Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Samantha Gilburg, founder of Peachy Keen Nutrition, located in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Peachy Keen Nutrition is a holistic nutrition consulting service run by myself Samantha Gilburg. I focus on coaching clients on 'eating for life,' as in eating for longevity, energy, and feeling their best. I'm passionate about helping people feel amazing by empowering them with the knowledge and skills to make the best food choices for them. Clients gain skills, strategies, knowledge, and tools to tackle healthy eating on their own. And of course, I'm always here if life changes and they need to come back for some new strategies.
Tell us about yourself
Between dance training 20-30 hours per week, working a serving job, and teaching dance, I lived a very busy life in my early to mid-twenties. I constantly relied on coffee and convenience foods and struggled with digestive issues and a serious lack of energy. This struggle compelled me to study nutrition so that I could learn how to eat to fully have the energy and vitality to do the many things I wanted to do with my life. This education finally helped me learn to eat to feel great but also feel balanced. Carrots have just as much of a place in my diet as cake. What drives me to do what I do is helping people unlearn all of the diet culture messaging that has been fed to them and to replace that with gentle nutrition practices. A lot of people feel lost when it comes to food, so they just assume that eating healthy is not in the cards for them. Showing clients that real healthy eating is a lot more balanced and enjoyable than dieting brings me great joy.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Doing all of the brandings for my business myself was a huge accomplishment, from creating the logo to choosing the brand's colors to creating the website to designing forms, to clarifying the brand's voice... and more. I'm proud of the brand that I've created and what it stands for. When I am a client of someone else's business, I try to check out their values and their approach through things like their brand messaging, social media, etc., to see if we're aligned. So it was important to me that my values come across clearly to my potential clients.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
The hardest part of being a business owner when it's only you running the business is that you not only have to do the job you trained to do- but also every other job that pertains to the business. For example, I am educated and trained to be a nutritionist, but I also have to be my own accountant, marketer, website designer, social media manager, etc. It can be a lot, but I think starting out by doing everything yourself really connects you to your business and how it runs best.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Write a business plan. Even if you don't need to write one for anyone else to see, write one for yourself so that you have a clear reference guide to look to. Outline the businesses' processes, financials, marketing plans, branding, etc., so that your business is consistent and efficient.
- Prepare. Starting a business and taking it seriously is a big undertaking, so while you'll never be fully prepared for all of the things that come with owning a business, make sure you do your research first. For example, having an idea of the startup costs before starting can help you plan for those expenses, so you don't have to stress.
- Let yourself experiment. The first idea is rarely the one that sticks. So let yourself experiment with your branding, services, products, etc. Being too stubborn can cut you off from your best ideas.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.eatpeachykeen.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EatPeachyKeen
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peachykeennutrition/
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.
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