Like every little girl, I had dreamt of becoming a doctor. The reason was simple: Whenever I went to a hospital, the doctors’ white coat fascinated me and I dreamt of wearing it one day; and the doctor’s toy set was my favourite. To be honest, there was another reason: I had heard that doctors make a lot of money ;), and I thought I’ll grow up and make loads someday.
Though the thought of becoming a doctor was great, I wasn’t aware that one needs to have a lovely percentage. Many years passed by, and I managed to pass my SSC Board examinations with 80%. It was a moment of pride for me as I was the first girl in the family who managed to score so much (I could see tears in my father’s eyes, and it was the best moment of my life).
With 80% came the thought of taking up science, but the way ahead was tough. Even after a good score, I was finding it difficult to get admission, but eventually, I could get one and I felt pride in being called a Science student.
I studied hard, but somehow could not score a 90%, and it was disheartening. But at that point of time, there was nothing that could deter me from pursuing my dreams. I heard about microbiology (biology was my favorite subject,s o this decision was not really difficult) as a specialization and decided that I would become a microbiologist. And I became one!
Taking up microbiology was the best decision in my life. It gave me a direction and inspired me to do better in life .Post my degree, I saw many of my friends taking up and MBA and thought it was the best to go ahead with. But again, I could not get through it even after studying hard for a year. While this was a setback, I guess I had made up my mind that no matter what happens in life, I shall not give up.
Finally, I decided to pursue master’s in clinical nutrition and dietetics-- believe me, I never knew this would be a turning point in my life. It gave me a chance to explore myself and helped me understand my abilities in a much better way.
My decision gave me a chance to attend various seminars, participate in presentations and approach people from various walks of life. I did a presentation for Pepsico and that is when I actually discovered how well I could speak and relate to people.
I successfully completed my master’s and stood third in the batch. There was appreciation from everywhere and I had finally managed to give my best shot. Nutrition had become an integral part of life, and I myself became passionate about eating right.
It was then that I actually realized I need to have my own startup of nutrition. I always wanted to be independent, and by nature, I have always been a straightforward and strong-headed girl.
Being a girl never stopped me from pursuing my dreams. In fact, it motivated me because I feel women need to come out of their cocoon and realize that there is so much they can do.
So after working for more than two years, I finally decided to don the hat of director and founder of NutriBond.
I worked as an intern dietician at Sion Hospital and came across complicated, yet interesting, cases, and those two months have been a thorough learning experience. I also understood how difficult life can be for the underprivileged.
It was my trip to Dubai which came as a turning point in my life and NutriBond came into being. My family motivated me to go ahead, and NutriBond happened just within five days of my reaching Dubai. My family was very supportive, and they were happy that I wanted to do everything by myself and wanted to stand on my feet. Believe me, in my family, there are very few people who have managed to have a business of their own.
Though I was, at first skeptical, of starting a business at the age of 24, I was determined to do something different and innovative. When I started off, I really did not know how people would respond to it and how well I could manage the entire thing, but my friends and loved ones said that I was doing a great job and they even complimented me saying ‘you will one day make a great entrepreneur’.
The initial phase was having a Facebook page, where we could actually talk about our brand and let people know that we are launching soon. Nutribond came into being on 15th May 2016, and the website was launched on 7th July, 2016.
What started as a simple Facebook page today caters to people living in Dubai, Saudi Arabia, USA, China and India. As of now, I have written articles for leading websites like NDTV, Curejoy, Mycity4kids, Nrizone and The Quint, and the journey continues.
NutriBond has opened a large set of avenues for me in such a short period of time, and as they say, hard work always pays off. I featured for a video by an India-based blogger in Dubai and almost everyone loved it; praises starting pouring in from every corner.
I am a blogger, healthy recipe designer, speaker and a fitness enthusiast myself. Nutribond is an online health management centre where diets are planned keeping in mind the needs, lifestyle and medical issues of an individual. Moreover, my aim is to also educate my patients about the right foods which can benefit them and the not-so-right foods which can harm them. I always believe ‘Let food be thy medicine’.
Nutribond received a very good response from everybody who knew me, and even from those whom I did not know. I decided to launch an online centre looking at the busy schedules of individuals, where they do not have enough time to go and visit a dietician every now and then. With diets being sent on email and patients consulting us on Skype, life has become much easier.
Our patients have us by their side and receive constant support from us whenever needed. By that, I mean they are always connected to us via WhatsApp. What makes Nutribond different is constant support, frequent follow ups, readups, personal guides and easy-to-follow diet plans. We completely take care of all the habits a client has--whether it’s a sweet craving or occasional cheat meals. NutriBond truly bonds you to good health.
By God’s grace, with the response I have received, very soon NutriBond would be a full-fledged firm with a set of talented yet passionate employees. Right now, the entire responsibility is on my shoulders and I am enjoying every moment of it. I know it’s the time to my best foot forward.
NutriBond is like an inspiration for me; it forces me to give my best and do better every day. I am sure NutriBond would be soon a well-known health brand, and the love for it will continue to increase with every passing day.
A message to all the women out there:
Be yourself and give your best, let nothing deter you from pursuing your dreams. Every woman should get a chance to live her dream, and I am living mine. Working hard each day to make my brand better gives me immense pleasure and a great feeling of satisfaction. Being happy and successful is a choice and you have an opportunity to choose. Give your best and just leave the rest. Be a woman, be an entrepreneur.
Guest Blog By Huda Shaikh
The author is the Director and Founder of NutriBond.
image not our own