Kyle
Over the last few years smartphones have helped me control my type II diabetes. Even when I was a devoted Android user I was able to find great blood glucose management apps that allowed me to track my diet, blood sugar and other important information and share it with my family and diabetes “sponsor”. The next thing I was in search for was a restaurant finding app. You see I’m on the road a lot.
There have been a few out there but mostly they provide nutritional guides. I can quickly go to a handful of restaurant chain apps and look up carbohydrates and even sugars in some of their dishes. But now, thanks to Jessica Meyer, the founder of Locate Special Diet, I can find restaurants and businesses that cater to diabetics. The best part though is that Locate Special Diet isn’t about just diabetics Meyer has covered just about every special diet there is from vegetarian and vegan to people looking for organic, or gluten free.
The idea for Locate Special Diet arose when Meyer was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in 2007. She wanted a way to find places that would cater to her need for a special diet in Austin Texas, and also where she traveled.
We got a chance to talk to Meyer, a female serial entrepreneur, about Locate Special Diet in the interview below.
What is Locate Special Diet
Locate Special Diet helps people find local businesses that cater to a gluten-free, vegetarian or organic lifestyle. We currently have a database of over 25,000 businesses in over 26 different U.S. cities on our live website, which launched May 14, 2012.
Who are the founders and what are their backgrounds?
Jessica Meyer is the Founder and CEO of several technology based businesses in both the field of Care and Nutrition. She graduated from Baylor University with a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition Science and a Master of Science in Human Nutrition from the University of Bridgeport. Her background in nutrition and a Celiac Disease diagnosis in 2007, have led her to a personal interest in helping others living a special diet lifestyle.
In 2009, Jessica began writing a local food blog called ATX Gluten-Free in hopes of helping others living a gluten-free lifestyle. Since then, her blog has received national exposure, including being highlighted as a Zagat Featured Blog, and has continued to influence the national gluten-free food community.
Prior to working on Locate Special Diet, Jessica worked as a Functional Medicine Nutritionist and Gluten-Free Consultant for the Austin area.
Where are you located?
Austin, Texas
How did you come up with the idea?
When I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in 2007, I struggled with a way to eat safely, not only in Austin, but in the places I traveled too. I came up with the idea to create a gluten-free mobile app and website after trying others that didn’t meet my needs successfully. Overtime, the idea really evolved and we decided to add vegetarian and organic options after seeing a need for this in the mobile and web space. Reading comments and emails from the thousands of blog readers of ATX Gluten-Free has really inspired me to help others living the lifestyle I live. My goal was to build a product that not only made people’s lives easier, but one that was also fun and convenient to use. I believe we have accomplished this with Locate Special Diet.
Who is your target user?
Those with Celiac Disease, gluten-sensitivity, vegetarian, vegans, eco-friendly users, organic lifestyle, travelers, food allergies, athletes, healthy living, tech enthusiasts, fitness enthusiasts and more!
What problem does Locate Special Diet solve?
Our service has simplified the search process for finding businesses that cater to a special diet lifestyle. You no longer have to go to multiple sites to find the type of business you are looking for. Eating out when you are gluten-free, vegetarian or organic can be a challenge. We have made it our mission to create a service that makes this process easier. Everything the user needs is in one place, and they can know that the results are a reliable source.
What is your secret sauce when compared with similar websites?
We really wanted to create a product that was centered on simplicity and user experience. The fact that we are also a niche service really sets us apart from similar websites as well. We have provided users with a reliable source of businesses that cater to their special diet lifestyle. Each business in our database was screened to make sure it was appropriate for certain dietary preferences. We have also added some interactive features, such as tips, that users can submit. We will be continually adding new features to provide the ultimate user experience.
What is one lesson you’ve learned launching Locate Special Diet?
A lesson I have learned is to not seek perfection. I am a slight perfectionist in my everyday life and I have learned to let that go in the design and development process; so we could get a minimum viable product to the users. The Lean Startup inspired me to think differently and get our product in the hands of the users so we can start getting feedback right away.
Are you bootstrapping it?
Yes, we are currently bootstrapping it, but we are open to potential funding.
What’s next for Locate Special Diet?
The mobile apps! We will be launching the iPhone, iPad and Android mobile applications in the next couple months. As far as the website goes, we will be continually updating features and adding businesses.
Linkage:
Check out Locate Special Diet here
Here’s Meyers’ Blog ATX Gluten Free
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