Today we’d like to introduce you to Safiyya Suleman.
Hi Safiyya, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My husband and I won USA permanent residence through the DV lottery in 2017 and moved from South Africa to Dallas in 2018. We moved to the USA with the thought that our degrees and certifications would easily be accepted here, however, we ran into obstacles.
I came to the USA as a Clinical Dietitian and quickly learned that even though my experiences and knowledge could speak for themselves, I was required to return to school to meet all the USA requirements. It wasn’t just about writing a board exam but actually going back to school.
I decided not to pursue that route and worked as a Nutritionist and Research coordinator thereafter. After having my daughter in 2019, I ran into the biggest challenge that got me to where I am today. I literally could not afford to go back to work as my compensation was too little to afford daycare! I was devastated and felt trapped.
I then decided to start joining online business trainings, masterclasses, and workshops about building an online business in late 2019. In 2020 I started an online coaching program for women that struggled with chronic dieting. We live in a society that praises thinness and keeps women trapped in a cycle of not feeling good enough, and I was ready to help them step off that rollercoaster and use my nutrition education to build body trust and respect.
I knew it was going to be hard because I did all of this while caring for my daughter with the support of my husband alone. We had no family members or friends to help with babysitting. At least not on a regular basis.
I stayed in the game for one year but felt stuck on a hamster wheel chasing after clients. It leads to pure frustration and burnout and so I took a break May of 2021.
In August 2021 I was offered the opportunity to work as the lead Dietitian for a business owner that ran a group coaching program very similar to what I had built. I loved every minute of it, and it helped me recognized that as much as I love coaching, I love learning about tech, online business growth, social media, and launch management. So, in September 2021 I decided to announce on my social media that I’m starting to take on clients that were in the similar niche to mine (ditching diets and creating a healthful relationship with food) and was fully booked by October!
I have never looked back since then. I get the best of both worlds right now by being the copywriter behind the scenes and improving my client’s business processes so that they can run their businesses with ease.
I’ve grown my business on social media and through referrals and get support from business coaches to learn how I can continue to scale.
I take all the help I can get because I believe the shortest path to success is to learn from those who have done it before.
Alright, 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?
Definitely not. I struggled to reach women who were willing to prioritize their health and recognize how their relationship with food was truly affecting their quality of life. A part of it may be the demographic that I attracted.
I was heartbroken when I realized my business was just not making enough for me to continue paying all the running cost to keep my online program going.
It’s hard to juggle starting an online business and all the other hats I wear from being a mom, wife to an immigrant but I’m grateful for the struggle because it helped drive me to become successful.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
My company specializes in supporting businesses through virtual assistant services.
We are here to provide you with social media, marketing, launch, and admin support so you’re freed up to focus on your zone of genius. By outsourcing consuming tasks you’ll have more time to focus on running your business and bringing in new clients.
I’m known for being tech-savvy and setting up systems so that everything runs smoothly in my client’s business from the social media to their launches. I believe in the power of organization and utilize tools in the industry to help keep everything systematized.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
Our 30-day family road trip from Saudi Arabia to South Africa is by far one of my fondest memories. We had the privilege of touring 8 African countries on the trip.
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