We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Danielle Izaak a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Danielle thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.

The year is 2019, I have just moved to the RDU area in August with a determination to be and do more. I was not clear what that was, how it looked, in what way, I just had a feeling, call it intuition, that this was an opportunity to pivot in all areas of my life. I wanted more out of my life, in what I was doing work wise, connecting and building genuine bonds with people, and a desire to surpass the things (mindset/habits) that got me to that point. I’ve been working in Healthcare for almost a decade and I enjoyed being in the position of a resource and educator but it wasn’t enough. I sought out starting my own business in health and wellness as a Nutritionist but wanted to create a space for partnership with others i.e. contractors and hit several roadblocks with starting a brick and mortar business. I honestly felt defeated that I would be stuck having to change jobs/companies every 3-5 years because I always met a cap/felt stuck in what I was doing due to no room to grow or advance. I still believed in my dreams even though the embers of that fire felt like they were slowly dying inside of me. I sought out self development books and spaces with others looking to grow online, it was overwhelming not knowing if they would be helpful to me. I met my mentors and coaches through being open to having a conversation and sharing my dreams/desires, skeptical but willing to listen and learn factual things. It made sense to me what they shared, I that I would be able to provide services and products to clients in the area of health and wellness. It didn’t require having a physical building nor stocking up on products because I had access to an online platform for the products as a partnership. Plus, I didn’t have to quit my day job which some of my income would fund my business until I grew my business to sustain itself. I always knew one thing, the internet was going to change the trajectory with how we do business and with whom we could reach. I thought it would be nice to take part in changing others lives for the better through connecting with more. The pandemic definitely made that transition to .com commerce happen at lot faster than most anticipated however, that shift is still ongoing. I did not to let this opportunity slip out of my hands so I jumped on it in the midst of the pandemic in 2020 and I’m still here to today. I have learned a lot about being an entrepreneur especially in the e-commerce space. It’s about my brand, values, what I stand for and who I am as a person that people connect with first before the products and/or service. I’m sharing myself and building genuine connections first, the profits will come.

Danielle, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I was born and raised on an island called Montserrat (Aliougana) “The Emerald Isle” and dreaming big was always my thing. I couldn’t wait to make my mark in this world. I was going to make an impact even if I didn’t know how. Over the years I have lived in different countries/places and eventually came to the US in 2000. Science and technology always interesting to me from an academic standpoint so I thought a career path related to medicine or research was for me however, I didn’t feel that way in my heart. Eventually, I ended up in Healthcare but from an administrative standpoint. I took the time to learn as much as I could in my industry to helps other be informed especially about healthcare. Ultimately, I felt the need to do more and saw that the more people you can serve for the better the more you reaped in life in both tangible and intangible ways but the question was in what way. I learned of an opportunity to be an entrepreneur and did not hesitate to take it. I finally found a way to reach people and make some income was my thought. I thought with the leverage of the internet, this was going to be easy connecting with people and sharing what was available to them by connecting with me. Little did I know that an e-commerce business partnership or any kind of business venture may be simple or straightforward yes but, that does not equal easy hence why I refer to that as uninformed optimism. The excitement for what can be is a great thing to feel but that isn’t sustainable by itself. I had to learn to dig deep into why am I doing this business because it truly is a rollercoaster ride and I needed to be anchored regardless of the twists and turns that will come my way and test my intentions for doing what I am doing. I started an e-commerce business in health an wellness as a consultant whilst being mentored to become a coach. I focus on solving an individuals health and wellness problem from the inside out i.e. weight management, energy, sleep, sports nutrition and targeted areas such as diabetes, digestive health, liver health, bone health, heart health, and immunity to list a few. There is a lot of information out there on health and wellness which can be overwhelming and/or intimidating not to mention confusing. I serve from the position of supporting the individual’s choice and empowering them with meeting their desired outcomes. My clients are in the drivers seat because they know their destination, they take ownership, it’s not mine therefore, I assist like a GPS would. As health professionals we should work in tandem with the individual based on their needs, lifestyle etc. As individuals we really know ourselves best (although we may have been told otherwise) and some just need guidance or a different perspective whereas others need in depth assistance with beginning to implement change along with the support. I believe in sustainability and being informed about the products you’re consuming, One of the brands I partner with believes in using ingredients sourced from certified organic farms and having their supplements tested certified by a third party called NSF that verifies what’s on the label is exactly what’s inside the container. The root of sharing this is how are we as individuals, businesses, a society excelling to be better than where we were before. That was my driving force with starting my business and it’s how I feel when interacting with any client, how can we be and/or do better today, one step at a time. I too am still learning and growing to be better as a person which then reflects in how I do business with others. I am proud of becoming more of myself than anything else and being an entrepreneur showed me I needed to connect with me first before I can extend connection to someone else. I have to know who I am, what I stand for, what are my values, what’s important, how to share my story to bond. People really do come before profit, I truly believe that but they have to see me. I want others to know that the change we’re all seeking, whatever that my be starts with self first, it’s a process or journey, it’s going to be messy or not look pretty at times and that’s okay. This applies to health and wellness too, there isn’t quite a “that’s it I’m finished/done/the end” because we evolve and change over time and I’m here as a support in the midst of that mess or discomfort to say you’ve got this, do what you can today.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

Honestly, what has been the most helpful is understanding how my mind has been conditioned to operate and think as an employee. Nothing is wrong with that in and of itself. We’re not necessarily taught to question the why of things too much, not speak up or against anything too much, how to incorporate creativity, understanding what success and failure really means, the list goes on. Out of the few I’ve listed, understanding failure and success is crucial in entrepreneurship; failure is your feedback loop not that you’re not “successful” and success is truly self defined not by the terms and standards we’ve seen outside of ourselves. For me, I feel that succeeding in my business of health and wellness is about how many people’s lives I’ve been able to impact today. Sometimes that has nothing to do with a specific product or service provided and it’s just about the depth of the conversation I’ve had with someone and truly listening to them and caring.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

An effective strategy I learned was from Bob Burg. I believe in people before profit therefore, from the existing clientele who are happy with my products and/or services, I ask open ended questions about others they know that they can refer or recommend to me. We already have rapport and trust that has developed into a relationship so it doesn’t feel awkward asking and also for them to share whomever they believe would benefit as they already are.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.noyanworldwide.com
• Instagram: noyanwwinc
• Facebook: noyanwwinc
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-i-3b07b038/