Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Lucie Thome, Founder of Bébé Foodie, located in New York City, NY, USA.

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

Bébé Foodie is a platform that provides parents with the tools and information they need to introduce solid foods to their babies. Its mission is to help parents navigate through the ups & downs of their baby's introduction to solid foods in a healthy, guilt-free, fun, and thoughtful way. It's just good advice matching their unique needs, no stress, no fuss. How? With a website full of helpful and pressure-free advice, consultation service to receive personalized support, and a mobile app tailored to their specific needs always at their fingertips.

Parents and caregivers are overwhelmed with the information out there, steps to take, and guilt-inducing content. They are looking for baby food advice that will not only answer their questions but also be streamlined into one place and give them flexibility. Bébé Foodie customer is a modern parents, connected and looking for versatile tools to help them navigate parenthood and make their everyday life a little easier.

Tell us about yourself

I am passionate about food and was always keen on trying out recipes and experimenting with new flavors. Creating my business in the food industry was always something top of mind. In 2020, I started gravitating toward the growing parent-tech industry, and in 2021, I decided to create Bébé Foodie. One of my first reason for taking that step was the industry itself. It felt like children's nutrition was a hot topic in the USA, and parent-focus tech companies were a growing sector driving lots of interest, in particular since the pandemic that has shined a spotlight on the need to rely on more tech-oriented solutions for modern parents. Another reason was the fact that I became a mother myself during that same pandemic! Learning from scratch and alone how to take care of my baby and his needs, also realizing that the health care space does not provide much info on nutrition itself. And also because despite loving food and cooking, the intro phase to solid foods with my son was still challenging! Everything from knowing what to give, how and when, to select the right piece of information from a vast and various content and some of that content also being super guilt-inducing on how you should go about feeding your child...(I see you bento-style lunch plate for babies IG account, or super-mom influencer doing it all from scratch and posting all about it). And most and foremost, I realized that I wasn't alone with my questions. So I did lots of research, conducted a survey, and trained as a certified nutrition consultant. I quit my job in the summer of 2021 and began sharing my passion and expertise for baby nutrition.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

To be able to accomplish so much, from growing user base to sign-off partnerships with brands and get features in renowned press hits all by being 100% bootstrapped, mother of a toddler, and currently pregnant!

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

Figuring out the best ways to scale impact and growth is timely and requires patience. It also requires consistency in order to build tailored content infused with my vision. But my challenges today include the difficulty of being seen, the difficulty of growing as fast as I would like, and the loneliness. Being a single founder and being able to strategize on finding ways to generate growth while taking on most of the ongoing and operational work is really difficult. More than I could have imagined.

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

  1. Building a business that works takes time, and it is a good thing! Don't give up, and stay consistent.
  2. Network, network, network. Someone around you have the solution to your problem, the contact you need, a tool that will change your life, or a new method that will help you scale. Reach out to people around you.
  3. Believe in yourself! Cliché, I know... But it is especially true for women founders. Imposter syndrome is a b**** Doubts, and negative thoughts might take over if you don't put in the effort you need to trust yourself, acknowledge small and big wins, and brag a bit! So go for it! Don't be shy.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://bebe-foodie.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Bébé-Foodie/100075706280987/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bebefoodie_/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BebeFoodie_
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bebe-foodie/

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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