Alana Scott

Alana Scott is the owner-manager of A Little Bit Yummy, a business that works to create simple, yummy recipes for sufferers of irritable bowel syndrome.

Alana, who completed a Bachelor of Management Studies degree at Waikato in 2014, grew up working in her family’s restaurant and veterinary clinic.

Diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) a few years ago, Alana was put on an incredibly restrictive Low FODMAP diet, which cuts out gluten, dairy, fructose and many everyday foods like onions – making it seem impossible to follow.

“This is where I discovered the idea for my business and decided to turn adversity into opportunity,” she says, “by providing a professional service that reduces the food stress that IBS sufferers face.”

When it comes to running her business, Alana handles everything from recipe development through to business strategy, accounts, marketing and website content.

An outstanding all-round academic achiever at university, she says she had a fantastic time at Waikato and her management degree gave her the confidence to tackle all of these challenges and more.

Driven by a passion for volunteering in the community, in her second year Alana joined the student social enterprise group Enactus Waikato (since renamed Social Innovation Waikato).

This has led to an ongoing five-year restoration project at Lake Okoroire, whereby Alana is charged with managing more than 320 volunteers to coordinate the planting of 14,000 trees, with the aim of restoring the lake’s biodiversity and reducing runoff from surrounding farmland.

She says the experience has given her some solid leadership and project management skills, in having to manage complex relationships between councils, landowners and volunteers.

Her advice for new students is to take the time to get to know your lecturers. “They have extraordinary knowledge in their subject areas and are more than happy to help students who put extra effort into their work.”