PHOTO: Natalie Williams
Natalie Williams does not believe in starting small.
The Auckland-born entrepreneur has already moved from church ministry to building a seven-figure agency, selling major developments and working with wealthy international property investors.
Now, from her base in Dubai, the 39-year-old has set herself an audacious new target: selling $1 billion worth of property over the next decade.
It is an extraordinary ambition—but Williams’ life has been shaped by proving people wrong.
Written off at just 12 years old
Williams’ drive can be traced back to her childhood on Auckland’s North Shore.
Dyslexic and experiencing bullying, she was reportedly told by a teacher at the age of 12 that she might be better suited to a transition class or leaving school to find a job.
For some children, that assessment could have become a permanent limit.
For Williams, it became fuel.
Rather than allowing somebody else to determine the size of her future, she resolved to create one on her own terms. That attitude—part resilience, part self-belief and part refusal to follow the expected path—would later become central to her business career.
After school, she studied communications at Auckland University of Technology. But instead of heading directly into business, property or corporate marketing, Williams chose a dramatically different direction.
She became a pastor.
A decade devoted to helping others
Williams spent much of her twenties in ministry, dedicating approximately 10 years to serving communities and supporting people through difficult circumstances.
One of her proudest projects was a suicide-prevention school tour that combined a message of hope with performances by world-champion hip-hop dancers.
It may seem a long way from selling luxury property in Dubai, but Williams believes her time in ministry gave her one of the most important abilities in business: understanding people.
Property deals may revolve around buildings, land and money, but successful sales ultimately depend on trust, communication and relationships.
Ministry taught Williams to listen, empathise and recognise that every person carries a different story. Those skills would later prove valuable when dealing with developers, investors and high-value clients.
Losing her father changed everything
The turning point came when Williams’ father became seriously ill.
She spent six months as his primary caregiver before he died at just 52.
Facing the loss of a parent at such a young age changed Williams’ understanding of time, opportunity and personal responsibility. Her father encouraged her to believe she was capable of achieving whatever she committed herself to.
His death left her with a decision: continue living cautiously or back herself completely.
Williams chose the latter.
She stepped away from ministry and moved into marketing, public relations and events. She subsequently established her own agency, which she says grew into a seven-figure business within two years.
It was a striking reinvention—but it would not be her last.
The former pastor says her people skills help her nail big business deals.
COVID destroyed one business—and opened another door
When the pandemic arrived, Williams’ agency was hit hard.
Retainer clients disappeared, income evaporated and the business she had built was suddenly under pressure.
Williams again found herself at a crossroads.
She pursued personal and business-development training, including coaching through Tony Robbins’ organisation, while considering what she could build next.
Friends suggested real estate.
Within three months of entering the industry, Williams had sold her first property—and immediately saw possibilities extending far beyond individual residential listings.
While many new agents begin by prospecting for local homeowners and slowly building a database, Williams wanted to work with developments, new construction and international investors.
She approached a developer and secured involvement with a project reportedly valued at $350 million, partnering with former All Black Troy Flavell.
It was a remarkable entry into the industry.
Most agents spend years trying to reach that level. Williams went looking for it almost immediately.
Natalie’s on top of the world: “I love being my own boss.”
Refusing to follow the traditional real estate script
Williams’ rise presents a challenge to the conventional real estate career path.
She was not interested in waiting quietly for permission, accumulating years in the industry or accepting that major developments should be reserved for established operators.
She brought an entrepreneur’s mentality to the role.
Instead of viewing herself only as an agent, she positioned herself around branding, investment, development and access to international buyers. Her previous experience in communications and business gave her a perspective that extended beyond simply listing and selling properties.
The strategy opened doors to developers and overseas investors—and eventually led her beyond New Zealand.
Williams began studying major international markets, including the United States and the United Arab Emirates, to understand how wealthy investors use property to protect and grow capital.
By the end of 2024, she had relocated to Dubai and established Wealth Creators, connecting investors with property opportunities across different countries.
Why Dubai?
Dubai is one of the world’s most aggressive property markets.
Spectacular developments, comparatively low taxes and a steady influx of wealthy residents have helped transform the city into a magnet for entrepreneurs, developers and international investors.
The scale is entirely different from New Zealand.
Luxury apartments can be launched and sold to global buyers at extraordinary speed. Developers compete through architecture, amenities, branded residences and lifestyle experiences. Investors arrive from Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and the Americas looking for growth, income and security.
For Williams, that environment offers exactly what she wants: enormous ambition, influential networks and the opportunity to build without being restricted by the expectations of a smaller market.
She now divides her time between Dubai, Bali, Australia and the United States while building relationships with developers and investors.
Her growing international circle has also placed her alongside major entertainment figures. Williams says she has crossed paths with stars including Chris Brown, Vin Diesel and rapper Tyga, although confidentiality agreements prevent her from identifying the high-profile clients with whom she has worked.
The celebrity encounters may make good headlines, but they are not the real story.
The real story is a Kiwi entrepreneur placing herself in rooms where major global deals are discussed—and expecting to belong there.
The $1 billion target
Williams’ goal is to sell $1 billion in property over the next 10 years.
That works out to an average of $100 million annually, although development sales and luxury transactions can quickly change the mathematics.
It is a huge number, but not impossible in markets where individual projects can be worth hundreds of millions.
The target is also about more than commission.
Williams wants to build an international property business, create a personal legacy and eventually return to philanthropy from a position of substantial financial strength and influence.
Her twenties were devoted to ministry. Her thirties became a period of business growth and reinvention. She now sees her forties as the decade in which she will build something truly significant.
More than another real estate success story
It would be easy to present Williams’ journey as a polished sequence of successes: pastor, agency founder, property entrepreneur and Dubai dealmaker.
The reality is more revealing.
Her career has been shaped by being written off as a child, experiencing bullying, losing her father, walking away from one life and watching the pandemic undermine another.
Each disruption demanded a fresh identity.
What separates Williams is not simply confidence. Plenty of people talk confidently about large goals.
Her advantage appears to be her willingness to act before she has universal approval, perfect conditions or a conventional résumé.
That mindset can be polarising. In industries such as real estate, ambition is often celebrated only after it produces visible success. Before that point, it can be dismissed as arrogance, unrealistic thinking or self-promotion.
Williams appears comfortable with that tension.
She is not waiting for everybody to believe in her $1 billion dream.
She has already decided that she does.
The Property Noise view
New Zealand produces outstanding property professionals, but our small market can sometimes encourage small thinking.
Natalie Williams represents the opposite.
She moved from ministry into entrepreneurship, rebuilt after COVID and then left the comfort of the local market to compete in one of the world’s most ambitious property environments.
Her story is not about becoming successful overnight. It is about repeatedly starting again—and entering every new chapter with a bigger objective than the last.
The billion-dollar target will be measured over the next decade. There will undoubtedly be setbacks, difficult deals and periods when the dream looks a long way away.
But Williams has already overcome the most important barrier.
She has stopped allowing other people to decide what she is capable of achieving.
The 12-year-old once told she might struggle to find her place is now building an international property business from Dubai.
And she is aiming for $1 billion.
SOURCE: NOW TO LOVE