Brush with death sets Leola Foon on course for business she loves

After suffering a life-threatening brain aneurysm three years ago, Leola Foon understands the importance of a healthy lifestyle and doing something you love.

The 31-year-old Sydneysider has combined the two and launched More For Me, her own business preparing and delivering healthy meals for people too busy to cook meals for themselves.

She tells Smart Solo the idea for the business was born after a friend who was running her own health food business asked her to prepare some meals because she was too busy to cook for herself.

“The more I thought about the idea and that people didn’t have many healthy food options at a good price point, it made sense,” Foon says.

She says she launched the business within 72 hours of thinking of it through a Facebook page in October. Within 48 hours, despite not having any branding or logo, she had six orders and has since attracted a number of regular customers.

More For Me now has its own website and Foon’s ambition is to grow the business.

“I love cooking. Cooking is something that comes very natural to me. I’ve always loved to make healthy foods and making them delicious, which is a challenge to many people,” she says.

Two weeks after starting More For Me, Foon quit her full-time job with a not-for-profit to focus 100% on the business, a leap she says was one of the riskiest things she’s ever done.

“I’ve always been financially secure and to make this leap has been right out of my comfort zone,” she says, adding that she’s got a strong support network around her.

“I just think life is too short to not do something you don’t enjoy.”

She says being a sole trader is trying and tiring but she’s happy doing what she wants to do.

“I just have to remind myself this is where I want to take my life and this is where I want to be.”

Foon says while she feels she’s still learning as she develops her business, the best advice she can give to others thinking of starting their own business is to “just keep on going and just remind yourself why you’re doing this”.

“If it’s something you truly love, then don’t let anything stop you doing it. It’s not going to be easy but there are bigger things in life … health is more important.

“By being happy you are contributing to your health. Your health should always come first.”

Foon says it’s a shame that it takes a life threatening illness for many people to change their lives and realise their health is important.

She says she aims to remind people through More For Me the importance of healthy eating and living a healthy lifestyle.

Foon operates out of a commercial kitchen she rents and offers menus that change weekly.