Today we’d like to introduce you to Kacie Barnes.
Kacie, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My business kind of started off unintentionally, with a graduate school assignment to start a blog in my final semester of earning a Master of Clinical Nutrition degree. I knew once I started graduate school that I intended to be an entrepreneur after I graduated, but I didn’t know exactly what it would look like. And honestly, my time and attention for going into the business were limited since at the time I had a two-year-old son and was pregnant with my daughter.
I started the blog for the class assignment and then after writing my first post, I was hooked. Education and nutrition are my two main passions so it was this platform where I could combine them both together. I still didn’t think it would be a business or anything like that. I graduated, decided to make an LLC for myself with the main goal of seeing nutrition clients in a private practice setting. But I continued with the blog because I enjoyed it so much. Then I had my daughter and spent her first several months focusing solely on her. Then I slowly started to see some more nutrition clients (in person and virtually) and realized that if I wanted the flexibility of staying home with my daughter AND working, that most of my work would need to be something I could do remotely, and on my own time.
My daughter is now two, and in the past year, I’ve grown my business tremendously! I started really working hard on Instagram and that was a huge game-changer. My focus is on helping moms and dads feed their toddlers and preschoolers. And these moms are on Instagram so it’s the perfect place to connect with them. I still see clients here and there, but now my business mostly is about my blog and social media. I also offer ebooks and e-guides on my site and do some public speaking events. I really think I got to where I am because I solve a problem for parents- I make it easier to navigate the transition from baby to toddler, and I make it easier for them to feed their kids. It’s been really incredible to do what I love and make a legitimate business out of it.
Has it been a smooth road?
No- it wasn’t always smooth. I do recognize I’m incredibly lucky to have success so quickly in my business, but there were several times I considered giving up. It was so challenging to balance my role as mom, wife, and business owner (and it still is!). I had several conversations with my husband where I ended up crying to him, saying I thought I needed to give up my work. It was too hard. He always encouraged me, from the very beginning. I never could have done this without his support. And being a business owner, there were so many times I just wanted someone to tell me what to do! How do I succeed? You have to have the stamina to keep up with the trial and error and just go blindly into situations not knowing the “right” thing to do and just trust your gut. That’s hard!
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I’m a Registered Dietitian blogger/influencer helping parents of kids ages 1-6 feed their little ones. Most of my work is done online but I also do speaking events and some one-on-one counseling. As an RD, I have the credentials and education to back up my nutrition knowledge. Not everyone who calls themselves a nutritionist actually has the extensive education and training that I have. But what I’m most proud of, and one of the things that moms thank me for all the time is keeping it positive and keeping it real. There’s so much info out there that scares parents or makes them think they’re not doing a good enough job. I take the opposite approach and aim to make things simpler and way less stressful.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I guess I’m a little different since most of the work I do is from home, but I do love living and working here. I’ve found the community to be incredibly supportive.
Contact Info:
- Website: Mamaknowsnutrition.com
- Email: kacie@mamaknowsnutrition.com
- Instagram: Www.instagram.com/mamaknows_nutrition
- Facebook: Www.facebook.com/mamaknowsnutrition
Image Credit:
Erica Connolly
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