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Clark creates her own happiness with the Lioness Group |  | | | Natasha Clark |
Feb.1, 2010
By Mike Briotta
PRIME Editor
SPRINGFIELD -- Few young women are more driven to achieve success than Springfield entrepreneur Natasha Clark. The 29-year-old has parlayed a career in print journalism into owning and operating The Lioness Group, her new enterprise that provides quality writing, editing and media services to clients.
Clark has a multi-task mind. There's no such thing as putting an idea on the back burner; it seems that many ideas are always boiling at once. Her former computer here at The Reminder reflects that modern world-view. Rather than a simple window opening online, a screen containing a dozen sites pops up, including Google, Facebook, Bing and Youtube. It's more like a war room evaluating global events than a basic homepage.
That ability to juggle tasks has served her well in building The Lioness Group from the ground up. "I want to help people grow their businesses and do it in a way that's realistic," she said. "I want to know why people started doing what they're doing, help them brand the product and help them grow."
She's part of a generation that also prides itself on connectivity or -- for a lack of a better word -- networking. This isn't just about exchanging business cards and firm handshakes, however.
"I believe it is important to multi-task and build a skill set, but it is also just as important to really excel at something," she said. "Though we offer many services at The Lioness Group, I know hands down working and interacting with people is my strength. I enjoy meeting entrepreneurs and small business owners and taking all of their passion and relating it to their clients and customers."
While Clark is a member of traditional civic groups like the East Longmeadow Rotary Club and the Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield, she's also a self-avowed member of "Generation Y" and makes full use of its inter-connectedness to generate new business contacts.
She said previously about her generation, "We are comprised of such a diverse population that we tend to have tolerance and lean toward experimentation rather than traditional methods of thinking and/or behavior." A "Gen Y," or "Millennial," is part of the largest generation since the Baby Boomers, and was born between 1978 and the early 1990s.
"I'm working on getting The Lioness Group out there a little more by networking," said Clark, adding that she eschews networking in the traditional sense.
"I like to build real relationships with people," Clark said. "There are so many little ways to connect people with their communities."
Clark is a self-made businesswoman who didn't have the benefits of a privileged upbringing. Rather, she's worked her way to the top. Clark graduated from American International College, became a journalist and then an entrepreneur, all of which she achieved as a single parent to her son Shaun, age 11.
"My mom is from South America. She was a midwife in England for many years and now works as a private duty nurse for sickly, bed-bound children in their homes," Clark said. "She has always had a very strong work ethic and taught me the value of putting in the time and then reaping the benefits, rather than expecting something for nothing."
She credits a number of other people, including Reminder Publications Managing Editor G. Michael Dobbs, as giving her an opportunity to prove herself as a writer. "Mike D. offered me a freelance gig covering the Longmeadow and Hampden-Wilbraham school committees," said Clark. "I was later made assistant editor in 2004."
Her first foray into self-employment came at the request of people she interviewed during her time at The Reminder. "People would always ask me when I was doing stories if I did freelance work on the side," said Clark. "I always said, 'No, I don't.' But eventually my brother asked why not. I realized there was nothing wrong with taking extra gigs on, and I could use the cash. A local artist said he could use a publicist, and so I began helping out with his press releases."
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It wasn't long before Clark went to City Hall and filed the proper paperwork to start her business venture. That client, Red Stair Gallery in Longmeadow, remains loyal to The Lioness Group today. Another notable client is Elizabeth Herbert, a Century 21 Realtor in Feeding Hills.
Clark, a proud Leo in the astrological calendar, lives up to bold self-expectations. Although the group started without any kind of venture capital, the lack of funding has never dissuaded her from pursuing her dreams. The imagery of an orchid on her company flyer is significant too. Clark said it represents helping others' ideas and dreams bloom into realities.
"I never planned on owning my own business," she said, "although I had always wanted to work for myself. It's really just a matter of building up a client base."
Clark said that her particular business model is to fill the niche left behind by the big PR firms. "Marketing or public relations advice can cost a lot of money," she said. "My goal was to make it affordable, but still good quality. We have an outline of pricing, but it's not set in stone. We try to work with our clients."
She added on the subject of client relations: "When clients work with me, after the first three months, they evaluate me. I sit down and make sure they are happy with my services and are satisfied with our relationship. No matter the dollars you put into marketing, the best promotion, in my opinion, is word-of-mouth."
Travel is another important component of her persona. Clark visited England in 2007, Thailand in 2009, and looks to split her time in the summer of 2010 between San Francisco and Antigua.
She has never been content to write about only one topic, but rather has crafted stories about business, relationships, news articles and opinion pieces. Clark wrote articles for numerous Web sites, including www.blackthought.com and www.examiner.com. Since starting |
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