Functional and beautiful: How a creator launched a powertool line that’s actually designed for women
Oct 09, 2024 – [[read-time]] minute read
Tired of weak power tools that are supposedly designed for women, but are really just…pink? NataLee Callahan was too. That’s why the long-time YouTube creator created a line of power tools that she describes as both powerful and beautiful, just like the women who watch her channel.
But her mission goes beyond aesthetics. For over a decade, NataLee’s channel, Designed to the Nines, has been a safe space where women can get everything from fall decor ideas to nitty gritty construction tips. She's encouraging women everywhere to tackle challenging projects and discover the joy of creating something with their own two hands.
We sat down with NataLee to learn how she’s building both the community and the tools to support women on their DIY journeys.
While before they may have hired someone or asked for help, they’re realizing ‘maybe I can do it.’ That excites me because there's just something so satisfying about creating something that didn't exist before.
NataLee CallahanYou’ve had an extensive career in design and decor. How did it lead you here to YouTube?
Education was really important to me. I'm also all about educating yourself however that looks for you, whether that's educating yourself by watching YouTube videos* or getting a formal degree. My undergraduate degree is in broadcast journalism — I’ve always been kind of a news junkie. I’ve also always had this fascination with decorating and doing home decor. Ever since I was a little girl, I would move my stuff around the room and change it from time to time. I worked at a floral shop in college then got into real estate and design. So when I graduated I thought, maybe I could marry those two interests together.
I went and did a short stint on HGTV for this show called Design Star. It didn’t go very well, but that’s okay! That’s part of the story. After that, I decided to focus on raising my kids and eventually went back to get my masters degree in public relations. That gave me a lot of insight into the power of social media and I thought, ‘maybe the avenue I need to take is to get on YouTube.’ What I’m doing now is the perfect package of all my education and work experience. It’s broadcast. There’s elements of public relations there. And, I get to do what I love — decorating and home decor.
What were your first videos like?
Oh my goodness, they’re so bad. I’d never thought of it as a career at that point. I was just like ‘I’m gonna paint my countertops! Maybe that would be helpful to somebody.’ I think it was maybe my third video that went viral and honest to goodness to this day I say that was probably just because there was no competition back then. I posted them in 2011, so this was old school, old school. It was a really terrible video, but I’ve left it up because it shows that progression of where I was to where I am now. Nowadays, my video quality, editing, lighting and presentation have improved, but I still look to the future and know I can do even better. I think it's really important to continue to evolve and keep growing.
They ripped me to shreds, basically saying I had no business doing DIY home decor. If I had listened to those voices, I wouldn't have the YouTube channel that I have. They would've stolen my voice.
NataLee CallahanOn your channel, you mentioned your goal is to help people feel empowered through DIY and design. What does that mean to you?
My hope is that by tackling things that challenge me, I can hopefully inspire others to do something that maybe scares them. For example, I have a video where I built a fireplace from nothing. I was scared to kind of do it, but I knew I really wanted to. You'll never grow if you don't challenge yourself. That challenged me and it turned out amazing. I was so blown away that I was able to do that and it gave me courage to do even harder things. Now that I've done that, maybe I can push myself a little bit further. That is what I'm hoping to get across to people — keep going, keep pushing forward, and you will get better.
What excites you most about the DIY scene space right now?
We're seeing more and more women tackling some of the harder stuff. While before they may have hired someone or asked for help, they’re realizing ‘maybe I can do it.’ That excites me because there's just something so satisfying about creating something that didn't exist before.
What inspired you to create a power tool brand specifically for women?
I was working with my mentor and thinking through what products could really help and serve my community. One thing that had been on my mind forever was tools, because more and more women are doing DIY projects, but if you look at the tools that are out there, they’re either made for men — so they’re big, bulky, heavy, ugly — or they’re what I call the Barbie dreamhouse tools. They’re just pink versions of tools made for men that are weak and don’t work. I didn’t feel like there was a female power tool line for someone who wanted to do real work. Plus, let’s be honest, I did want it to be pretty!
It took a lot of pushing back against industry norms, but we made a powertool that’s aesthetically beautiful, but is also a bit lighter and made for smaller hands. It’s aesthetics. It’s form and function. And, it has a cheetah print handle!
How have you incorporated YouTube Shopping and YouTube in general into your strategy for bringing this to the market?
It's critical. I have my products linked up to my little shelf, so they're below every single video. That way when people see me using it, they can find it, click on it and buy it. I've also done live streams.
We recently did a livestream to launch my latest product. If you’ve seen safety glasses before, they’re usually very ugly. So we designed a pair with tactical grade glass, but in a cute little cheetah print frame. They also have blue light protection, so you could use 'em with your laptop. I loved going live to share it with my community and since YouTube links up with Shopify, it was very easy.
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What advice would you give to women that are wanting to start businesses within male dominated industries?
I would say if you have a vision of how you can really improve something, push through. I did receive pushback, but I was kind and persistent. You can be happy and kind, but still get what you want and what you need. And I'd say absolutely do it.
Be brave. Be bold. Go do it. And it's okay if you fail, keep trying. I end every video by saying ‘you are more powerful than you know,’ because I really want people to understand that they have so much potential. When I was on HGTV, I didn’t know I was pregnant at the time. I got sick and the judges just let me have it. They ripped me to shreds, basically saying I had no business doing DIY home decor. I remember feeling utterly destroyed by their comments. If I had listened to those voices, I wouldn't have the YouTube channel that I have. They would've stolen my voice. If you take anything from that, it’s to not listen to the negative voices and go seize the moment.
*YouTube is a video platform, not a formal educational institution