The Bottom Line: “Life is Short; Do What You Love”

PROLOGUE: I’ve yet to meet Margie in person.  But I can feel her exuberance through the phone and through cyberspace.  She’s full of life and lessons that she wants to share with others which makes her a perfect addition to my blog interview lineup.  Her message and her mission are simple yet understandably complex. Her story is unique yet also familiar.  Her advice here is free, but it is priceless.  Listen to her story and take her words to heart.  Then get out there and do what you love.  Now!

Melissa: How did you become interested in a career in nutrition and how long have you been an RD?

Margie: I graduated from Loma Linda University with a degree in Nutrition & Dietetics in 1990. But when I originally started back to school, I thought it would be in exercise physiology. I had a vision of working with clients in their homes, providing personal fitness training.

However, I also had a family already, so moving wasn’t an option. Locally, there were no undergrad programs in Exercise Physiology, so I next turned to nutrition.

Because I had a very strong exposure to nutrition support in my nutrition program, I was excited to practice what I learned, and quickly forgot that the whole reason I went back to school was to start my own business.

The first five years working in a teaching hospital, I loved it. I had my choice of positions when I was hired and chose to work as relief clinical dietitian. As time progressed, I realized that what I really loved was trauma and neurosurgery. I became a Certified Nutrition Support Specialist (CNSD) and when the RD who covered neuro quit, I took over neuro and trauma. My entire being was engrossed in nutrition support and I was proud of the expertise of my specialty.

However, as a teaching hospital, we took in medical interns and residents. And the surgery residents proved to be the most arrogant and obnoxious humans I had ever encountered. I was starting to battle with too many of them who were ordering inappropriate nutrition for our critical patients and soon my dream job wasn’t fun anymore. Life is too short to not enjoy what we do, so one day I came home and realized that it was time for a change.

I have to tell you that I have one particular resident to thank for coming back to my original dream of starting my own business. It was the best thing that ever happened to me, and I’ve never looked back.

Melissa: What an interesting path you’ve taken – and how serendipitous that you were led back to your dream of owning your own biz.  Tell me a little bit about your nutrition philosophy – what are you known for?

Margie: I am known for helping dietitians build the businesses of their dreams. I expanded into business coaching in 2004 and found that, through coaching, I could make a greater impact on the health of the world doing what *I* was passionate about than by working with people directly to improve their health.

My nutrition background is in functional nutrition, and for that reason many of my clients are interested in building businesses that are less than traditional.

Melissa: How great that you can still find that connection to the health of others through your business and coaching talents.  Tell us more about MEG Enterprises and how it has evolved.

Margie: In 1996, I started MEG Fitness, providing in-home personal fitness training and sports nutrition counseling. But around 2004, I became interested in life coaching. As I started providing wellness coaching to clients, other wellness professionals started approaching me to get help to grow their own businesses. As a result, in 2005, I went back to school to get my MBA in Entrepreneurship and started MEG Enterprises, Inc.

While in school, the concept of writing a book came to me for the first time. It was actually as a result of a conversation with my own coach, when I commented that one of our guest speakers talked about the importance of having a system in your business. I felt I DIDN’T have a system. She pointed out that I DID; it was my system for how I worked with my clients. She then suggested that I write it down. And, “…while you’re at it, why not turn it into a book!?” Thus, “Just Jump: The No-Fear Business Start-up Guide for Health and Fitness Professionals” was conceived. It was released in 2008 and has been a hit ever since.

“Just Jump” is a series of introspective exercises for health professionals who know their specialty but do not know business. It’s my belief that what holds too many RDs back is because they get stuck thinking they have to start with a business plan. But before they can start the planning, they have to do the soul-searching!

I like to say my book is my coaching process on paper, and many readers state that they feel I’m writing specifically to them. More than just a few readers have gone from clueless to running a thriving private practice as a result of “Just Jump.” Readers can learn more about the book from the publishing site, http://www.californiabasedpublishing.com, or they can purchase it from any bookstore, Amazon.com or in Kindle format.

But I have to say that even with clarity I gained from the business degree, it wasn’t until I was willing to seriously invest in my business, outside of my comfort zone, in a higher-end coach, that business really took off. Once I made that leap, my business just exploded! Today, I have a team of 7 people, work 3 days a week, and earn a six-figure income.

I realized that through that investment, I was investing in myself. And, as with most highly educated wellness professionals, I wasn’t going to let myself down! That’s when I realized that my 7 steps to 6 figure success was something that all RDs can benefit from. This is how I help my clients build that 6-figure success for themselves, today. For any readers interested in what this 7 step process is, they can go to this link: http://www.meg-enterprises.com/about/7-steps-to-6-figure-success.

Melissa: Well your book has been on my list to read…but now it has catapulted to the top of this list!!  Sounds like you certainly have tapped into the need that many RDs have – how to take their dreams and actually make them come true.  How fulfilling it must be for you – is that the underlying motivation for your biz?

Margie: Yes, my motivation is to empower wellness professionals, especially RDs, to live their dream! If by the end of my life just a handful of people are living a life they thought they never could have achieved, that will be reward enough. But I’m thrilled to say that I KNOW more than just a handful do, today, already.

Melissa: Besides your book and coaching, what other types of nutrition communications do you engage in or specialize in?  What do you enjoy most about it?

Margie: Probably one of the areas I most enjoy is providing webinars for wellness professionals. Because my mission is to empower others, years ago I became a CPE provider for RDs and through the years I have partnered with various other RDs to provide virtual and home study courses that help professionals expand their expertise, to help grow their businesses. To see a list of various CPE home study courses, readers can go to http://www.meg-enterprises.com/classes. Readers can also sign up for my free tip sheet, “3 Steps to Make More Money in Less time” and receive advanced notification of upcoming CPE opportunities, too. To learn more about the 3 Steps, they can go here: http://www.meg-enterprises.com/about/3-steps-to-make-more-money-in-less-time.

I’m finding that more and more RDs are approaching me to collaborate with them because word is getting out that I conduct very successful launches. In fact, in 2014, I’ll offer a webinar series for others on how to do successful, sold-out virtual launches, due to popular demand.

Another area of great joy today is offering private mastermind programs. Today the graduates of my Business Basics 101 program qualify for Business Basics 200, which is the equivalent of graduate school for wellness business. The sense of community and learning curve for these professionals is great and I gain an immense sense of satisfaction in witnessing their success, as they step out of their comfort zones and try strategies and processes they never imagined before.

Melissa: What skills or experiences do RDs need to cultivate if they want to be entrepreneurs like you?

Margie: My top 3 tips for the skills RDs need for entrepreneur success include:

1. Understand marketing. It has NOTHING to do with them, and EVERYTHING to do with what problems they can solve for their clients. Even in conversation with a potential client, if they are able to remove themselves from their focus and put that focus just on the other person, asking themselves how best to SERVE them, they will transform their business. But they have to approach this from the problems their potential clients have and the solutions they want instead. This ties in with being very clear who their ideal client is.

2. They must KNOW and BELIEVE that what they have can transform the people they want to work with. If we don’t believe it of ourselves, how do we expect potential clients to? But it goes deeper than this: This again includes being very clear who their ideal clientele are and what problems they are best at resolving for those people. Quite often RDs are very resistant to picking just one target audience because they believe that will limit their success. It’s actually just the opposite.

3. They must be clear what their vision is, and then be willing to create the plan for achieving that vision, even in the face of discomfort. When we get comfortable, growth stalls. Many people are unclear about the vision, or something holds them back from truly embracing it. Or they’re afraid to create the plan, because they’re uncertain they can achieve it. The drive has to be stronger than the fear. Then it might just be a matter of getting help to move forward. This is the type of help I offer today.

Melissa: What wonderful insights! I’m curious – what comes naturally for you and what do you have to work hard on when it comes to your biz and/or nutrition communications?

Margie: What comes naturally for me today is in how I communicate with a potential client. I went through a period where I just wanted clients. That didn’t serve me real well, and I started to feel very in-authentic. As soon as I realized that it was all about the potential client and I ONLY wanted to work with my ideal clients, things changed. Today it’s not unusual to have a conversation with someone interested in my services, who I honestly don’t feel we’re a good fit.

Probably one of the hardest things today is to not allow my excitement about what I’m creating to keep me working more than I intend to. It’s important that I practice what I teach to my clients and stick with my 3-day work week. I find that when I do stick with that schedule, my creativity and passion stay high. When I allow myself to fall into working more, these two critical aspects of my business suffer.

Melissa: How interesting.  Please share one story or experience that either taught you a lot or you think would help other RDs.

Margie: I’ve learned two things through the years that I think could help others: First, if we REALLY want to grow (AND have a life) our business, and not become a slave to it, we have to very early bring on team members. Not all team members have to be employees, though. They can be the supportive staff. If I had realized the value of such support when I started my own business, I could have grown much quicker.

The second thing I’ve learned is that my investment in my business has directly been related to the outcomes I have seen. Again, if I had realized this sooner that in order to grow to the level I always wanted to grow, I had to invest beyond my comfort zone, I would have invested much more much earlier.

For a variety of informative interviews from various health and coaching professionals, RDs can go to my Unlimited Success interview page.

Melissa: Thank you for making such important points and sharing your unique perspective and passion with us.  Any final words of wisdom?

Margie: I always like to remind people that no one ever looks back at life saying they wish they had NOT gone after a dream, but MANY people look back with regrets for not taking action.

EPILOGUE: So – you heard Margie – get out there and go for it! Aim high! And be sure to enjoy the climb!

Do you have any questions or comments for Margie? Please post your comments here!

Like what you read here? Hear what other nutrition experts have to say about careers, communication and chasing their dreams. Visit the Directory of Dietitian Interviews and be inspired!