Natasha Jones - Natasha's Credit Services

By Tonya Dixon Photos by Still Shots Photography

Some would say that being an entrepreneur is a difficult road to travel. Natasha Jones would probably agree. But more importantly, she recognizes the blessings and fruitfulness of her 8-year journey owning and operating her own businesses. “It hasn’t been an easy road for entrepreneur’s, especially during COVID, but I can say my business actually doubled. That’s a blessing,” she said.

Credit repair has not only been her business for nearly a decade, but it has also been what she believes to be her calling. It began as a problem she was trying to solve for herself. She became so passionate about it, it was the natural next step for her to help others, including her fiancé, restore their credit, resulting in the establishment of Natasha’s Credit Services.

“I have no problem telling people that I started off with bad credit myself. I don’t teach anything that I haven’t already experienced and known it’s proven to help, ” she said.

The saying goes that experience is the best teacher; it certainly holds true for Jones. She has experienced nearly every type of devastating financial situation one can think of, including financial instability, eviction, subpar credit scores, staying in public housing, which she says is not an indication of someone’s worth, however may indicate the need for financial literacy, as well as many other difficult circumstances.

There were several tipping points, but Jones recalls going to make a significant purchase, but was told her credit wasn’t good enough. It was a gut punch and reality check all in one.

“I couldn’t believe it. I was stunned. But I tell people this all the time. Credit is not something we were told or taught,” she said. “The top three reasons people have bad credit are divorce (believe it or not), helping people (when we can’t afford to) and simply not being taught.”

Prior to making the decision to improve her credit, Jones says she had never heard of credit agencies. She definitely didn’t know their purpose. Once she knew better, it was time to do better. She began writing letters and making the necessary changes to restore her credit. It took time, but she educated herself about the process and its necessity.

“It was as simple as taking the first step to better my own credit. I believe in being a product of the product,” she said. “Anything you do, promote or service, you should be able to experience it or go through it yourself.”

Jones worked for Apple, Inc. for years and loved her job, but her passion was elsewhere. She had a desire to help people understand their credit and become financially stable and successful and that comes with good credit.

Initially, she worked for a financial education services company. She was able to help individuals restore their credit, but her ability to be more hands-on and provide personal assistance was severely hampered because she was unable to share certain specific credit information with her clients. In a move that was probably motivated more by a sincere desire to help others than personal gain, Jones got all the knowledge she could and established her own company.

“It had gotten to the point where I realized, I was too much of a middleman and I couldn’t tell clients what they needed to know about their credit. So, I did my research and discovered software that would be more beneficial and better assist me with helping others,” she said.

Word of mouth has been Jones’ best form of advertising. Clients are seeing personal results and telling their family, friends, co-workers and basically anyone who will listen. “Recently a realtor approached me about a client who was in the middle of building a home, but basically made a late payment and experienced some [credit] issues. I often come across people who recognize me and call me ‘the credit lady.’ But that’s okay. People know when they come to me, they are getting a reliable and proven service. Again, I don’t tell people anything that I wouldn’t do or haven’t done,” said Jones.

In addition to personal credit restoration services, Jones has expanded into helping clients establish business credit as well as helping homebuyers prepare for the homebuying process. “I provide credit restoration for personal and business credit. I also offer an awesome home ownership program where I team up with local realtors and lenders and help improve their clients’ ability to purchase a home.”

“I’m a huge advocate for home ownership,” she says. “One of my favorite slogans is, if you can pay rent, you can pay a mortgage! Too often our money goes one way, when it could go toward investing in something like owning a home.”

For Jones, it’s all about education. It’s not enough to help someone improve their credit, but she is also committed to making sure they continue to grow and improve their financial health, particularly understanding how to maintain and even boost and build upon the knowledge they obtain and not having to return to rebuild credit.

“We advocate for our clients. We don’t want to see people come back into the program. We try to educate them along the way, so they won’t go backward and have to return,” she said. The more she expands her knowledge base and recognizes greater needs, Jones has also ventured into tax preparation and, more recently, assistance with Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans though the Small Business Administration.

No matter the service, she requires clients participate in a free one-on-one consultation with her to make sure they are ready for the process and required patience of credit restoration. “I always recommend doing a consultation first. I don’t take just any client. I need to know that your mindset is in the right space because credit repair is an investment,” she said. “You have to be ready, not only financially, but you have to be ready mentally. It is not an overnight process. I stress that all the time. I need people to be committed and know what they are facing. Believe it or not 65% of credit repair is you and the other 35% is me, the specialist.”

“People think it happens with the snap of a finger, but it doesn’t work that way. I want to be a fairy, I really do, but it just doesn’t work that way. That’ what makes the consultation vital. We have to make sure that we’re compatible and that we are both on the same page.”

Jones’ program requires monthly check-in meetings to make sure everyone is still committed, on the right track, transparent and accountable. She discusses areas of opportunity, makes sure the client is happy with their results and more.

“Those calls are very important. The people that have the greatest success rate in the program are the ones that do their monthly calls and they’re staying on top of their credit,” she said.

Of course, credit restoration services aren’t free and for those who bemoan paying for the service when they already have financial difficulties, Jones quickly tells them they have more resources than they know.

“I definitely come across people who say they can’t pay for the service and have reservations, but I tell them, ‘Don’t eat out for one week and that is the source and opportunity for you to begin your credit repair journey,” she said.

Being an entrepreneur hasn’t been easy, but Jones has enjoyed the ride and taken notes along the way to make sure she grows and expands just as much as her clients. This year marks three years of being a full-time entrepreneur and ultimately following her dreams and passions and making a real, tangible difference in the lives of other people for generations to come.