The other day I had the delight to catch Nureen for a blissful catch-up with her and Feed Me Good.
Feed Me Good has been thriving, with many projects on the go, the last few months have more importantly been an opportunity for reflection.
Nureen speaks of the importance of refocusing on the vitals of her operation. Finding the next way she can inspire inclusive education about healthy eating. As well as how she can empower young people to be self-sustainable business owners.
What struck me the most in our conversation was Nureen’s emphasis on self-care. As a CEO it is very easy to get overwhelmed with impressive mountains of work. And that is okay.
Following this summer’s evaluation with Community Bridges, Nureen has decided to take the time to reevaluate her company’s trajectory. An incredibly crucial moment for any business. In her words, an opportunity “to strip everything back to the bare nature of it”. Almost like economical meditation.
Nureen and Feed Me Good has found the time to understand and recalibrate its evolution. A work in process that follows the company’s general development.
And despite focusing a lot of energy on ‘remodeling’, Feed Me Good hasn’t stopped doing good.
Still busy as ever with collaborative projects with the Eden Project, Ikea, Jubilee dinner and the inclusive eat well plate. There are so many manifestations of Feed Me Good’s mantra of promoting sustainable living and eating as well as an inclusive and community-driven approach to how we feed ourselves. On top of that, she’s focusing on expanding the merchandise associated with Feed Me Good. Developing marketing campaigns that would sell bento boxes, weekly recipe plans, and deliverable traditional dishes.
What’s next:
Nureen is finding the right balance between community and corporate. Not just how to navigate but also how to create a bridge between the two. How to maintain a sustainable income while benefiting and uplifting her community.
She is particularly interested in volunteers and how she can benefit them and vice versa. Young people need more opportunities for hands-on business experiences.
Realizing that Feed Me Good has a variety of cogs in its work, from social media marketing to data analysis, to face to face networking, means that there are many opportunities for young people to learn and gain leadership.
The trick is developing a sustainable regenerative system that allows young people to participate in the company and their education, for periods at a time.
Developing this alongside the corporate model could be a way to facilitate young vulnerable people into employability and business ownership.
Talking with Nureen, we discussed the nuances and importance of uplifting young lives. Finding the most efficient way to do it takes time.
If you are interested in developing a youth volunteer program within your organization here is an introductory article I found that might help lay the founding stones.
As Nureen said, it's about “The corporate having access to us, and young people having access to volunteering.”
Going back to the ‘bare nature’ of Feed Me Good; ‘helping others’ refocused Nureen on the importance of face-to-face help. How to make Feed Me Good be even more meaningful. Appreciating corporate development without losing sight of community.
This can be the challenge of most grassroots operations focused on community wellbeing. Sustainability or one’s economic wellness as general wellbeing. What can we do to support independent business owners better? And make sure that when they’ve built something up all on their own, once they get to the top, someone is there to catch and support them.
For more catch-ups with Nureen read our past articles, visit her evaluation page or listen to our podcast.
Don’t miss Nureen’s recent feature on Metro Uk Newspaper giving us the best hot tips on how to turn your kitchen into an energy and money-saving machine.
Words by Mona Neilson, Illustrations by George Harvey.
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