In this episode of Startups with Stu, host Stuart Draper explores Natalia Graf-Anders' journey from three products in her apartment to building Sync Equestrian into a business targeting $5-6 million this year, up from $2.1 million last year. Natalia shared insights into psychology-based marketing, manifestation practices for business growth, and the importance of building brands that empower customers rather than simply selling products.

Natalia represents a new generation of entrepreneurs who understand that business success often emerges from personal transformation rather than traditional business school strategies. As the founder and CEO of Sync Equestrian, Natalia has built a multi-million dollar equestrian apparel company that's revolutionizing how women see themselves in riding gear. Her journey spans continents, industries, and personal struggles that would have stopped most people from ever attempting entrepreneurship.

Born in Germany and raised across multiple countries due to her family's entrepreneurial spirit, Natalia developed resilience early in life. Her family won a green card lottery and moved to the United States when she was 12, requiring her to learn English and adapt to American culture during her formative years. This experience of constant adaptation and comfort with uncertainty would later prove essential for her entrepreneurial success. After spending 12 years in New York City as a professional model, followed by a stint in corporate sales that left her dependent on Adderall and battling severe depression, Natalia found herself at rock bottom with no clear direction for her future.

What makes Natalia's story particularly relevant for modern entrepreneurs is her approach to building a business that combines personal healing with market opportunity. Her transformation from a depressed former model living at her father's house to the CEO of a company targeting $5-6 million in annual revenue showcases that sustainable business success often requires addressing personal challenges first.

Finding Purpose and Healing Through Unexpected Partnerships  

Natalia's recovery journey began when she made the difficult decision to quit her corporate sales job and move back home to focus on getting off Adderall. This period represented one of the darkest chapters of her life, as she spent months staring at the ceiling, feeling lifeless and uncertain about her future. However, this rock bottom moment forced her to examine what had always brought her genuine energy and happiness throughout her life. The answer was horses, which had been a constant source of joy since childhood.

When Natalia began volunteering at a horse rescue facility, she met the horse that would change her life trajectory completely. The day she arrived at the rescue was the same day this particular horse was delivered, creating what she describes as a slow-motion moment of recognition. She found herself repeatedly describing the horse using adjectives that actually described the version of herself that she had forgotten during her corporate years. Words like powerful, fierce, and confident kept flowing as she observed the animal, essentially seeing her true self reflected back through this unexpected partnership.

The financial reality of purchasing a horse while having no income created a significant challenge, but Natalia found a way to work off the monthly payments through continued volunteer work. This arrangement allowed her to spend consistent time with her horse, which gradually rebuilt her confidence and reconnected her with her authentic self. The horse became what she calls her "life battery," teaching her to move forward with confidence and helping her remember the free-spirited nature that had been suppressed during her corporate experience. This relationship provided the emotional foundation necessary for her to eventually start building a business.

Building a Multi-Million Dollar Brand with Psychology-Based Marketing  

Natalia's approach to building Sync Equestrian demonstrates the advantage of understanding customer psychology at a deep level. Her fascination with advertising psychology began at age six when she would analyze commercials to understand what made her want to buy products. This early interest developed into a sophisticated understanding of human decision-making processes that would later become the foundation of her marketing strategy. Rather than simply selling equestrian apparel, Natalia focused on creating a brand that addresses the emotional needs of her customers.

The company's growth trajectory reflects the effectiveness of her psychology-based approach. Starting with three products sold from her apartment, Sync Equestrian has scaled to over 100 products with a dedicated warehouse and employee team. The business generated $2.1 million in revenue last year and is targeting $5-6 million this year, representing consistent doubling or tripling of revenue annually. This growth stems from Natalia's ability to understand her audience's deeper motivations and create products that make them feel empowered rather than simply functional.

Natalia's marketing strategy centers on addressing objections before customers even think of them. Her content creation process involves anticipating the mental conversation happening in potential customers' minds and providing answers to their concerns through video content. She emphasizes that successful marketing requires understanding not just what people want to buy, but why they hesitate to make purchases. This approach has allowed Sync Equestrian to create what she describes as an "Alo of equestrian" brand experience, where products sell out quickly and customers eagerly await restocks.

Manifestation and Money Mindset for Business Growth  

Natalia's business philosophy incorporates manifestation practices that many traditional entrepreneurs might dismiss, but her results demonstrate the practical value of these approaches. She credits Dr. Joe Dispenza's work with teaching her how meditation and visualization can rewire brain patterns and eliminate limiting beliefs about money and success. Her daily practice involves visualizing herself as the version of entrepreneur she wants to become, including specific details about how this future version starts her day, makes decisions, and interacts with others.

The concept of nervous system training for money mindset represents one of Natalia's most practical business insights. She explains that entrepreneurs have internal thermostats for how much revenue they're comfortable generating, and when business performance exceeds these comfort levels, subconscious self-sabotage often follows. For example, an entrepreneur comfortable with $200,000 monthly revenue might unconsciously create problems when the business hits $400,000, bringing performance back to familiar levels. Natalia works to constantly reset her comfort zone to accommodate higher revenue targets.

Her approach to money energy involves changing emotional responses to financial transactions. Instead of feeling stressed when paying bills or large invoices, she trains herself to feel grateful for the ability to pay employees and invest in inventory. This mindset shift creates what she describes as an abundant flow where spending money and making money become energetically connected. Natalia applies this philosophy to everything from tipping generously at restaurants to making large inventory purchases, viewing each financial outflow as an investment in future abundance rather than a drain on resources.

Key manifestation practices Natalia uses for business growth include:

1. Daily visualization of future success levels - Acting as the version of herself who has already achieved next-level goals

2. Nervous system training for higher revenue - Gradually increasing comfort levels with larger financial numbers

3. Abundant money mindset development - Transforming stress responses to financial transactions into gratitude

4. Intuitive decision making practice - Learning to trust internal guidance over purely logical analysis

5. Energy alignment with business goals - Ensuring emotional state matches desired business outcomes

Founder to Team Leader While Maintaining Brand Authenticity  

Natalia's transition from handling every business function to leading a team demonstrates the importance of understanding personal strengths and delegating effectively. In the early stages of Sync Equestrian, she served as model, photographer, marketer, customer service representative, and fulfillment coordinator. However, as the business grew, she recognized that her highest value activities involved advertising psychology, brand messaging, product design, and content creation. She systematically outsourced other functions to team members who could execute them more effectively.

The challenge of maintaining brand authenticity while scaling requires careful attention to team communication and brand education. Natalia meets with her team weekly to ensure everyone understands the empowerment mission that drives Sync Equestrian's messaging. She emphasizes that while team members handle various operational functions, all communication must reflect the brand's core values and voice. This approach ensures that customers receive consistent brand experiences regardless of which team member they interact with.

Natalia's approach to trend-setting rather than trend-following has become a key differentiator as the business scales. She cites the example of adding rhinestones to riding breeches, which was initially considered risky and non-traditional but became widely copied by competitors. This willingness to trust her design instincts and take calculated risks has established Sync Equestrian as an industry leader rather than a follower. As the team grows, Natalia focuses on fostering this innovative mindset while maintaining the empowerment messaging that resonates with their customer base.

A Purpose-Driven Business Building  

Natalia Graf-Anders' story on Startups with Stu proves that sustainable business success often requires addressing personal challenges and aligning business goals with authentic purpose. Her transformation from a depressed former model to a multi-million dollar CEO demonstrates that entrepreneurial success isn't about having perfect circumstances or traditional business backgrounds. Instead, it requires the courage to face personal struggles, the wisdom to learn from every experience, and the vision to build something that serves others while fulfilling personal purpose.

For entrepreneurs who feel stuck in traditional business approaches or struggling with limiting beliefs about money and success, Natalia's methodology offers practical alternatives. Her combination of psychology-based marketing, manifestation practices, and intuitive decision-making provides a framework that addresses both the practical and emotional aspects of business building. Whether you're just starting your entrepreneurial journey or looking to scale an existing business, her insights about nervous system training, team building, and brand authenticity can accelerate your progress.

Visit Sync Equestrian to see Natalia's empowerment-focused approach in action, and subscribe to Startups with Stu for more entrepreneur stories that reveal unconventional strategies for building businesses that matter while achieving financial success.

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https://www.sync-academy.com/

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