Tell us about yourself and your background
I am a Clinical Nutritionist and Dietitian by profession and also the Founder and Director of www.nutribond.co.in.
Throughout the years, I believed that I would become a doctor or engineer someday. But that turned out not to be the case and I believe God had something different in store for me.
Personally I have always been a chirpy, very talkative and outgoing individual, who would not be swayed by smaller things and had big dreams.
I come from a middle class family and my parents have always taught me to value money and whatever we may have. They also taught me that god looks after good people and what you get in life is destined. But I also believe that true intentions and hard work can surely change your life and lead you towards a better fate.
I would not call myself a particularly brilliant student, but I was always someone who loved reading. I couldn’t always read a whole chapter, but I definitely could understand the meaning behind the words and put the pages into my own words.
I have always been a good listener and learner also. I understood what was taught to me in school and would make a point of going home and studying the subject that very day.
As a kid, or even now, I never had any weight issues (even though I was a foody) and I was fortunately blessed with a good body. But there was one thing that I always practised whilst eating, at home or outside, and that was Moderation.
I never gave into my cravings or temptation and I was firm with myself when it came to eating right. After years of hard work and some setbacks at the age of 24, I finally found a profession, which suited me as an individual.
Whilst pursuing my Master’s Degree, I’d already made up my mind that I was going to create my own nutrition model. The model I designed would cater to people from all walks of life and diets. Because of this I later stood 3rd in the MSc Clinical Nutrition Batch, which definitely helped define a career path for me.
I was then lucky enough to become an Intern Dietitian at Mumbai’s leading general hospital, LTMG Sion. Throughout the years this continued to remain a nurturing experience for me.
I then went on to work as a freelancer dietitian for over 2 years. At this point, I decided to launch my own nutrition website www.nutribond.in.
As the head of a firm, there is a huge set of responsibilities to take on and that is undeniably not less then a challenge. But make no mistake; the feeling of being an independent and young entrepreneur does not leave you to settle down with little sense of achievement.
I continue to learn, empower and strive to take my brand to even greater heights.
It has been such an incredible journey throughout my career, beginning as a science student to later becoming a clinical nutritionist and Dietitian. All of which has led me to finally become a young budding entrepreneur.
All I would say is, if an individual is passionate about pursuing their dreams then there is nothing that can stop them from becoming successful. Success does not come easily and it needs to be earned. Even today I make a point to read the new advancements in nutritional science. It’s important to keep informed and updated.
Recently I have completed certified diabetes educator course, which has become another aid in my career. I do continue to have a dream of writing a book, which hopefully I shall soon fulfil.
Tell us about the company you have set up
My firm is called NutriBond. NutriBond is an online nutrition model and healthcare centre, set up in May 2016, which allows anyone from around the globe to seek advice/guidance from a nutritionist based in India. The diet plans and advice are sent through to the client via email and have established calling, Skype and WhatsApp services. We host a range of different programs, including weight loss, weight gain, diabetes, hypertension and much more.
I can say in these 5 months of the company website being created, we have gained significantly more profile and hopefully shall continue to do so.
Apart from a website we also have a Facebook page, Instagram account and are very active on leading service provider networks.
Currently we are not selling any products, but we do intend on coming up with our brand of healthy food products and alternatives. Our target audience is right from 1 year olds all the way to over 60’s. After all, everybody needs to be healthy and needs nutritional advice!
Almost all of us have been making mistakes when it comes to eating healthy. This is why NutriBond exists.
Why did you set up the company? / What drove you to become an Entrepreneur?
I created this company to make people aware of the misconception regarding nutrition, which people have been living with.
Nutrition is a word that is highly misunderstood, misconstrued and misled. This is what led me to create a nutrition model that would not only educate people, but also encourage them to eat healthily.
I always strove to be independent and whilst I was doing my masters, this thought had already made a home in my mind. I worked immensely hard to understand the nuances of having a start up and how my fledgling idea would be different than the competition.
I was very clear in my mind about the fact that I would hopefully someday have my own nutrition company. I was fortunately blessed with leadership qualities and had a knack of interacting with people. However, I do believe every woman is strong and capable of running her own start up at any point. You just have to realise your strength and work in the right direction.
What has been your biggest challenge in achieving your success?
Thankfully I never faced any issues financially or professionally.
The journey has been pretty much smooth sailing till now. The only issue that I have come across is people fail to take a nutritionist seriously and would rather rely on the Internet for their nutritional knowledge. More often then not the Internet teaches them too much and in the end they land up making ‘’nutritional mistakes’’.
If you should need to enquire about nutrition, seek the advice of a professional nutritionist and not the Internet.
What has been your greatest achievement so far?
An achievement for me would be the love and the good words that my clients have to say about this firm and me. So far these kind words have definitely given me a chance to write for some leading websites like NDTV, Curejoy and the quint. But the greatest achievement I have not yet come across.
Who has been your biggest inspiration?
My greatest inspiration is my mum.
She is the strongest and the most beautiful woman on the face of this earth.
The hardships that she has faced in her life and the power that she has in herself to overcome them is commendable. No one else can ever inspire me more than she does. She has been like my backbone…supporting me and pushing me to do even better in life.
Apart from my mom I feel women like Malala Yousufzai , Kiran Bedi , Mary Kom and the late Neerja Bhanot inspire me when it comes to having a strong willpower and never giving up.
How do you balance your work life and home life?
Family holds utmost importance in my life. It’s my family who has made me capable enough to choose my own profession and to proudly work on it. Had it not been for their support I wouldn’t have been able to start my own firm.
While there are times when work majorly and conveniently takes away my time, I make sure that I keep my professional and personal life separate. I try my very best to dedicate equal time to my family and my work, so that neither are neglected. Though it can be challenging sometimes due to excess work pressure, it feels great to be with people who made you what you are today and who keep reminding you about your priorities.
What advice do you have for women starting out on their own?
Try and try till you succeed.
You should mandatorily pursue your goal no matter how long it takes. Do not give up in life; only patience and perseverance will take you towards your goal.
Never hate the struggles, they can teach you more than you have ever expected.
Keep working hard and you are sure to reap the fruits one fine day.
Can you recommend any organisations or networking groups that have particularly helped you on your journey?
I feel social networking websites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have helped me quite a lot. Being active on apps like Crofy, Practo, Lybrate, The Visit, Urbanclap, Doctorwiz and Just For Hearts have been a great boon for me.
If you could ask for one thing to help propel your business what would it be?
I would like to see Salman Khan or Akshay Kumar as the brand ambassadors of my nutrition model. The thought of these two vouching for my brand would be a dream come true. I know that both of them are very health conscious and give it their best to stay healthy, hence their presence would surely propel my business.
What does the future hold for you?
The future holds a lot in store.
Many more collaborations, new diet programs and a lot more people becoming a part of my firm. Also writing a book and launching a mobile application are in the pipeline.
In short I would love to see my business growing day in and day out, so not just the inhabitants of India know about NutriBond, but it is famous worldwide.
About Huda Shaikh
Born and bought up in Muscat, Huda studied abroad for a while and then she happened to settle down in Mumbai.
She then studied at a renowned convent school named St.Louis Convent, located at 4 bunglows and went on to pursue a career in science.
She later graduated in Microbiology and went ahead to do her Master’s in Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics in which she stood 3rd in the entire batch and 5th in the Sndt University.
While pursuing her Master’s degree she worked as an intern dietitian at LTMG Sion hospital and continued to freelance for quite some time till the idea of coming up with a nutrition model struck her. She is now the proud Founder and Director at a Nutrition website named NutriBond.
The Nutrition website has been a success with people due to the different types of articles that are posted and linked on the website, the nutrition chunks that are shared on Facebook and Instagram and the videos posted via YouTube. The aim is to always provide excellent nutrition knowledge in the best possible way. Nutrition is far different than what it is perceived.
Basically she is a Clinical Nutritionist, Dietitian, Diabetes Educator, Health Blogger, Passionate Cook, Healthy recipe designer, Motivational speaker and Fitness Enthusiast.
What’s your favourite quote?
Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall- Conficus
Do you have a life philosophy?
If good things lasted too long we would never appreciate how precious they are and hence ups and downs in life keep you grounded and never let you forget from where you have come.
Contacting Huda Shaikh
- Website
- Facebook page
- Email address
- Mobile number – 9987720011
