We recently connected with Toni Marinucci and have shared our conversation below.

Toni, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

In 2011, I started a blog, Tips With Toni, as a junior in college while I was studying dietetics. For those who see me now, they may think, “she’s so lucky,” but the truth is, I’ve been working really hard for well over a decade.

There were years where my social media posts/messages went unnoticed. For every sales call that said “yes”, there were two more that said “no.”

Being a TEDx speaker and #1 best selling author is impressive, but it’s not the talk or the book that’s the impressive part–it’s that I continuously pursued speaking engagements and book writing opportunities, even in the face of rejection or setbacks.

It’s the long hours and determination I pushed through when my imposter syndrome and thoughts of giving up, snuck up. I applied to over a dozen TEDx talks until I finally got an invitation to the stage and I spent almost two years writing my book, investing in writing coaches, editors, illustrators, and more to make sure it was the best I could do.

To be successful you need tenacity. When God places something on your heart, you need to go after it, no matter what. Commitment and follow through are non-negotiable if you want to be successful. It’s not easy, but it is worth it.

Toni, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Toni Marinucci, MS, RD, is a Registered Dietitian and business owner of Diet Tips With Toni who ironically teaches people now NOT to diet. She is also a Podcast Host, social media influencer, TEDx speaker and #1bestselling author of the book, Once Upon a Diet where she discusses the parallels between dieting, dating, and romantic relationships, and how we treat them the same. Her team of RD’s provide online nutrition coaching to help women break free from the all-or-nothing mindset and encourage them to embrace balance instead. Her mission is to end restrictive diet culture by providing simple tips to healthy living while incorporating foods you love.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

You’d think as a social media influencer who provides online nutrition coaching, most of my clients would come from social media, but ironically they come from being a guest on podcasts. I think it’s because they get to hear my story from start to finish, share things that are relatable and provide realistic tips.

Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?

Scaling a business is never easy, and I learned this firsthand when I hired my first employee in 2019, followed by two more in 2020. Initially, it was a great decision – I was able to free up some time and the business began to make more money. However, as we continued to grow, we hit a rough patch. Despite my employees being paid, I wasn’t. I had forgotten the most crucial phrase in business, “pay yourself first.”

Realizing my mistake, I made some changes and started prioritizing paying myself first. But even then, I was struggling to make payroll. I tried everything I could think of to keep the business afloat, from cutting back on hours and software programs to downsizing my own living expenses. But no matter what I did, I found myself facing a tough choice: pay rent or pay my employees.

It was a pivotal moment for me, and after exhausting all other options, I had to make the difficult decision to let my employees go temporarily. It was an emotional and challenging experience, but it taught me an important lesson. I needed to focus on knowing my numbers better and build a more solid foundation for the business.

Moving forward, I plan to restructure things to ensure that my business can continue to grow sustainably. I learned that the next time I hire employees, I need to do so in a way that benefits everyone involved. This experience taught me that while it’s important to care about your employees with all your heart, you also need to make sure your head is part of the decision-making process in business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://tipswithtoni.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tips_with_toni/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/toniann.marinucci

Image Credits
https://www.instagram.com/lynellelillian/