Without innovation and pushing your own limits, your business doesn’t grow. Innovation is key.
Gisela Bouvier is a bilingual wife, mom, and Registered Dietitian Nutritionist from Miami FL, now living in Southwest FL. She received her Bachelor’s of Science degree in Dietetics and Nutrition from Florida International University in 2008 and her Master’s of Business Administration degree from Saint Leo University in 2014. Gisela has worked in a variety of Nutrition fields, including acute and long-term care, renal, bariatrics, and private practice. Gisela has owned her own business since September 2016. She is the owner of Mindfully Intuitive Nutrition, a Nutrition Consulting company. She dedicates her time in hosting in-person and virtual Small Group Nutrition Counseling and Corporate Wellness programs, with a focus on Mindful and Intuitive Eating. Her approach is an all-foods inclusive approach, focused on taking diets out of life, and nourishment back in. Gisela is also an expert at Healthcare Menu Facility Reviews, ensuring food quality and quantity for patients. Lastly, Gisela is the co-creator of the Mindful and Intuitive Eating Practitioner certification program, sharing a positive nutrition approach with other Wellness Professionals. She is also a Certified Spanish Interpreter and Certified Barre Instructor.
Where did the idea for your company come from?
When I started my business, it was called B Nutrition and Wellness. However, as my company and brand began to evolve, I wanted to ensure that my nutrition approach and philosophy was relevant to my name. I changed my business name to Mindfully Intuitive Nutrition in May of this year.
What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?
My work schedule differs daily. When I am hosting a Corporate Wellness Program, 2 days out of the week are dedicated to the program, creating workshop content, setting up Lunch and Learn workshops, and meeting with the workshop attendees for one-on-one consultations. My other days consist of working with local healthcare facilities in creating, reviewing, and analyzing their facilities menus, to ensure USDA Dietary Guidelines for their patient populations are being met. I, then, also dedicate time to a few individual client consultations during the week and set time for media writing and social media content creating.
The only way I can maintain productivity is by time blocking and checking my calendar daily. If I do not stay organized, my work priorities do not get accomplished.
How do you bring ideas to life?
When I have an idea, I believe in asking my business coach (Amy Sowards, MS, RD) and trusting colleagues what their opinion on my idea is. I also most recently started polling and asking my target audience what their needs are and how I can help them. This, in turn, helps with the ideas I create and pursue to implement.
What’s one trend that excites you?
I don’t like to call it a trend, because it truly is a way toward sustainable health, but I love that more and more people are learning and implementing Mindful and Intuitive Eating. Individuals are seeking to want to find a balance that works for them, to honor the foods they desire, and to take time to enjoy food again. The are also more Wellness Professionals, Organizations, and even Celebrities supporting the Body Positive, Self-Kindness, and Mindful approach to strive toward health.
What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
Making a list of items I need to get done that day. I create the list based on priorities and then set time to get each done. If I don’t do that, my workload and flow is all over the place.
What advice would you give your younger self?
I would tell my younger self to seek a business coach right away, focus on creating systems of passive income, and to be authentic to message and myself from the get-go. When I started my business, I hesitated to invest in a business coach for fear of “wasting my money.” However, I learned that starting your own business does not have a set blueprint and having had my business coach from the very beginning, could have saved me time, money, and helped me to better strategize. I am now working with my business coach to create passive income methods that help others with my authentic message and approach to nutrition.
Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.
I believe that some people disagree in my business model. As a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, I do not focus on growing my business by doing one-on-one counseling because it simply isn’t scalable. As much as I enjoy it, only seeing 1 client at a time, limits on how many individuals I can help and the potential financial impact on my business as well. I believe in creating programs where I can impact groups – where clients pay a lower price to learn about the tools that can help them, but I am helping many at a time. Focusing on group programs and counseling and creating passive income streams creates a sustainable business. In the words of my friend Libby Rothschild, MS, RD, “You want to exchange less time for more money and make an even bigger impact.”
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
I am constantly finding ways of innovating my business, my brand, and my approach. Without innovation and pushing your own limits, your business doesn’t grow. Innovation is key.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?
Feedback surveys have helped me grow my business. Upon completing a workshop or program, clients take surveys and let me know what worked and what did not work with my approach. If I do not ask my audience, I cannot make changes, improve, and grow. Also, a social media presence, particularly on Instagram, allows me to engage with my audience and potential clients.
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
One failure in my business is that I was sub-contracted by another company to be their Dietitian. However, I was being poorly paid and it was taking most of my time – I was growing their business and not my own. When I finally decided to leave the company, my monthly income was almost nonexistent and I had no other revenue streams to help support my family or myself. Luckily, I overcame it by hiring a business coach, rebranding, and working day in and day out to share my message and start gaining traffic toward my services.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
Create content and products your audience and clients want and sell them. This is something I have truly been thinking about and have started the process with the past few months. I know that it is what is going to grow and sustain my business.
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
The best $100 I recently spent was on joining a Business Mastermind. Connecting with other mind-like entrepreneurs has helped me think more critically about my business and how to work on my next phases. Doing the same in helping others in the group with their business is also very rewarding.
What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
I cannot live without Google Calendar. I am able to create time blocks to get things done, schedule calls and tasks, and keep my day organized.
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
I recently started reading You are a Badass by Jen Sincero. The book is about changing your mindset, believing in yourself, and thriving in your personal and professional life. If you do not believe in yourself, you cannot thrive.
What is your favorite quote?
My favorite quote is by Albert Einstein: “Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” I am a big believer that success will come as long as you constantly strive and achieve to provide value.
Key learnings:
• You can’t be a leader without accepting leadership first.
• You’re business won’t flourish, if you’re not aiming to make an impact.
• Organization sets the foundation for productivity.
Connect:
www.mindfullyintuitivenutrition.com
www.facebook.com/mindfullyintuitivenutrition
www.instagram.com/corporatenutritionist
www.linkedin.com/in/giselabouvier/
Mario Schulzke is the Founder of ideamensch, which he started a decade ago to learn from entrepreneurs and give them a platform for their ideas.