Natalie MacNeil vs The World.

Natalie MacNeil's story bears the trimmings of a tycoon novel.

At age of 18 she started her first business, a customer service auditing firm, which was soon abandoned in favour of tackling the issue of women in the workplace. 

Not only has she turned the fruit of that endeavour, She Takes on the World, into an award-winning blog, but she's gone ahead with regular contributions to Forbes magazine's ForbesWoman blog, a successful media production company, a globe-spanning network of professionals and her newest venture, Treehaus Collaborative Workspace, a brand new business sandbox located in the heart of Kitchener. She recently returned from from New York City, where she was honoured as one of America's 50 Most Inspiring Young Women, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Arianna Huffington.

So could you tell us more about "She Takes on the World"? 

She Takes on the World is a business blog for career-oriented women. Our team of about twenty contributing writers cover topics from entrepreneurship and money, to personal branding and career management. While we focus to a great degree on women, I do get emails and messages from men telling me how much they enjoy the content, so I appreciate having them as loyal readers. Since having a well-carved niche is the key to success in today's web-connected world, I will definitely continue to focus on the female touch in the workplace. 

So when did you decide to pursue a career in writing? I take it that you're a prolific writer and blogger, was that always your chosen niche or did you just find yourself deposited there? 

I was certainly deposited here by the river of opportunity! I have always been passionate about writing, and unlike many of my classmates, I actually enjoyed writing papers throughout university. But I never thought to pursue writing as a career, I was more focused on taking on the world as an entrepreneur. Writing just happens to be a part of that journey now since so many amazing opportunities have come my way by way of having a strong online writing presence. If anyone out there is considering pursuing a full-time writing career, you'll definitely need to focus on your online presence. Publishers rarely hire anyone without a loyal online following. Period.

Could you tell us more about Treehaus? I believe that's what your latest venture's called.

Treehaus Collaborative Workspace is a not-for-profit coworking space that I co-founded along with Gabrielle Clermont. It is located in the heart of downtown Kitchener and is now home to sixteen residents - a solid mix of entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds such as media, design and technology, as well as social enterprise and not-for-profit organizations. Our model is based on coworking spaces developed in cities such as Seattle and New York, chosen over the traditional incubator model. Passion breeds passion, and by bringing together top creative, entrepreneurial talent, we know that we can transform Treehaus into a top-notch business sandbox environment. If anyone has a business that they'd like to register for residence, do connect with me.

Do you plan to continue in the direction that your blog has taken, or have you set your eye on new challenges?

I don't have any plans to switch gears with She Takes on the World, nor do I have any plans to add another blog to my portfolio. Yet. Stay tuned though.

Thanks for being part of this interview Natalie.

My pleasure!