A PASSION FOR NUTRITION- Interview with Hala Alkhaldi

Hala Alkhaldi, founder of Diet Delight talks to BEntrepreneur about turning your passion into a thriving business.Founded on a staunch interest in the clinical art of diet and the lure of creative culinary, an entrepreneur’s dream was born with Diet Delight. For Hala Mohammed Alkhaldi, Founder and Managing Director of Diet Delight, it’s the reward of passion and persistence. When the concept of staying fit and satiating the palate at the same time is a practice unheard of in the creation of diet meals, Hala made it happen. Diet Delight improvised and designed weight loss and healthy lifestyle meals the way food should be enjoyed… in strict dietary compliance and yet richly flavored.

Around this niche, Diet Delight was legitimized in adherence with the standard rules of the business: personalized assessment, customized design of diet meal plans in relation to the individual’s needs, home or office delivery, and a range of choices with flavor and diet value. The packages consist of high protein low carb meal plans with choices that suit the requirements of individual clients. Hala Mohammed Alkhaldi talks about how she chased her dream and struggled until the end result seemed all worth it.

Please tell us about the concept of Diet Delight? And what inspired you to start this business?

What inspired me to open Diet Delight is the idea of people going on diet and eating boring food. Getting into a lifestyle wherein you settle for food like boiled egg, grilled chicken… and other kinds of food that are really, really boring. People start developing this notion that healthy food is not yummy. So I thought, I’ll prove them wrong. I’ll show them that healthy food can also be delicious. And it can be a lifestyle which you can stick with for a long time. I started working on the menu, flavor and quality and when that combination came together, I started Diet Delight.

How long did it take you to get all these concepts in place?

One year… from the birth of the idea, until we started our first delivery on 11.11.2011. So we just completed seven years, and I’m so happy.

What makes Diet Delight different from other products?

I think what makes us different first of all is the food quality and flavor. This is my main interest, to make it as good as possible. Secondly, the customer service that we offer clients is especially tailored for their needs, we can customize their meal plans if they want to change something, or if they feel that they don’t want to do it anymore. Add to that the degree of motivation that they derive from the dietician who stays on top of their plan and continues to motivate them. We are always there, backing them up. The customer service that we have I think is the best, and it’s results-oriented. We always strive for results… continuous results not like after you lose four kilos, you stop and don’t want to go on anymore. So I think the result is the main factor that keeps you coming back.

So you do have regular customers?

Yes, sometimes they stop for a year and then they come back. Sometimes they join the program for a month, and when then they achieve something like they lost 3 or 4 kilos, they tell me I enjoy the food and I don’t want to continue with the diet ‘cause I love the food. So that brought up the idea of offering DD On-the-Go, which is available in the supermarkets nowadays. It is available for pick up so one can stay healthy even when you’re not following a rigid program.

Speaking of DD, are you planning to franchise?

We are thinking about it seriously. We actually got a few offers. But it’s an idea that I’m still thinking of.

Let’s look at the other side. What challenges do you mainly face in the business?

There are many challenges. Many competitors open in the same field but without the same experience as ours. Some people open from their homes, and do not undergo standard regulations. There are frequent complaints about our prices being more expensive… although these are from the clients’ point-of-view. I go through this issue a lot, about DD being more expensive.We are not the most expensive but we try to control our quality. But once they have tried the others, and then they come back to me, I feel a sense of satisfaction. After having tried the others, I know they know that I’m the best. One of the main challenges that I go through is to stay on top. Everyday something new opens, so I have to try my best to sustain my position. It’s not about the big companies, it’s the small companies… the startups. Of course I want them to grow but I hope that they adhere to the regulations and do not compete with the bigger ones like us, because it’s not fair for us sometimes. The price is so much less because they don’t have the staff, the drivers, the competition, so the price difference is a big point. The customers will try them for a while, and then they will come back to us for the professional aspects, the dieticians, etc.

What is the advice that you can give to inspire the eager entrepreneur who wants to start the same business as yours, in the health and wellness industry?

In my field, they have to believe in what they do. They must have the passion, they have to study if the market really needs what they are offering, and that is very important. What makes them different, what makes them come to their brand and not to someplace else, that is what gives a unique character to the business. My advice is something my father actually gave me. I’m a dietician, I’m not a businesswoman, and when I started Diet Delight, I didn’t have the experience to open a whole business. My father and my husband who are both businessmen believed in me from the very beginning… and they pushed and encouraged me to go ahead. They firmly told me that they will back me up and support me. But I learned through the years to be stronger. I learned from my experiences. Although one definitely needs a support system. If you can’t support yourself, you need to have a backup. Take advice from someone who has the experience in the field you want to get into. Especially in business, since I wasn’t an expert in that part. I needed their advice. Shall I go for that? Shall I buy more cars? Get more staff? They would tell me, “No, not more staff, you have to wait until the market grows.” So these were the things I really didn’t know in the beginning. Because I’m a clinical dietician and nothing else. So I ask the people who can give me good advice.

Just follow your dream. Because anything can happen. I didn’t think that my degree would open a business for me. But it actually did and I’m so happy and proud of it.