Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Alexandra Johal, founder, and Registered Dietitian of Building Bite, located in Kelowna, BC, Canada.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Building Bites supports children from infancy to eat well, develop a positive relationship with food and ensure each child is meeting all their nutrition needs.

Most people think of eating as a very simple act, you put it in your mouth, and you eat it. However, this is a huge simplification of a more than 18 step process, with additional behavioural, developmental, and medical complexities. Building Bites was created out of the recognition of this challenge and the lack of specialized dietitians and nutrition services for infants, children, and families in British Columbia.

Building Bites is to support both parents and children in working through these challenges and make mealtimes enjoyable and a positive time for the family once again.

Tell us about yourself

For the past nine years, I have worked in pediatric clinical dietetics in a hospital setting. However, in the public sector, I found it to be so challenging to support families in a holistic way. When I started Building Bites in 2020, I was finally able to support children's nutritional issues as a whole rather than being constrained by huge caseloads leading to only having the capacity to support the most urgent concerns.

Working with families to address the underlying issue causing feeding problems and seeing long last change has been given me the most rewarding years of my career.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I feel so accomplished when I am working with a family, and they tell me that mealtimes have become less stressful, they are eating together, or they are enjoying food again. Food is so much more than just nutrients for the body. Food is culture; it can be family traditions or a time when families can connect. This enjoyment can so easily be taken away when a child has feeding or nutrition issues, so when I am able to give that back to a family, I feel a true sense of success.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

When you find something you love, and you are so passionate about you want to give it everything you have. However, now that I have my own child, it can be hard to find that balance between your business and your family. This I am still working on, and I suspect it will feel like an ongoing juggling act.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Focusing on quality, genuine service is the best marketing for long-term growth.
  2. Rather than trying to be everything for everyone, let a client know if your services aren't the right fit for their needs. Letting them know and referring them on will serve both you, your business, and your client best.
  3. As you grow and change, allow your business to do the same.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.buildingbites.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BuildingBitesNutrition/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingbites/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.