We were lucky to catch up with Alisha Virani recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alisha, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about how you went about setting up your own practice and if you have any advice for professionals who might be considering starting their own?

The early days of starting my practice required me to engage in networking and marketing, which was completely out of my comfort zone. I started with trying to create an online presence through instagram, creating videos and posts about nutrition.
I also had to really think through my “secret sauce.” There are so many people offering nutrition advice and I needed to stand out. I initially did this by using my credentials and educating the community on who the right people are to get nutrition advice from. This really helped me to create rapport and trust within the community. That is how I started getting some interest in my consulting services, which helped me build to the level I am at now.

Building a business is not an easy feat. The hardest part was figuring out my niche. I also worked a lot for very little in return and was getting burnt out quickly. Even though I loved what I was doing, I needed to be realistic about making my business sustainable, especially since I was still working full-time. There are only so many hours in a day! I also do not think I saw a profit from my business until about the 3rd or 4th year, which made it hard to keep going at times. I chose to work full-time and make my business a hobby which eventually grew to where it is now. To be honest, I think that worked in my favor even though it took me a while to see the fruits of my labor.

I think the most important thing to remember when starting a practice is to get yourself out there, through the media or in person. Give people an idea of what you can offer and why you are different from all the other people offering the same thing. Also, make sure to engage in opportunities that help you build your expertise. I chose to do this by working full time and gaining a ton of experience at my full time job. NETWORK! This has been a game changer for me and my business. Finding events and opportunities to talk about my business were great ways to pass out business cards and get my business out there. I even did some free presentations to use as a free marketing platform.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist based in Atlanta, GA. Finding my path in the health field was definitely an evolution of various interests and exposures.

Becoming a dietitian was never on my radar until I took my first intro to nutrition class in college. I always wanted to do medicine, but taking my first nutrition class changed my perspective from wanting to treat disease to preventing it. I changed my major to nutritional sciences in college and then went on a journey to find where i could use this degree in the healthcare field. I worked with cancer research for a few years after college and then moved to Atlanta to focus on translating nutritional sciences into practical solutions. I received my Master’s in Nutrition and Dietetics from Georgia State University and became a licensed Registered Dietitian in 2016. I quite naturally fell into specializing in diabetes care, including prediabetes, Type 1, Type 2, and gestational diabetes.

I started my nutrition business, Wholesome Fuel, LLC, in 2017 while still working full-time, as a way to expand the hands on experience of working directly with patients in a hospital setting.

Wholesome Fuel, LLC is a nutrition consulting company whose aim is to address the burden of diabetes from an individual and public health perspective. Meaning, I counsel individuals on evidence-based tools and practices that can help them create an individualized self-management plan to improve their health outcomes. This includes training clients on using insulin pumps, continuous glucose monitors and educating individuals on how to make decisions based on the data this technology provides.

I also work as a consultant for companies who want to develop diabetes specific programs and interventions. My most prominent clients include Emory University, The Type 1 Diabetes Exchange, and Kaiser Permanente. Within these organizations, I serve as a content expert, contributing to the development of technology aimed at enhancing critical thinking skills in managing diabetes. I also employ quality improvement methodologies to enhance technology accessibility for diabetes patients and deliver a research-based curriculum to young adults living with Type 1 Diabetes, addressing coping strategies for diabetes-related distress. My passion is to make an impact on a wider scale, to be a leader in the field of nutrition, equipping individuals with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to take ownership of their health journey.

Creating rapport with my clients is key. I want to make sure we both feel comfortable to address the challenges of living with diabetes together without the fear of being judged. I. make sure to honor personal preferences and culture while encouraging clients to make informed choices that are best for them. And I use this ideology to create tactical programs that are successful from an institutional level.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

Being able to build a network has been huge for me. Everyone has a different approach to how they run a business and what services they offer. Instead of seeing people as competition, find ways similar businesses can complement one another. For example, I have a larger network of dietitians that specialize in various types of chronic diseases. Instead of trying to take on something I am not as familiar with, I refer them to someone who specializes in the clients’ needs. This creates a rapport with other professionals where they will do the same with you. I have gotten a lot of business by doing this.

I also think taking opportunities that align with your business mission and values is the best way to invest your time. Especially if you are trying to run a business on the side of doing something else. Sometimes the opportunities might not be paid, but if it saves you on some marketing cost, its still a good investment.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

When I first started my business, I would take on clients and say yes to anything and everything just to have some income coming in. I was working at an MMA gym helping fighters train for their competitions and cut weight quickly, partnered with a local crossfit gym to help their clients meet specific body fat and muscle mass parameters, and took on individual clients that just wanted me to create meal plans without wanting to do the work of creating healthy habits. By saying yes to anything that came my way, I was quickly starting to burn out. After having these types of clients at the same time and realizing this is not what I wanted my business focus to be, I decided to take a step back and develop a business brand strategy that was more aligned to my professional values.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.wholesomefuel.com
• Instagram: @wholesome_fuel
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wholesomefuel
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alisha-virani