Meet Steve Della Croce, MS, RDN, CDN, who has stayed the course and been extremely persistent to make his own dietetic dream job. He's not afraid to help you make more money as a dietitian while loving what you do.

What attracted you to the field of nutrition and dietetics?

I knew I wanted to help people and was turned off by the medical field, but my love for food and intuition that good nutrition was at the core of good health drew me to the field. Plus, I knew I wanted the ability to own my own business, and being a licensed professional gave me that option.

Your Job Title?

I have several, kind of goes along with being an entrepreneur: CEO of Nutrition Practice Management, President of SDC Nutrition (private practice).

Company you are with now?

Nutrition Practice Management

Website:

http://www.nutritionMGNT.com

Social Media:

- IG: @nutritionpracticemgnt

- Facebook: @nutritionpracticemanagement

- Twitter: @nutripractmgnt

- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/stephendellacroce

Describe a typical (or not so typical) day-in-the-work-life for you?

Since I’m wearing so many hats I’ve had to get good at focusing for short blocks of time. My days start with getting my kids ready for school. Once they’re on the bus I check email, make sure there are no fires to put out, then start with some billing work for our dietitian clients. Later in the day I see patients with kidney disease or diabetes for several hours. In between, I may have some questions to answer for new RDN clients needing help with their insurance billing. Needless to say, there is no 8-hour or 9-to-5 day for me, but I enjoy what I do.

How did you get your current job in dietetics?

What I do currently is something that I created over time. If we go back on my story about 15 years ago, it started in dialysis but within 3 years I was able to transition to being a clinical specialist for a pharmaceutical company. The reason I pursued that was because I became very good at Vitamin-D management with my dialysis patients and I learned that companies would hire experts to help their providers. It struck a chord with me because this would allow me to reach more patients through the education and training that I gave to hundreds of dietitians, nurses and doctors. I also knew that I would get some training on running a business because the job entailed making my own schedule, managing expenses, and building a customer base. Over the next 6 or 7 years my understand of business management gave me the confidence to start my own private practice and eventually offer services to other dietitians. I had a big vision and I’ve been moving towards it ever since I became a dietitian.

What skills were you born with and what skills have you learned along the way?

I’ve learned much more along the way than what I was born with. I did not have much confidence growing up, I had no business experience or family members with their own business. No one was a healthcare provider in my family. I was reserved and introverted. What I did have was EMPATHY. I wanted to help people in any way that I could. That drives me every day. Being a dietitian means you want people to be better, but what I had to learn (through hundreds of hours of reading and listening to audiobooks) was how to improve myself. The better I became, the better I was able to help others. It has also helped me to be more persistent which is probably the most important skill of being successful in anything.

What advice do you have for others wanting to be just as successful and fulfilled as you?

Don’t stop moving towards what you want and use your strengths rather than being held back by your weaknesses. For those just getting started, have patience and keep fine tuning your skills. My first full time job paid $38K, but I worked hard and kept at it for several years and now I have a very comfortable income doing what I love. I didn’t listen to any negative people (dietitians included) who said “you can’t make money as a dietitian.” I just said “thank you” and moving right past them. Stay the course.

If you could be paid for your job with something other than a paycheck, what
would it be?

Recognition for having a positive impact on someone’s life.