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Name:  Nyssa P. Chopra

Business: iHeartMD, a seller of heart healthy food products in a monthly subscription box

Industry: E-Commerce, Food & Beverage, Health & Beauty

Location: California, United States

Reason for starting: I never dreamed of becoming an entrepreneur, but I did always have a vision of the lifestyle I wanted for myself and the impact I wanted to create in the world. I didn’t find my entrepreneurial spirit until I started my blog, The Cultureur, through which I found incredibly inspiring individuals and amazing opportunities that drove me to change my course in life. My goal was to change and improve the lives of others. Through my many years of traveling and living as an expat in Europe, one of the main differences I noticed were the eating habits — not just the portion sizes, but the food labeling, the unnecessary additives, the unawareness of the ingredients being consumed, and an overall lack of a basic food education. I wanted to create a way to bring that basic food education and overall understanding of wellness to Americans through a fun, innovative, and informative way, so I founded iHeartMD and recruited a team of 10 cardiologists to help me in that mission.

Related: Read about another health and beauty entrepreneur here. 

How do you define success?  In my 28 years, I have learned that success is anything but linear. Everyone needs to figure out his/her own definition of success and there is no such thing as a universal standard of success. For me, success is happiness — a feel of satisfaction. It’s getting to that point in your life where you’re proud of what you’ve done and where you’re headed and that you’ve stopped caring about what others say, think, and do. It’s about setting up incremental goals and celebrating every achievement, no matter how small or big. It’s about creating a purposeful life and letting your passion drive your words and actions. It’s about creating positive change in the lives of others, even if it’s one person at a time.

Biggest Success: My biggest success so far has been my confidence in my own abilities and vision, and doing things even it’s not the most popular decision. For me, my greatest guiding principle is Mark Twain’s, ‘Twenty years from now, you’ll regret the things you didn’t do rather the ones you did.” Before I make my decisions, I try to adhere to the essence of that quote as much as possible. With that said, my biggest success has been taking my education out of the stale confines of a classroom and gaining a practical education through travel. Having lived in 5 different countries around the world and having travelled to more than 40 others, I have learned that no matter how much I know, there’s always more to learn.

What is your top challenge and how have you addressed it? My top challenge has been to create the biggest possible impact with the limited resources available. It’s about finding the right people to help you to drive your vision.

Related: 3 Ways to Tackle Your Money Stress Solo

Who is your most important role model?   I don’t have one role model. My role models in general are my inspiring individuals who have worked hard to transform their vision into a reality, especially against all odds. They’re individuals that drown out the naysayers and negative comments. They’re individuals who have the courage to carve their own path and stick to their beliefs, even if it’s not a popular opinion. They’re individuals that work towards making the world a better place and strive to improve the quality of life for others. Above all, they’re individuals that BELIEVE…in themselves, in their ideas, and in other people.

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Edited by The Story Exchange