���l�e�cer
COURTESY OF DIANE SANFILI��O
REACHING HER COMMUNITY
Sanfilippo believes that alarge social media following comes with building abusiness and creating resources that people love . “ The folks who follow me on social media do so for adeeper reason than just what ’ s there ,” she says . “ Many connected via the Balanced Bites podcast , they own one or more of my books , or they ’ re now part ofmy customer base .”
She also sells her products to customers directly through her recently-opened �agship Balanced Bites store on Union Street in the Cow Hollow�Marina District of San �rancisco .
“ I was seeking away to better connect the brand with people and bring a vibrant , joyful shop to the area during a challenging time for small businesses ,” she says . “ The pandemic brought me the opportunity to find an ideal space at areasonable price to give this idea a try , and so far , customers and neighbors alike are really taking toit . The shop is off to avery solid start .”
In an August �0�0 blogpost , Sanfilippo e�pressed her intent to “ become amore diverse and inclusive small business ” through anumber of initiatives . These include donating a portion of proceeds from product sales to the NAACP� sourcing diverse vendors for marketing and promotional materials� and actively seeking out talent from diverse communities and groups for hiring .
LIFE DURING APANDEMIC
�or the most part , Sanfilippo ’ sroutine is similar to the way itwas pre-COVID . “ The biggest change for mehas been not being able to travel much ,” she says . “ Travel is abig part of my life , typically , whether just aweekend down to Los Angeles or a�ight somewhere for work or fun �that ’ s been the biggest change .
“ Now that I ’ ve opened the shop , however , I ’ ve had abig change again tomy days in that now Ispend alot more time outside of my home to work ,” she says . “ After about adecade of self-employment and working from home , this has been awelcome shift for me .” ■
OUT NOW
VISIT MEALS . BALANCEDBITES . COM FOR THE NEW BALANCED BITES SPRING MENU
�T�� �OOD TO �A�� O�T�ON� ( Above ) �alanced �ites offers healthy , fro�en meals , delivered right to your door . These meal bo�es are available in several varieties including �eto , �aleo , ���day sugar deto� and pork�free ; or , you can build your own . ( Left ) San�lippo also sells her products at her �agship store in San Francisco . She opened the store last year because she was �seeking away to better connect the brand with people and bring avibrant , �oyful shop to the area during achallenging time for small businesses . � The pandemic brought the opportunity to �nd the ideal space at a reasonable price .
MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE MAY 2021
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