Natalie MacLees: Winner of the 2025 Great Companies International Women Entrepreneur Award

Name: Natalie MacLees

Business Name: AAArdvark

Location: Los Angeles , USA

Category: Digital Accessibility Solution

Website: https://aaardvarkaccessibility.com

Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataliemac/

Company Detail:

AAArdvark is an accessibility testing platform designed to help professionals ensure their websites and digital content are accessible to all users. It offers tools for both manual and automated testing, issue tracking, and remediation guidance, making it easier for teams to identify and fix accessibility issues.

Unique Selling Proposition or Competitive Advantage:

AAArdvark's unique selling proposition lies in its comprehensive approach to accessibility testing. It combines automated testing, manual testing, issue tracking, and remediation guidance into one seamless platform, making it easy for teams to identify, prioritize, and resolve accessibility issues. Its focus on usability, alongside expert guidance, makes it a preferred choice for ensuring digital inclusivity.

Challenges Faced During the Journey:

Building a business from the ground up has come with many challenges. One of the biggest has been achieving profitability while staying small and maintaining a sustainable work culture. Bootstrapping and ensuring financial stability, especially while developing new SaaS products, has required careful prioritization and resource management.

Natalie MacLees did not come from a family of entrepreneurs. Business ownership was not something she grew up around, and her family has always found entrepreneurship risky and intimidating. Without that background or built-in support system, she had to learn everything about running a business through trial, experience, and collaboration. Fortunately, she has a great business partner, and together they have tackled the complexities of hiring, financial management, product development, and marketing.

As a woman in tech, she has had to navigate biases and break into networks that are often male-dominated. Finding the right support system and professional communities has been difficult, especially as many women-focused groups cater to different industries or business models.

Scaling a team while keeping operations lean has been another challenge. Natalie MacLees and her partner have had to balance growth, maintain product quality, and ensure their team has the resources they need without overextending financially. It has required constant adjustments and strategic decision-making.

Additionally, they have faced common startup hurdles like hiring the right people, refining their products based on customer needs, and dealing with the unpredictability of sales and market shifts. Despite these challenges, persistence, adaptability, and a focus on delivering real value have helped them and their company continue moving forward.

Advice for Women Entrepreneurs:

Natalie MacLees’ biggest piece of advice to young women who want to be entrepreneurs is this: go for it. If there is a desire to start a business, do not wait. She dreamed of being an entrepreneur since childhood but put it off for years due to fear—fear of failing, not knowing enough, and not having the right background. Looking back, her biggest regret is not starting sooner.

There is no need to have everything figured out from the beginning. Learning happens along the way, and growth into the role occurs naturally. There is no perfect time to start, and waiting until feeling completely ready will only cause delays. Trusting oneself, taking the leap, and knowing that figuring things out along the way is possible is essential.

Entrepreneurship is challenging, but it is also incredibly rewarding. Surrounding oneself with people who support the vision, seeking out mentors, and staying persistent are key factors. The world needs more women-led businesses, and any aspiring entrepreneur’s business could be one of them.