Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Courtney Darsa, founder of Nourishing NY, located in New York, NY, USA.

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

At Nourishing NY, we are a group of weight-inclusive registered dietitians who help individuals heal their relationships with food and body. We specialize in nutrition therapy treating eating disorders, disordered eating, intuitive eating, and weight-inclusive medical nutrition therapy. We work through an inclusive weight Health at Every Size lens. At Nourishing NY, we accept most major insurance companies. We are proud to provide affordable and accessible care to all New Yorkers and those in the tri-state area.

Tell us about yourself

I knew I wanted to be a registered dietitian since I was in high school, but the direction of dietetics I wanted to go into changed after I recovered from my own eating disorder. During the pandemic, I started my private practice as a side hustle and part-time work, and it grew faster than I thought. Within one year, I went from having no clients to having a full-time caseload and leaving my full-time job to focus on my own business. The thing that motivates me each day is knowing that I can have a part in changing people's relationship with food/body for the better, which helps them focus on other things in their lives without worrying about body image and food.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment as a business owner so far was making the decision to hire employees. At the beginning of setting up my private practice, I thought I wanted to be a solo-practitioner, however, growing a team and providing jobs for others who are passionate about the space we work in is my far the biggest accomplishment.

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

One of the hardest things about being a business owner is setting boundaries. It is so important to keep emotions and personal life separate from your business. This was definitely a learning curve for me; however, setting boundaries and continuing to implement them is hard but necessary and worth it for a successful business!

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

  1. Start small and niche down - I would start gradually with growing your business. If you are trying to appeal to a bigger audience, it may be harder -- niching down helped me a lot to know my target audience and was helpful for me to focus on then expanding my business.
  2. Delegate tasks - as a business owner, you can't do it all! I made this mistake in the beginning by trying to control and do everything. It is best to give other people tasks for your business that they specialize in. For example, as my practice grew, I hired a medical biller to take care of insurance - this freed up time for myself and my employees to work on other aspects of growing the practice.
  3. Set boundaries - I am still learning that boundaries are everything, and I learned this the hard way. If you don't allow yourself to have personal time and work time, you will most likely feel overwhelmed and not present. Having a start time and end time during the workday/workweek is so important. Unplugging from work is vital to having a successful business and enjoying other aspects of your life.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.nourishingny.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nourishing.ny/

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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