Kate Holm, founder of Holism Health co

Who are you and what business did you start?

My name is Kate Holm – I’m a practicing naturopath & nutritionist of 10 years and the founder of Holism Health co (www.holismhealth.co) – a postpartum meal delivery service and curated hub of products and education for women and families. Most importantly I’m a mum and wife, and a passionate educator and health detective!

What’s your backstory and how did you come up with the idea?

After many years of my own health challenges I began exploring nutrition and diet out of interest. My work at the time was unfulfilling, and I soon found myself completed captivated by the world of nutrition and herbal medicine so decided to take the leap to study. My clinic evolved from there, but it wasn’t until more recently that the postpartum meal delivery service was born. My husband, also a nutritionist, was set to open a cafe towards the end of my second pregnancy.

Through a (now) laughable series of events, it fell through right at the last minute – and while he let go of the idea of owning a cafe, he couldn’t let go of the idea of creating pre-made meals to nourish families. In conversation one day we were toying with the idea of making meals and selling them through my naturopathic clinic. I said out loud “we could do it, but it would have to be specific to fertility, or pregnancy, or postpartum” – as soon as the words came out of my mouth the penny dropped. A postpartum meal delivery service! It was so aligned with our values and our skillset, and a much needed gap in the market. The rest is history 🙂

Describe the process of launching the business.

The most recent launch of the postpartum meal delivery service has been RAPID and FRENETIC! It was one of those ideas that had a life of its own, so it really was only a couple of months from the initial conversation to when we launched. Thankfully we already had many of the skills that we needed to make it happen (my husband and I both being trained nutritionists, he has a background in hospitality as well as packaging, and I had connections in the pregnancy, birth and family community).

We feel very guided – everything fell into place as we needed it – the perfect commercial kitchen became available, the right people spoke out to promote our service, and there really is such a strong need for the product in our community. As much as there was ease in many areas, there was also a lot of effort – late nights, building a website only to rebuild it a month later, writing recipes and testing them over and over again, spreadsheets for costings, starting all new social media pages, photography, design, buying equipment etc etc. There is A LOT to consider when launching a product based offering, but we found so much joy in the process because it felt so aligned and exciting!

Since launch, what has worked to attract and retain customers?

Social media definitely plays a huge role – both through our own channel, and also through aligning with relevant influencers and other businesses. My naturopathic clinic which is very well established has also been great to generate interest, as well as being able to provide additional resources and offerings to mums who purchase our meal packages. I think a huge key is authenticity and having genuine passion – people can sense this and will relate to you more personally when you show up in your truth.

How are you doing today and what does the future look like?

Today we are GREAT! Business is thriving, and the main challenge is finding work life balance with 2 little ones at home. It is very easy to work all the time, especially when things are so exciting and growing – but ultimately we want the future to hold more time together as a family, so are trying to put some measures in place to achieve this. The short term future will reveal entirely new branding which feels much more suited, as well as an entirely new menu and package offerings. This will hopefully allow us to transport the meals more easily and reach customers in other areas.

Through starting the business, have you learned anything particularly helpful or advantageous?

Things don’t have to be perfect to be exactly what people need. There are somethings that DO need to be perfect (for example for us food handling and safety), but other things are not as make or break as I once thought (such as logos, or label design). It has always been a bit of a block for me and I have sat on many ideas and not allowed them to be birthed because I didn’t have EVERYTHING perfectly how I wanted it. The postpartum meals really had a life of its own, so I was forced to relax on things that would have previously blocked me – and you know what? No one cares what the sticker looks like, or if the website is immaculate. When the offering is great and has heart – that will speak louder than anything.

What platform/tools do you use for your business?

I feel like I have a million subscriptions these days. The website is built on Shopify, we use Klaviyo to integrate and run our newsletter campaigns. I’m also building some online courses through Thinkific. Canva is used almost daily to create instagram posts or other content. Instagram is a huge tool – but to be honest I have forgotten entirely about Facebook. Google Drive is really useful for being able to share files with staff and contractors. I also manage my Naturopathic Clinic through Practice Better.

What have been the most influential books, podcasts, or other resources?

The Surrender Experiment by Michael Singer, My Business Playbook Podcast and The Jasmine Star Show and instagram account.

Advice for other entrepreneurs who want to get started or are just starting out?

Always check in with your values and your WHY. When these are aligned with your business idea it will become less work and more passion project.

Where can we go to learn more?

You can visit our website www.holismhealth.co or follow us on instagram.com/holismhealth.co