Today we’d like to introduce you to Nida Dolani.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’m the founder of The Real Dish. Thank you for taking the time to read my story. I’m glad I have the opportunity to share it.
I started my career working in finance and banking and have been in that industry for over a decade now. My current day job is at Bank OZK as VP of treasury for all of Texas. As much as I love that job, I’ve always had a creative side – I love photography, trying new things, and being adventurous. I’ve always found a lot of joy in sharing my experiences with others through photos and writing. So, initially, as a way to express my creative side, I started posting on Yelp and I became very active in the Yelp Community. I did this for years and built a following and I got a lot of positive feedback from individual users to restaurant owners reaching out for everything from more recommendations to review requests in exchange for perks.
Although that worked well for a few years, after a while, I wanted to be more creative in the content I was putting out. I wanted to write more reviews, post pictures, speak my mind, and just be creative. So, after thinking about it for several months, I finally decided to create a platform – The Real Dish – for me to share my thoughts, experiences, photos, and write reviews. I know this is just a fancy way of saying I started a blog, but I think the culmination of it all was pretty unique.
Today, I consider myself an experienced blogger – I share my experiences, stories, photos, reviews and uncover hidden gems all for my readers. I have asmall, but ardent subscriber base, but I’m only just getting started!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Although I haven’t had any major obstacles (thankfully), there has definitely been a steep learning curve with getting a good grasp on aspects of web development and consistently creating engaging content. There were a lot of technical struggles as expected with anything internet-related. I had no idea how to build a website. I didn’t know anything about WordPress or where to even begin, but luckily through hours of Googling, I was able to figure things out for the most part, but I’m still learning.
I just have four pieces of advice and it really goes for anyone, not just women:
1) Stop thinking about doing what you want to do and just do it, today. There will always be a reason to say “no, I can’t, I don’t know how” or “I don’t think it’ll work,” but the reality is you don’t know until you try and you will have to be your biggest proponent.
2) Don’t be afraid to ask for help. You might think that people would have no reason to help or guide you,but more likely than not, they are happy you reached out and I’ve found that the trick is just daring enough to ask.
3) Put yourself out there and connect with other creators who share your joy of creating content. It definitely makes it easier to know that you’re not theonly one embarrassing yourself by standing on chairs to get the perfect camera angle.
4) Love the journey – remember success doesn’t happen overnight. You have to persistent, patient, and overall just have fun with it.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about The Real Dish – what should we know?
At its core, The Real Dish is a blog – but we don’t limit the coverage to just restaurants or even just things to do, we cover any experience. For example, my content was just used in a national ad campaign by the company that I used to build my house – Meritage Homes. I specialize in creating engaging content for various restaurants, organizations, and brands through storytelling and through my personal experiences.
What I have found is that individuals are a lot more likely to try something that I personally have experienced myself and can recommend. Think about it, what are you more likely to try, Facebook ad recommendation or a raving recommendation from someone you can relate to and trust? That’s my specialty – I create content that my readers and subscribers can relate to and then post recommendations and thoughts highlighting my experience usually alongside high-quality photos.
I think two things set me apart. One is knowledge on the subject matter. As any blogger will tell you, content is king and ultimately it comes down to if you know what you’re talking about and if your content is resonating with your audience. As someone who was raised in Dallas and lived here for over 25 years, I have tried a lot of great restaurants and I’ve been pretty keen on venturing out. The second is my love for capturing the perfect shot i.e. photography. Pictures allow me to express my creative side, which is why you’ll rarely catch me without my DSLR camera. It’s my everyday accessory and I never leave the house without it. I want my pictures to speak for themselves and so I always tell myself “a photo relays a thousand words so you don’t have to.”
We’re interested to hear your thoughts on female leadership – in particular, what do you feel are the biggest barriers or obstacles?
To be honest, the barriers to my industry are the same for men and for women. For the most part, blogging and the internet is gender-blind. Your success depends on your willingness to make sacrifices, hustle, do what it takes to put your content out and make it be the most captivating.
That being said, the only barrier to this industry is really yourself and having the self-confidence that you can grow and become successful in this fast-paced world of social media. Although there is a lot of competition, you have to find your niche and focus on that, especially in the expanding universe of content creators.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.therealdish.co
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @therealdish.co
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheRealDish1/
Image Credit:
Shehzad Bharwani, Brittany Grafa, Tezin Walji, Clark Cabus, Kellie Kay
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
