Staying True to Yourself���������������������

AMANDA SAUCEDA MS, RDN, CLT

CHAIR

“You write like you talk; this needs to be more professional� ” This feedback was given to me in the margins of my thesis in graduate school� I really took those words to heart� I thought that meant I was a bad writer� It didn’t help that I have always struggled with writing� Those words really shaped how I felt about writing� I assumed that because one person thought I wasn’t a professional writer it automatically meant I wasn’t a good writer� I figured writing would be out of the question for me as a nutrition entrepreneur� Looking back at that experience, it feels more like one of my core experiences that is a blend of happiness and sadness� If you’ve seen the Disney movie “Inside Out,” then you know exactly what I am talking about� The happiness comes from the lesson I’ve now learned� Writing like I talk can be my superpower� How? It allows me to be authentic� Merriam-Webster defines authenticity as being “real or genuine: not copied or false� ” Authenticity is huge when it comes to business� I’ll give you a scenario� Let’s say you’re getting ready to pick a new niche, you’re super-excited, but when you research a bit … you find a bunch of people in the space already� You start to wonder if you should pursue it because it feels like there's already a thousand people out there talking about it� When you stay true to yourself, when you stay authentic, it won’t matter if there’s one or a hundred people in your niche� Your story, your approach, the way you work with your clients is unique� Much like the advice a lot of us preach, “there’s no one-size-fits-all diet,” there’s no one dietitian that can fill the need for each niche� Here are three pieces of advice to build authenticity in your business�

1 Trust your gut. We all have an inner instinct – stay in touch with it as you make business decisions� Don’t always solely rely on what we “should” be doing�

2 Define your story. No one will have the same story as you and that alone will help you build authenticity and trust with your audience�

3 Ditch perfection. Perfection is boring and it isn’t real� Embrace all the messy parts of being a business owner – it leads to growth� You might be wondering if there’s an amazing ending to my story of thinking I’m a bad writer� Not quite� I’m still not that confident in my writing but I did have a major breakthrough� I’ve realized that the 700 captions I’ve written for my business Instagram account have allowed me to be able to connect with thousands of people� All thanks to my authentic writing which to this day is in the style of how I talk!

Amanda Sauceda, MS, RDN, CLT, loves pizza� She has a running list of her favorite places and places that she wants to try � Her number-one pizza place used to be a luggage room in the golden days of Hollywood and has a fermented sourdough crust that is to die for�

Learning from Failure

KRISTI COUGHLIN

MS, RDN

INCOMING DIRECTOR OF MEETINGS

Hi, I’m Kristi and my private practice was a total flop� Despite the failure, I have since started a business that aligns with who I am and what I want out of life� Here’s the story of my first business, the lessons I learned and actionable steps you can take� First, let’s talk about the elephant in the room� There is more than one way to be successful as a nutrition entrepreneur� Unfortunately, for too long, I had a (flawed) belief that to “make it” as a dietitian business owner, I needed first to have a private practice�

WARNING SIGNS AHEAD

Here is one thing I wish I had learned sooner: private practice is not for everyone� Perhaps people told me to reconsider, but that message was ignored� At the time, I was in a bind, and opening a private practice seemed like the answer to my problems� In other words, it was a means to an end� {Red flag #1} Additionally, a little voice in the back of my head would continually say, “you need to start a productbased business�” Yet again, I did not listen� {Red flag #2} Then there was the fact that I didn’t want to tell people what I did� Even as my business started to gain traction, I didn’t always like getting new clients� There was a part of me that wanted to hide� As in, I didn’t want to be doing what I was doing� {Red flag #3} There were indeed more than three red flags along the way� Since they were all ignored, it is no wonder my business would crumble when my life came to a crossroads� I was not completely committed to private practice, so it was only a matter of time until things fell apart�

A NEW BEGINNING

Now, this isn’t the end of my story� Despite everything that happened, I knew entrepreneurship was in my blood� This time, I was more deliberate� And, I applied the many lessons learned from the failure of my private practice� Today, my business is focused on creating uplifting products, all of which were inspired by former private-practice clients� The strength of this new beginning rests on the fact that I have not dwelled on what went wrong; instead, I’ve learned to appreciate the process� Transitioning to a product-based business has been filled with ups and downs� Many of the skills I nurtured while running my private practice have been used on this new adventure� As a result, there have been times I feel as though this whole entrepreneur thing is a piece of cake� On the other hand, some challenges arise due to operating a completely different business model� And, I am once again struggling to find my footing� Learning to embrace the ebb and flow of business — and life — has been one of the greatest gifts� The best part, I get to wake up every day and work on creating products that positively impact the world�

LESSONS TO HELP YOU

y “Failure is success in progress.”

— Albert Einstein

You cannot live life executing everything with the precision of perfection, no matter how hard you try� When you fail, you learn

and often uncover stepping stones that lead to your true path� y Listen to your intuition. Don’t ignore the red flags� Pay attention to your strengths and weaknesses� Are you planning to start a business that utilizes your strengths? If it will challenge your weakness, are you truly interested in cultivating those skills? If you cringe when thinking about doing those tasks, it might be a red flag� y Drown out the noise. The number of opinions that will pop up when you start a business is incredible�

You do not need to shut down all the ideas or suggestions� Listen to feedback, but stick to what is best for you and your business�

Remember that too many external influences can result in a company not being aligned with your passion�

THE FIRST STEPS TO CHANGING DIRECTION

y Get introspective. What makes you tick? Are you genuinely excited about your new business? Will your business be a complement to your strengths? Are you eager to grow and learn from your weaknesses? Be honest with yourself; set your ego aside�

Sometimes the answers to these questions are difficult to accept� y Gain clarity. Check out Robbie

Osenga’s TEDTalk called “Finding

Clarity in Your Calling.” He also has a free Udemy Course titled “Clarity in Calling�” It helped me understand what I truly wanted out of my career and life� You may learn something about yourself along the way that will help build your business�

Kristi Coughlin, MS, RDN, loves spreading happiness with her business Bring About Happy by creating uplifting products inspired by former private-practice clients� In her spare time, she can be found with her family by the lake, traveling or enjoying her favorite food - pizza!

You Don’t Need Social Media to Run a Successful Business

STEPHANIE DORFMAN

MS, RDN

INCOMING CHAIR

I am fully aware that creating a consistent flow of content for social media is not my strong suit� I am OK with that and here’s why� Having a huge number of followers on social media is not the only way to run a successful business� I currently have Instagram and a blog for my business to express who I am as an anti-diet dietitian and to refer clients if they have questions or want further reading� Christine Byrne, MPH, RD, a private-practice dietitian and journalist, shares similar ideals when it comes to social media�

“I feel SO STRONGLY that social media is not the best way for most people to grow� I really think the return on investment on social media — particularly Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok — is low when it comes to growing a business� They demand a lot of time� Plus, everything you create there is fleeting and fairly surface level� I'm probably biased because I'm a writer, but I think focusing on SEO and/or email-list building is a much more valuable way to build an online presence� You can create content that goes deeper and is more lasting, which helps build your brand� And you don't have to be plugged into it every day, or even every week� ”

My strength is connecting with other people� I have introduced myself to others by reaching out via email, attending networking events and setting up coffee dates (in person or virtually) with new contacts who share similar values to me and my business� Here are a few tips to get started: y Have a template: Create a simple email template, about a paragraph long, to use when reaching out to new connections� Include a quick description of your services, why you are interested in connecting and how you could help each other by forming a relationship�

Use your template and edit as necessary depending on your audience� If you are calling them, be ready with a voicemail script as well, something quick sharing who you are, why you are calling and why you would like to connect� y Create a resource to share: Provide a simple handout on one of your specialties for potential clients and referral sources� It gives a glimpse of how you work with clients� For example, I created a handout discussing five ways to unlock your inner, intuitive eater with sample exercises I use with clients� y Sometimes, do things for free.

Your work is extremely valuable�

It is also important for people to know, like and trust you before they pay for it� Offering free resources or presentations to potential referral sources can help build a strong community for you and your business� I previously underwent physical therapy and became friendly with the staff at the clinic� I offered to provide a free talk with its staff discussing the benefits of intuitive eating for themselves and their clients� This may sound scary and awkward to introduce yourself to people you don’t know, but the fear and awkwardness fade away after you make your first few connections� I really hit it off with one professional in particular� We started with a Zoom coffee date and found that we had so much in common - both business- and liferelated� We met again in person and connected often after that� We now refer clients to each other and reach out for guidance regarding each other’s speciality areas� It’s nice knowing that my time on social media does not have to be all about work� I put very little pressure on myself to create and share new content, and spend my time focusing on real-life connections with like-minded professionals�

Stephanie Dorfman is passionate about all things wellness, running outdoors, puppies, peanut butter and spreading all of the joy � When she’s not at her corporate food service job, you can find her running (usually in Astoria or Central Park), baking challah, or laughing with family and friends� During the summer months, look for her at her favorite sleep-away summer camp, where her family still works and where her grandparents met� Stephanie loves being able to combine all her passions into her profession every day �