Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Sydney Durbin, Chief Marketing Officer of Rare Nutrition, located in Saint Joseph, MO, USA.

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

Our company is called Rare Nutrition, and we craft and provide protein-dense baking mixes to healthcare facilities, primarily long-term care, and acute & post-acute inpatient facilities.

Tell us about yourself

I first began working on Rare Nutrition when my best friend from college, Mark Modlin (CEO & Founder), asked me to do some company branding in 2019, my junior year of college. I was a double major in both Graphic Design and Strategic Communication and was always looking for work to add to my portfolio. I took on the task, and from there, I never stopped working for and developing Rare Nutrition.

Once I graduated, I went full-time at Rare Nutrition as the first female executive. Each day I am further motivated by both the impact that I see our company having on the healthcare food industry and being a woman c-level executive. Being Chief of Marketing allows me so many opportunities to be face-to-face with the dietitians, nutritionists, and nurses that work in the facilities we provide to. I am proud to be providing a product that they are eager and confident to give to their patients and residents, finally providing them with healthy, real, and freshly made food options.

I also came from a home where only one of my parents received a college education, so being a woman entrepreneur/executive is so special to me. I struggled my first few years of college, I had undiagnosed ADHD and was suffering tremendously with my mental health, but I was surrounded by professors and a family who refused to give up on me. Rare Nutrition gave me a purpose, somewhere where my work meant something, and I was a valuable piece of the puzzle.

Now I have a career and a platform that not only allows me to make a massive impact on the healthcare industry but I also have a platform to give back to university students, women, and men, like myself who are barely scraping through in college and never imagined that they could have a job like this straight out of graduation.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment would be the day that our product finally hit the market. We spent a little over two full years in development, so the day we became available on US Foods Direct, and Sysco Supplies On The Fly was one of the best feelings in the world.

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

Having to welcome and recognize the fact that 45% of businesses fail within the first five years. In order to become a successful business, you have to be comfortable with that statistic and think of it every single time you feel like stopping. People fail to recognize that you truly put your everything into a start-up, so the possibility of failure is always at the forefront of your mind. I worked two jobs, finished two degrees, and worked at least 20 hours a week on Rare Nutrition for over two years before I ever saw a check. It's hard to accept that lifestyle and not occasionally think failure might be the easier option. But when you begin to use it as fuel, you see real results.

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

  1. A college education is not the end-all-be-all; you don't have to have a degree to run a business.
  2. You have to be willing to trade today's free time for tomorrow's success.
  3. Networking with anyone and everyone is incredibly important. Knowing people goes further than dollar signs ever will.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.berarenutrition.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sydney.durbin.7/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sydneydurbinpr/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sydneydurb
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sydney-durbin-196735216/

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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