Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in career development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Andrea Nakayama, founder of Functional Nutrition Alliance, located in Portland, OR, USA.

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

Functional Nutrition Alliance offers comprehensive online education and certification in the science and art of Functional Nutrition Counseling. Our signature 10-month training, Full Body Systems, is geared toward coaches and clinicians (as well as those looking to become one!) The program has launched the careers of over 7,000 Functional Nutrition Counselors in over 68 countries. In addition, Functional Nutrition Alliance has a virtual clinic where we see clients from around the globe, primarily those who are struggling with chronic health challenges. As the founder of the Functional Nutrition Alliance, I am passionate about the powers of Functional Nutrition and how this practice can fill the many gaps in our current healthcare system. We are the 'yes, and' in healthcare, not looking to replace but to support and serve. In addition to creating the content and curriculum for the brand and spending time in the classroom with students and practitioners, I am committed to patient education through my personal writing and speaking endeavors.

Tell us about yourself

My journey to becoming a Functional Medicine Nutritionist and founding the Functional Nutrition Alliance was born from a family health crisis. While I had a passion for nutrition in my adult life while trying to manage niggling signs and symptoms that seemed to have little reason, it was my husband's brain tumor diagnosis when I was just seven weeks pregnant that really catapulted my interest to a new level. I think of that time as my boot camp in nutrition. I learned everything and anything I could to support his life as well as the one growing inside of me. My husband, Isamu, was given only six months to live at the time of his diagnosis. He lived almost two and a half years, enough time to see our only son born and spend time with him.

Isamu's illness and death, as well as my own diagnosis of Hashimoto's, and autoimmune thyroid disorder, several years later, all made me more aware of the plight of the patient with chronic health challenges, diagnosed or not. My passion for providing understanding, insight, and transformation for this patient population is what motivates me every day. The more patients I can serve through my work, the better. So many patients are underserved for so many different reasons.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

As a business owner for over a decade, there are many ups and downs, many accomplishments, and just as many stumbles. My biggest accomplishment to date is building a team that is committed and devoted to a shared mission, as well as the thousands of students we have the opportunity to serve. Each day that I have a chance to mentor and guide people toward better health outcomes is a day of accomplishment. Having built a viable business that supports this passion and these outcomes is icing on the cake!

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

Owning a business is not easy. There are many sacrifices - time and focus among them. The commitment to own a business that scales requires tenacity, hardship, and sometimes even blind faith. The marketplace changes, employees shift priorities, and what worked last year may not work this year. It's a rollercoaster. Yet one of the hardest things that came for me in being a business owner was not always being "Ms. Nice-Guy." It's a business, not a party, and that means hard decisions need to be made. As a female business owner now in my 50s, that sometimes came with external judgments or not being liked or appreciated by everyone that works for me. The recognition that being a determined, decisive, and driven woman is still not always met with the same favor as a man with these traits would likely receive has been a challenge. In a way, it's like coming into direct contact with "the ceiling."

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

The top 3 tips I'd give to anyone looking to start, run, and grow a business are these:

  1. Give yourself PERMISSION to do it. Nobody else is going to grant you permission but you. You have to give yourself permission to take the leap and to put in the time and effort (which may take you away from other things or people demanding your time.) Again, don't wait for anyone to give it to you. TAKE IT!
  2. Know your PURPOSE. If you don't, the failures become about you (i.e., you take them personally). If you do, you can be in service to something bigger than you, and you will do the seemingly impossible to take each next step forward.
  3. PERSEVERE. It's not always going to look like you expect. Get ready for that. Think about it like climbing Mt. Everest. Nobody does it in a day (far from it), most people don't make it, and it takes tremendous perseverance (plus lots of basecamps along the way). Chunk down your goals. Take one step at a time. Learn from the steps. And keep moving forward. You can do it!

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.fxnutrition.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AndreaNakayama.page
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreanakayama/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AndreaNakayama
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreanakayama/

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.

Turn your craft into recurring revenue with Subkit. Start your subscription offering in minutes and supercharge it with growth levers. Get early access here.