Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Sarah Amidon, Owner of Root & Fruit Nutrition, located in Indianapolis, IN, USA.

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

I own and operate Rood and Fruit Nutrition. It combines genetics with nutrition therapy and counseling to provide targeted, specific recommendations for clients without the guesswork. Together we can leverage your genetics to overcome chronic illnesses or optimize your sports performance.

Tell us about yourself

I would not be a dietitian and have my Root & Fruit Nutrition business had it not been for a long series of scary health issues in which I was largely on my own to figure out what was going on and how to recover from it. With a functional medicine practitioner and a gene report that was run to dig a little more, it finally made sense why I felt the way I did. I asked, "why aren't we doing this more?! We have the science!" A gene report gives us a direction to look in and specific areas to focus on upstream to hit multiple downstream targets in our biochemistry.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I genuinely feel fortunate to have met so many brilliant practitioners long before I started my own practice. Having a strong network of people who have known me and watched me overcome great health challenges and adversity, including a rigorous graduate program with two small children during a pandemic, has been the most valuable thing for me with regard to my business. It has kept me going and encouraged me as an individual. These practitioners have been my cheering section for years, and I am so grateful to each of them.

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

Being a business owner plus a healthcare practitioner feels like two full-time jobs. I have to do business-related tasks as well as continue my own learning and education as a practitioner while balancing that time with my husband and children and prioritizing what is most important to do today while not becoming overwhelmed with the larger to-do list. As a dietitian meeting with clients in my private practice, the hardest thing is holding back tears as they share their health challenges and trust me enough to share their heartbreaking stories. Our health is rarely determined solely by nutrition but also by stress, trauma, and emotional components, among other things.

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

  1. Set small goals and deadlines, and work diligently towards them. If you keep waiting for the perfect conditions to start something, you never will. If I can do a rigorous 2-year, full-time graduate program + 1200 practice experience hours with two small children during a pandemic, then believe me when I say, YOU CAN DO THIS! Have a vague bigger picture in the direction you want to go, but be open to other opportunities that you haven't even thought of yet.
  2. Don't miss an opportunity to network; make this an ongoing habit. Go to conferences, fairs, lunch-and-learns, seminars, and lectures, set up meetings with people doing things you are interested in related to your business, and just introduce yourself. Make an effort to be present, stop by, send a card, email or text and continue to engage in your personal and professional relationships. Networks fan out like flames, and you'll get many referrals and clients through your work in this area, completely unsolicited. If people don't know who you are, they cannot refer people to you.
  3. Maintain integrity in your business. If you have to compromise your values in order to gain or sell products and services, you probably don't want that business anyway. Does this business opportunity align with my values and goals? If not, you may be wasting your time.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.rootandfruitnutrition.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RootandFruitNutrition
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/rootandfruitnutrition/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-amidon/

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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