy doing it. 

They both have a drive and genuine desire to help people. Hence, what keeps them going. The advice they’d share with others looking to start a business is to just start. Starting is usually the hardest part, but once one starts, one can move either slowly or quickly, but keep going and continue to remind yourself of your purpose and passion.

Written by: Victoria Oyebande

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