37: “I sent the wrong email and it changed my life”: Nata’s Story
Behind Their Success: Ep 37
Nata Salvatori: [00:00:00] Being ready doesn't mean it's the right time for you. It just means you have to be ready to take a step and move forward towards that opportunity no matter how prepared you feel sometimes.
Welcome to behind their success. This podcast is for people who are feeling stuck on their entrepreneur journey or in their careers. It's for people who want to scale and grow their businesses, learn about the power of mindset, or they just know there's more out there and they want to start making changes.
I'm Paden Squires, the host of the podcast. I was never cut out to be an employee, and when I was an employee, I was bored out of my mind. So I made a plan. I studied and passed the CPA exam in eight months while working, all with the end goal in mind of quitting my job and starting my own business. I did that in 2014, and it has been an amazing wild ride since.
So now let's hear from other entrepreneurs, and what mindsets, and probably more important, what actions they have taken that have created and led to their success.
Paden Squires: Hello, everybody. Welcome back to [00:01:00] Behind Their Success podcast. I am Paden Squires, the host, and today we have Nata Salvatori. She was born in Brazil and came to the U. S. in 2003 with 30 to her name and couldn't speak enough English to order food at a restaurant. She came here on a student athlete scholarship.
Paden Squires: Her journey since then includes spending 10 years as a physical therapist and a speaker. Fast forward to now and she's traveling the world as a destination wedding photographer and a photographer educator, as well as hosting a podcast called the accidental CEO. She has built multiple six figure businesses from her small home office in Jacksonville, Florida.
Paden Squires: And she is most proud of the fact that she did all this while staying true to her original dream of helping people while doing something that she is passionate about. Welcome to the show.
Nata Salvatori: I love that. That was such a good intro. Thank you. Look how far we've come.
Paden Squires: Yeah. You know, sometimes it's really interesting to kind of, uh, take a moment and reflect [00:02:00] back a little bit.
Nata Salvatori: It's always fun. When I was recording the first episode of my podcast and decided to recap my story, it was like, Ooh, that is, it's a lot. Yeah.
Paden Squires: And you know, Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Just, different people I interview on this show, just kind of high driving entrepreneurs, are usually terrible at celebrating those things because we're often so quick on to the next thing, right?
Paden Squires: where, you're conquering and moving forward. And, at least I struggled, with celebrating wins.
Nata Salvatori: Yeah. And
Paden Squires: taking that time to look back is something I should do more often.
Nata Salvatori: Yeah, definitely a skill that I had to learn. And, now make sure that I teach my clients because it is important.
Nata Salvatori: Every little win should be celebrated because they accumulate to just building your confidence and helping you, move forward. as growing as a person and growing. in your business. So
Paden Squires: So, you know, I gave a li background here. So give us a little color to that story.
Nata Salvatori: Yes, I was a professional volleyball player in Brazil and I had the opportunity to come play here. so [00:03:00] basically didn't speak in English at all, I was just playing over there. And because I send the wrong email to the wrong person,it's basically how I ended up here.
Nata Salvatori: so thank you. Thanks to not knowing English, I ended up in the U. S., believe it or not. So I had a scholarship to go to college in Arizona. I did my first two years there, transferred to Virginia, finished my undergrad degree there, played division one volleyball, and then moved on to get my doctorate degree in physical therapy, which is.
Nata Salvatori: It's something that I absolutely loved to do, treating patients and helping people was always near and dear to my heart. Worked in the field for 10 years, trained a lot of people, built programs from scratch, concussion program, residency programs, have residency and fellowship training, dual board certification.
Nata Salvatori: So you could say I was doing really well. in that career. And then,kids came along, changes [00:04:00] in work came along, and I decided to try something else and figured out what I would do if I wasn't a physical therapist anymore. and I had three options on my list. I remember them. it was either go back to school and be, a surgeon and go back to, go to medical school.
Nata Salvatori: Well, the ideas of surgery I love. I've been into the OR many times, or I would do some interior designing, which I also love or photography. Those are my three options. So I started with the easiest one. Less overhead cost.started as a side business very quickly and grew into a very sustainable business.
Nata Salvatori: And during COVID, when people were closing their doors and struggling, I actually made six figures. So, I figured if I could do that. During those times, I could probably continue to be successful after that. And that's how my first business as an entrepreneur was [00:05:00] born. And from there, I just kept on, you know,helping people was always something that 's part of who I am and I was missing doing some teaching and mentoring.
Nata Salvatori: So started Accidental CEO as my coaching and education company and have been helping others. Entrepreneurs grow their business and mindset. Mindset is a big thing for me. So I really focus on that cause I don't believe you can grow as a business if you don't grow as a person at the same time, so it's really important to me to focus on that. And then from there, I just grew up a couple of other businesses with apps and Airbnbs and podcasts and all that. So here we are.
Paden Squires: Very cool. So, you know, that's an interesting transition. I'm sure that took some courage there for sure to, you built a, a successful business, or as a physical therapist and then to move away from that.
Paden Squires: tell us about that decision. How scary was that?
Nata Salvatori: Yeah. So it was definitely something that took me a while to think about. It's [00:06:00] not like I was struggling in that career. I was actually very successful, respected and recognized nationally. So it was, to step back from that and start all over in the world that didn't know me that I didn't know anything about was definitely scary.
Nata Salvatori: But I think what I did and what I teach people to do now is take some time to reflect on what is it that is scaring you? What is it that causing that fear, the hesitation, put it down on paper, write it down. For me, it was making sure that I could make the money to maintain my family, maintain our lifestyle and continue to pay the bills.
Nata Salvatori: So money was the main thing for me and making sure, cause starting, Over in a new place where I don't know anything, wasn't nothing new to me, coming to the country without speaking in English and not knowing anybody, you know, so I've done that before. That wasn't the fear. The fear was, can I make [00:07:00] enough money to sustain this in an unstable income kind of profession.
Nata Salvatori: So I put that fear down on paper, and then I moved on to make a strategy to take care of it. So I saved a year's worth of expenses, before I quit my job as a physical therapist. So if I hadn't booked one session for the entire year, if I failed miserably, I would still be able to contribute to paying our bills and taking care of our family.
Nata Salvatori: So that gave me the peace of mind. and the support that I needed to step into this new adventure,into this new situation.
Paden Squires: yeah, that's, I like what, what you described, what you did there, right? Like you, you took the fear or the thoughts you had in your head and put it down on paper, right?
Paden Squires: Got it outside of you. that alone can just be really powerful. And then, and you made a plan, right? You made a strategy, you examined it. you didn't do anything stupid, right? You prepare, so it's a matter of just making a plan and [00:08:00] preparing right beforehand, that's going to quell your fears a whole lot, as you explore doing something like that, that's something I've, I've really learned, over the years is writing things down.
Paden Squires: I've gotten better at that doing journaling type stuff because I'm kind of a high driving, almost anxious type guy that my mind's always. Yeah. And the only way to, the only way to calm that down is to get it out of my head.
Nata Salvatori: Yep. That helps a lot. I feel like it, you know, if you don't take the time to really figure out what it is that's bothering you, then it just keeps on going and it grows and it just snowballs.
Nata Salvatori: So taking the time to reflect and understand Why you're feeling the way you're feeling is very important so they can move on to the next step, which is to address that and solve the problem. So the big proponent of putting things down on paper to address it.
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Paden Squires: So now you've had a lot of different success in a lot of different areas.
Paden Squires: what do you say is your best skill? What's your best skill that helps you be successful?
Nata Salvatori: It's a great question. I [00:10:00] think it's a combination of a couple of things. One is resilience, right? So continue to move forward and keep going even when things don't feel like they are going perfectly for you.
Nata Salvatori: So I'm a very resilient person. Very confident in my abilities to make things work and to learn. So if I know that if I don't know something I can learn, throw me anywhere. I'm going to buckle down and learn what I need to learn to be successful. My husband, who is very supportive, and has been a huge supporter of this transition and everything I've done in my entire life, I remember having this conversation with him when I was thinking about leaving, healthcare, and I said, I don't know, do you think I can do it?
Nata Salvatori: What do you think about this? And he said, you have never done anything in your life. Where you haven't been successful, like you give 110 percent and you always do well, why would this be any [00:11:00] different?
Paden Squires: that's super powerful to point out that you had already had the evidence, right?
Paden Squires: Like you have already proven to yourself, you could look back at that, Hey, I showed up here as a young girl that couldn't speak English and I figured it out.
Nata Salvatori: Yeah. exactly. So it's just, I think it's a combination of that resilience, a huge thing to remember is that take a, take some time to look back and see everything you have accomplished. You know, sometimes people say, I'm horrible at taking, I can't take tests.
Nata Salvatori: I can't pass on tests. I was like, well, did you drive here? Yes. You pass a driving test at some point. So you can't tell me you can't. pass any test. You can't tell me you've never done anything right. So people are very quick at discounting their past accomplishments very often. So, you know, it's good to stop and remind yourself of everything you have accomplished so far and that you can do it.
Paden Squires: Yeah. And that's, you know, it's interesting. there's a podcaster out there called Tom Blue. He has a show called Impact Theory, which is a [00:12:00] pretty, pretty big show. But he talks about what he calls the only belief that matters. And the only belief that matters is. That you believe if you put enough time and energy in anything that you can get better at it and ultimately everything just comes off that.
Paden Squires: But like, as long as you have that belief, that growth mindset type belief, that's The only belief that does matter to helping you accomplish your goals.
Nata Salvatori: Absolutely. 100 percent agree.
Paden Squires: So looking back, over, your time. What would you credit as the best decision you've ever made?
Nata Salvatori: Oh, it was definitely send that email that went to the wrong person. Get me a scholarship to play volleyball. So I always talk about that was the best mistake I've ever made. and it was literally because I didn't know. English. I had this email address. I was talking to a coach in Kentucky,about a scholarship.
Nata Salvatori: I didn't have a computer in my house. I had to go to my dad's work at the end of the day to use the computer that he had at work. I had to take a dictionary with me and try to put sentences [00:13:00] together. Yeah. God knows what those emails look like. and you know, there was one time, one of the emails that I sent bounced I think it's what back then you had a limit on your, inbox and if you hit that, you couldn't get emails anymore, like a voicemail.
Nata Salvatori: so I got that email bounce back and I was like, what do I do? And this paper that I had, it was his email on top and it was CC to somebody else. I didn't know what CC was and there was another email there. So I just tried that email instead. And that ended up in Arizona, in another coach's inbox.
Nata Salvatori: And that's how the whole thing started. He asked if I had already signed with the other place. And he asked, the person who gave me the contact about my volleyball skills. And without ever seeing me play, offered me a full scholarship, to college. And it was, again, the best mistake I've ever made.
Paden Squires: that story is so powerful. in one way, it's like, Hey, you're, you know, you're always one [00:14:00] email or one relationship or one connection away from just completely changing your life. And the other lesson I would take away from that is that it's a little humbling to realize that so much of this stuff is even out of our control, right?
Paden Squires: In life, we're in many ways, we're just along for the ride. Like you had no way to plan that or how youbut it's, life takes us for a ride and it's just kind of important to, set your intentionality and your North star in the direction you're heading and then just kind of ride along with life as it goes.
Nata Salvatori: Exactly. It didn't matter how good of a player I was. If I hadn't sent that wrong email, that opportunity would have never had happened.
Paden Squires: yeah. And that's, that's a matter of, I, talked to a lot of different business owners, work with a lot of different business owners and it's, You know, it's a lot of it's just planting seeds.
Paden Squires: You just plant as many seeds as possible. Like that, that email was you planting a seed and you never know what's going to come out of any of that stuff. If you don't plant seeds, nothing will come, right? So you gotta, you gotta just plant as many opportunities as possible. And. At some point you'll just get lucky [00:15:00] and it'll go to some coach in Arizona and you'll get a scholarship.
Nata Salvatori: Absolutely. Yeah. I was listening to a book this week and the person was talking about, being ready for whenever the opportunity knocks and you, The opportunity has its own time. It wants nothing to do with your time. It doesn't care about your timing for things. So it will most likely knock on the door when you're in the shower, in the middle of taking a shower, and you have to make a decision that not being ready, you're still going to get out of the shower, grab a towel, and go answer the door and go, hang out with the opportunity or you're gonna hope the opportunity waits for you and finish your shower and go get dressed.
Nata Salvatori: Put your makeup on, put your clothes on and then go answer the door and most likely the opportunity won't be there anymore waiting for you. So you know, it's making those decisions of being ready doesn't mean being the right time for you. It just means you have to be ready to take a step and move forward towards that opportunity no matter how prepared you [00:16:00] feel sometimes.
Paden Squires: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And my kind of thinking around that, it's like, you just need to be waiting in the wings, preparing as best as you can possible. So you see that opportunity and you're in the best position possible to pounce on it when that, when that thing shows up. Cause if you're looking for opportunities all the time, every once in a while, you're going to see some massive opportunity.
Paden Squires: If you can jump on it and execute.it only takes one of those to be like life changing.
Nata Salvatori: Absolutely. I'm here to prove it.
Paden Squires: So on the flip side, you said, you know, greatest decision was sending the email to the wrong email box. What's, what's one big mistake you've made? And we've all made. Tongues.
Nata Salvatori: Yes.
Nata Salvatori: Yes. I struggle. And it's funny because I asked that question to my guests sometimes on my podcast. And I know I struggle to answer that question, not because I don't make mistakes or, you know, but because I don't hang there for long, very quickly turn it around to, [00:17:00] okay, what can I do about this?
Nata Salvatori: What can I learn about this? Let's move on to the next thing. I think sometimes taking too long to do a couple of things. One, taking too long to delegate and get help and growing your business is a big one and we've all been there when you're an entrepreneur, a solopreneur, You start this business, you put all your heart and soul into it.
Nata Salvatori: And then it's really hard to let go of parts of it and let somebody else take care of it. So I would say be willing to delegate early in your life. So to allow yourself to put on that CEO hat a lot quicker and grow your business. That's something I could have done definitely earlier in my entrepreneur journey.
Nata Salvatori: And the other thing is look for help and mentorship and coaching early. Don't wait until your business is not doing well, until you're already invested a ton of money and time into it to then go get help. There's no reason to learn from your own mistakes when you can learn from somebody else's mistakes.
Nata Salvatori: So yeah, [00:18:00] invest on, getting some help, getting some coaching and some guidance. Invest in education, we, we change our car's oils every 3, 000 miles. We should be changing our oil every 3, 000 miles and, and learning and evolving as a professional. So invest in education early and delegate,when appropriate, are my two big things that I should have done earlier.
Paden Squires: guilty, uh, guilty of both of those things. Myself, I really started my business as a solo entrepreneur and grew it into, you know, a firm, but, took me forever to feel comfortable delegating anything.
Paden Squires: So severely limited me. I had mentors, but. I wasn't as intentional about it as I am now. And now I surround myself with highly successful people and people doing all the things that I aspire to do. And that just opens up so many possibilities in one's mind. When you're around those types of people,
Nata Salvatori: it makes a huge difference for sure.
Paden Squires: So one more question for you. Not [00:19:00] what's one piece of advice you'd give to that girl that showed up. Here in 2003, in the United States, if you could tell her one thing, what would you tell her from your perspective today?
Nata Salvatori: So I will tell her that it's okay to deviate from what you understand as the norm, right?
Nata Salvatori: I am in this state of the population and the state of things. So to me, I always. I knew and learned that to make money, you had to have a degree and you had to go work for somebody else and make that money and, climb the corporate ladder and that's how you become successful and understanding what I understand now, I will not be pushing my kids to go get a college degree.
Nata Salvatori: I can tell you that right now because I left with thunders of death. That I didn't have to have, and now I make my money with something that I self taught. So [00:20:00] understood that it's okay to deviate from the norms, whichI've always been aware of, but I think, especially coming from another country, I was looking for the correct way.
Nata Salvatori: boundaries of what I needed to do and how things worked here. not that it's much different, in Brazil, like you having a degree is considered important. you are bound to be successful if you have a degree and it's not necessarily the case. There's still a lot of professions that are needed out there and they make a ton of money and don't have to go through a college degree.
Nata Salvatori: So,that's what I will probably tell her.
Paden Squires: Yeah, that's great advice. And I'm sure, especially coming here, country, you've probably really even more felt those pressures but even then, you know, me as a person raised here and stuff, those societal pressures on people are like, Hey, this is the normal route.
Paden Squires: This is, you know, especially my age and the time I went through college,based off the time you arrived here, we're similar age, but basically everybody coming out of high school was like, well, if you don't get a college degree, like you're going to, you know, end up living under a [00:21:00] bridge or something, you know, and that, that was just kind of like the mindset, right? of,all society and pushing people, in, into that, which, for a lot of different professions, that's great. Yeah. and it's needed, but for a lot of different professions, it's really not, and being self taught is much, much more powerful.
Nata Salvatori: Absolutely.
Paden Squires: So, Nata, what you know, people like what they hear, you're doing some coaching stuff. What's the best way people can connect with you or interact with you?
Nata Salvatori: Yeah. I love telling people about the app. So I have an app called Accidental CEO. Okay. That's a great place to connect and get a little taste of me teaching. if you look up accidental CEO and app store for both, Apple or Android, you should be able to find it.
Nata Salvatori: and then you can also connect on Instagram, accidental CEO. com. send me a DM. I love to chat and point you in the right direction. If there's something I can do to help you.
Paden Squires: Thank you so much for coming on the shows. Anything else you want to leave for the listeners?
Nata Salvatori: Oh, just keep on going [00:22:00] guys. You just put your efforts at a hundred percent, get motivated, know what you're going after and get some mentorship and some help, delegate, keep on going.
Paden Squires: Awesome, Nata. Listeners, thanks for checking out the show. We will see you next time.
Thank you so much for listening to the podcast. If you found it valuable, please rate, review, and share it. That is the best way to help us build this and reach more people as we're trying to accomplish our goal of help create more healthy, wealthy, and wise entrepreneurs. You can follow us on social media by searching for me, Paden Squires, or going to www.padensquires.com On the website and social media, we're always sharing tips of personal growth, and there we can actually interact. I'm looking forward to it. Thanks guys.
