Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Andrea Hayley-Sankaran, Founder of Good Gut Ayurveda, located in Hartsdale, NY, USA.

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

Good Gut Ayurveda is an education and health coaching company that empowers individuals to take control of their health through diet and lifestyle habits informed by Ayurveda. Ayurveda is a holistic system of healthcare originating 5,000 years ago in India. As a clinical approach to medicine, Ayurveda uses biocharacteristics, such as hot and cold, heavy and light, or dry and oily, to determine the nature of the imbalances that a person is experiencing. In Ayurveda, imbalance is another word for disease, and healing is achieved through diet and lifestyle interventions that restore balance. I am a certified Ayurvedic Nutrition and Digestive Health Counselor. I work with individuals on Ayurvedic health counseling, and I run group programs that help others to adopt an Ayurvedic approach to cooking, lifestyle, and self-care that prevents and reverses chronic disease. Happy Eater is my signature 6-step program to learn how to eat healthier without feeling deprived. Students learn how to connect what they eat to how they're feeling, how to cook food that is easy to digest, the six secrets to incredible flavor, and to manage breakfast, lunch, and supper within the framework of a daily routine. Ultimately, the goal for each student is to discover their perfect-fit diet and lifestyle habits so that they may discover greater health and happiness and the energy and inspiration to fulfill their dreams.

Tell us about yourself

I am Andrea Hayley-Sankaran, founder of Good Gut Ayurveda and a joyful chef of 25 years. I discovered cooking as a form of self-care, mindfulness, and self-healing in my early 20s. It was the ancient system of healthcare known as Ayurveda that opened my eyes to the potential of healing with food. Previously, I had never cooked or learned to cook, so I got started by following the simple recipes in the book and paying attention to how the food made me feel. I soon noticed how cooking for myself was changing me from the inside out. It was an expression of self-love, self-respect, and a way of connecting to self and nature that I was really missing in my life. I also realized how deeply I was missing a sense of nourishment. From then on, cooking with love became foundational to my health in all ways—mind, body, and spirit. I dove deep into the study and practice of cooking from a spiritual and mindful place. I worked professionally for seven years as a cook, which I loved. Something was calling me, though, to be a writer and a teacher and to share my message in a bigger way. I moved from Canada to New York City and got a Master's in Journalism from Columbia University; then, I married a man from India whose family initiated me into Indian cooking. Seeing the love and care for her family expressed by my mother-in-law rekindled my joy and passion for cooking and made me want to share it with the world. I started with a food blog, which I still run, called ButteredVeg.com. Then I formalized my Ayurvedic knowledge with a Master's in Ayurvedic Diet and Nutrition and launched Good Gut Ayurveda. Today, my students and clients are my biggest source of joy and inspiration. I am forever grateful for the opportunity to help others while earning a living in a way that is true to my life's purpose.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment is not giving up. Starting a business is the hardest thing I have ever done. Fortunately, I watched my dad do it and experienced how he worked nights and weekends for the first eight years of my life to get it launched, so I knew the sacrifice it might take. Still, you always want things to happen faster than they do. You often feel like you're not doing enough or you're not doing the right thing, and sometimes you might question if it will ever work. Learning to take a step back and seeing the long view allows you to see how far you've come, celebrate the small wins along the way, and keep the end goal in sight. That's more motivating than getting lost in the weeds.

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

One of the hardest things is knowing that you are 100% responsible for your successes and failures. There is nobody else to share the blame with and no easy way to shift the blame, so you feel better. I think this is what holds a lot of people back from entrepreneurship. It takes a special kind of person to hold tight to their vision in the face of inevitable criticism.

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

  1. Starting a business can be a very lonely road. Each and every decision is yours to make, and that's hard when you don't know so many things, so it's critical to invest in mentorship or coaching from someone who has walked that road ahead of you and whom you can trust. Be judicious in choosing, though, since others can guide you astray just as well as you can do for yourself. And be wary of friends or family members who do not understand your business. They may give you the worst advice.
  2. Particularly when you are a health coach, and the service you are selling is basically you, it is critical to separate your own self-worth from your results. That was really hard to do at first, and I would find myself filled with fear and shame whenever I asked others to invest. Eventually, you get over it and realize that people have their own reasons that have nothing to do with you. You also learn to be compassionate with yourself and trust that the right people are out there at the right time.
  3. Fake it until you make it really true, although another way of saying this is to be confident. Every step I've taken in my business journey came from committing to a goal and showing up even when I was afraid. A true leader rises to the occasion and eventually triumphs. You are not the first, and you will not be the last, to build your dreams one baby step at a time.

I will finish with my dad's business motto: "When consistency is critical, Hayley comes through consistently." I used to laugh at this, but now I see the wisdom in it.

The consistent effort really is the key to success. Consistency with self. Consistency with customers and clients. That's just good business. Eventually, others will see and reward you for the excellent service you provide. Excellence is hard to find in the world, and people really do recognize it when they find it.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.goodgutayurveda.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buttered.veg/
LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3ITOGTb

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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