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Vegan Business Talk
Katrina Fox
Interviews with vegan business owners and entrepreneurs from across the globe and latest vegan business news
- 48 minutes 15 secondsVBT 176: How to Write, Publish & Leverage a Book to Boost Your Vegan Business with Mitali Deypurkaystha
Mitali Deypurkaystha is a former ghostwriter turned book consultant and publisher who is on a mission to turn vegan experts, business owners and C-suite executives into authors.
Her new book The Freedom Master Plan: Put Your Mission, Movement and Message on the Map is a practical guide on how to free yourself from ‘selling’, and chasing clients or investors by writing a high-value business book and – importantly – how to leverage it.
The book – which is an Amazon bestseller in several categories – sets out more than 20 proven strategies designed to dramatically increase referrals, boost your profits, and even build additional income streams.
As a ghostwriter Mitali wrote seven business books that generated more than $6.5 million in additional revenue for her clients.
Mitali has writing in her blood: Despite not speaking a word of English by the age of four, she taught herself to read in school libraries and co-wrote an episode of popular British soap opera Brookside when she was just 16.
She recently renamed her book consulting and publishing company to The Vegan Publisher and offers a training program for anyone who wants to self-publish as well as an application-only hybrid publishing model where she works with you step-by-step to help you write your book which is published under her Let’s Tell Your Story imprint.
In this episode Mitali discusses:
• How one of her ghostwriting clients landed high-end coaching packages and speaking gigs – by giving her books away
• Why the book itself is not the business
• The pros and cons of the different types of publishing: Traditional, self, and hybrid
• How much it costs to write and publish a high-quality book
• How you can write a book even if you’re adamant that you ‘can’t write’
• And much more
Check out Mitali’s self-study training for experts who want to write a book
Grab Mitali’s book cover and typesetting templates for cash-strapped authors.
RESOURCES:
My Online PR Course for Vegan Business Owners & Entrepreneurs: Vegans in the Limelight
My book Vegan Ventures: Start and Grow an Ethical Business
Follow Vegan Business Media on:
Connect with me personally at:
2 June 2022, 6:08 am - 54 minutes 18 secondsVBT 175: Jecks Stone, Vegan Interior Designer On Taking a Stand to Stand Out
In this episode, I interview Jecks Stone, interior designer and founder of Persona Abode in the UK.
Her background in recycling management and historic building conservation were the foundation of marrying interiors with environmental impact.
After wrestling with balancing her morals with the perceived frivolity of the interior design industry, Jecks became one of the first UK designers to be vegandesign.org certified.
Through Persona Abode, her vegan lifestyle and interest in mental health she advocates for healthy living environments, being mindful of designing for people, place and planet.
In this interview Jecks discusses:
• How she got her first interior design client
• The importance of your personal brand and sharing more of yourself, even if you’re an introvert
• How she’s funding her interior design business for now by continuing to work at her full-time job
• How Covid helped her business grow
• Why she doesn’t feature the word ‘vegan’ prominently in her branding and marketing
• How domestic violence, the importance of ‘home’, health and sustainability influences her work as an interior designer
• Her somewhat controversial view on ‘trends’
• And more
Visit the Persona Abode website
Find out more about vegandesign.orgRESOURCES:
My Online PR Course for Vegan Business Owners & Entrepreneurs: Vegans in the Limelight
My book Vegan Ventures: Start and Grow an Ethical Business
Follow Vegan Business Media on:
Connect with me personally at:
25 November 2021, 4:56 am - 42 minutes 58 secondsVBT 174: Lena Ludwig of Vital Gains Mergers & Acquisitions Firm on How to Sell or Buy a Vegan or Alt Protein Business
In this episode I interview Lena Ludwig, founder and principal of Vital Gains mergers and acquisitions consultancy in Washington D.C.
A vegan of 26 years, Lena started working in mergers and acquisitions and finance over 20 years ago, and she’s helped hundreds of businesses with successful acquisitions, joint ventures, and strategic growth planning.
For the past 10 years, she’s been a financial and administrative executive in the plant-based foods and animal rights movements.
Vital Gains is a woman-owned, women-operated mergers and acquisitions consultancy, focused on the alt-protein sector.
In this interview Lena discusses:
• Business valuations and the different ways they’re calculated
• How to determine if you’re ready to merge or be acquired
• What to look for if you want to buy or sell a business
• What steps are involved in a merger or acquisition
• Red flags to be aware of when considering a merger or acquisition
• The importance of ethical clauses to protect your brand during an acquisition
• The costs involved in a merger or acquisition
• And more
Visit the Vital Gains website
RESOURCES:
My Online PR Course for Vegan Business Owners & Entrepreneurs: Vegans in the Limelight
My book Vegan Ventures: Start and Grow an Ethical Business
Follow Vegan Business Media on:
Connect with me personally at:
11 November 2021, 2:13 am - 49 minutes 17 secondsVBT 173: Natasha and Ed Tatton of BReD on Opening a Vegan Bakery in a Ski Resort in Canada
In this episode I interview Natasha and Ed Tatton, co-founders of BReD, a vegan, organic, sourdough bakery in the ski resort town of Whistler in Canada.
Both originally from the UK, Natasha is a former English teacher, and Ed is a professional fine-dining chef.
The couple moved to Canada, became vegan and passionate environmentalists and opened BReD three years ago.
Earlier this year, the husband and wife team recently won the Best Youth Entrepreneur Award at the Small Business British Colombia Awards.
In this interview Natasha and Ed discuss:
• Why they decided to sell their house in the UK and open a vegan bakery in a ski resort in Canada
• How they tested the market with little financial outlay before opening their store
• The impact of Covid on their fledgling business that was in two sectors hit the most hard and how a fast pivot and adding extra streams of income saved the day
• How they’ve grown BReD into a thriving business, despite locals telling them it wouldn’t work
• How they landed local and national media coverage, including in Forbes, by doing their own PR – and the positive impact on the business
• Why they started out using the term ‘plant-based’ but are now using ‘vegan’ a lot more
• How Natasha has used the challenges of growing up in foster care to help her become a more resilient entrepreneur
• And more
Visit the BReD website
RESOURCES:
My Online PR Course for Vegan Business Owners & Entrepreneurs: Vegans in the Limelight
My book Vegan Ventures: Start and Grow an Ethical Business
Follow Vegan Business Media on:
Connect with me personally at:
28 October 2021, 6:34 am - 50 minutes 54 secondsVBT 172: James McInnes of Odd Burger on How to Scale a Vegan Fast Food Restaurant Chain
In this episode I interview James McInnes, co-founder of Odd Burger vegan fast food chain in Ontario, Canada
James, who was a software executive, was diagnosed with high blood pressure in 2014 and changed his lifestyle for the better by going vegan.
He and his wife Lia began developing their own plant-based meats and soon were selling vegan meal kits featuring local ingredients.
But they couldn’t shake the idea that what the world needed was vegan fast food, at a price that could compete with animal foods.
In 2016 they debuted a food truck with a chickpea burger they called the “Big McInnes,” earning them a cease-and-desist from McDonald’s – and they knew they were onto something.
Formerly called Globally Local, Odd Burger produces its own meat and dairy alternatives for use in its restaurants.
In April 2021, the company went public, and plans to have 20 locations by this time next year.
In this interview James discusses:
• How he turned getting a legal letter from McDonald’s into an advantage
• How he successfully scaled the business from a food truck to several restaurant chains
• How smart tech in the making of food as well as with self-serve options has helped the business remain sustainable and able to thrive during during Covid when other restaurants folded
• The benefits of having your own production facility instead of relying on third-party vendors
• Why, after spending years building a brand, he decided to change the company’s name, and the benefits and challenges that brought
• Why he took the company public and how to know when to do this
• And more
RESOURCES:
My Online PR Course for Vegan Business Owners & Entrepreneurs: Vegans in the Limelight
My book Vegan Ventures: Start and Grow an Ethical Business
Follow Vegan Business Media on:
Connect with me personally at:
15 October 2021, 5:08 am - VBT 171: Tyler Mayoras of Cool Beans: From Investor to CEO of a Vegan Food Brand
In this episode I interview Tyler Mayoras, CEO and co-founder of Cool Beans, a plant-based food company in Chicago whose first products are globally-inspired, healthy frozen wraps.
After nearly two decades investing in agriculture and food brands, Tyler had seen the dark underside of the American food industry first hand.
After learning about the negative impact of animal agriculture on the environment, he began a journey into plant-based eating.
Tyler co-founded Cool Beans in 2018 with a few other like-minded investors and to date the product is in 1200 retail stores across the US.
In this interview, Tyler discusses:
• The ‘dark undersides’ of the American food industry that he’s witnessed
• How he helped Boca Burger (Kraft Heinz’s veggie burger) go from $7M to $50M in revenue over 3.5 years
• Why he segued from impact investor to starting his own company
• Why Cool Beans launched with frozen products – and the new technology of freezing that keeps products fresh
• What ‘digital demos’ are and why he prefers them to in-store demos
• Why the company is not creating its own online store
• His predictions for the future of the vegan and plant-based sector
• And more
Visit the Cool Beans website
RESOURCES:
My Online PR Course for Vegan Business Owners & Entrepreneurs: Vegans in the Limelight
My book Vegan Ventures: Start and Grow an Ethical Business
Follow Vegan Business Media on:
Connect with me personally at:
30 September 2021, 6:36 am - VBT 170: Bailey Ruskus on What Happened When She Turned Her Private Chef Business Vegan
In this episode I interview Bailey Ruskus (aka Chef Bai).
Classically trained at Le Cordon Bleu in San Francisco, Bailey has been in business for herself for 10 years, but three years ago made the switch to become a completely vegan business.
Host of the Plant Remedy podcast, she’s been a long-time warrior of endometriosis and has discovered her own tools to heal her body through food and health.
Now based in San Diego, she cooks for top executives, professional athletes, and others, hosts virtual cooking classes in her online membership and hosts corporate wellness programs around the globe.
Her first book Cook. Heal. Go Vegan! has just been launched.
In this interview Bailey discusses:
• The moment she decided to turn her business vegan while gutting a fish as she remembered a talk by a well-known animal activist
• How she handled losing clients and dealing with a lot of online hate after announcing she was transitioning her business to be vegan
• The impact of endometriosis and chronic pain on her life and business
• How the Covid situation initially decimated her business (and marriage plans), until a pivot turned it around and landed her a book deal
• Knowing her worth and negotiating a higher advance with her publisher
• And more
Visit Bailey’s Chef Bai website
Check out Bailey’s podcast Plant Remedy
Find out more about Bailey’s book Cook. Heal. Go Vegan!
RESOURCES:
My Online PR Course for Vegan Business Owners & Entrepreneurs: Vegans in the Limelight
My book Vegan Ventures: Start and Grow an Ethical Business
Follow Vegan Business Media on:
Connect with me personally at:
16 September 2021, 3:59 am - 36 minutes 57 secondsVBT 169: Mitchell Scott of The Very Good Butchers on Scaling from Farmers’ Markets to Going Public within 4 Years
In this episode I interview Mitchell Scott, co-founder and CEO of The Very Good Butchers, a Canadian plant-based meat company.
After selling out the farmers’ markets on Denman Island, British Columbia, Mitchell and his co-founder and fellow ‘bean butcher’ James Davison knew they were onto something.
They brought their beans to Victoria and opened the Canadian West Coast’s first plant-based butchery.
The pair are currently opening a new facility that will be able to produce up to $100 million more in product a year which is an increase of more than 2,500%.
Last year they became the second plant-based meat company to release an IPO.
In this interview Mitchell discusses:
• Why they use the terms ‘butcher’ and ‘butchery’
• How they raised $600k from 240 investors in an equity crowdfunding campaign in 2018
• The unexpected turn of events after they received several offers of a deal on Dragon’s Den (Canada)
• Why they went public last year and the benefits and challenges it’s brought
• How to go public and how much it costs
• And more
Visit The Very Good Butchers website
RESOURCES:
My Online PR Course for Vegan Business Owners & Entrepreneurs: Vegans in the Limelight
My book Vegan Ventures: Start and Grow an Ethical Business
Follow Vegan Business Media on:
Connect with me personally at:
3 September 2021, 7:03 am - 40 minutes 52 secondsVBT 168: Johanna Sophia of Johanna’s Raw Foods on Closing Down & Preparing to Relaunch Her Business at Scale
In this episode I interview Professor Johanna Sophia, founder of Johanna’s Raw Foods in upstate New York.
After a music, film, and writing career that saw her travel the globe, Johanna – who was raised in Germany – settled down in the US and raised her children.
When her kids were barely in their teens and she was almost 50, Johanna found herself lying on the floor, paralyzed for what seemed an eternity experiencing a stroke.
She made the decision to change her life but the lack of available prepared vegan raw foods that fit her new strict but busy lifestyle forced her to make her own meals and in 2013 Johanna’s Raw Foods was born.
The company’s product line includes a range of organic, gluten-free grab and go, ready-to-eat, mix and match, raw, vegan snacks.
In this interview Johanna discusses:
• Why having a diverse career that included teaching stints at Yale and Columbia universities, rather than sticking to one professional area, has been an advantage to running her own business
• How she got her raw, vegan products into more than 200 health stores across the US
• Why, after this initial excitement of getting her products in stores, she made the decision to shut down her factory and focus on online, direct-to-consumer sales
• The relaunch of the company with a much bigger plan and why she believes every product business has to stop staying small and instead scale to succeed
• And more
Visit the Johanna’s Raw Foods website
RESOURCES:
My Online PR Course for Vegan Business Owners & Entrepreneurs: Vegans in the Limelight
My book Vegan Ventures: Start and Grow an Ethical Business
Follow Vegan Business Media on:
Connect with me personally at:
5 August 2021, 5:49 am - 49 minutes 29 secondsVBT 167: Vikas Garg of abillion on Building & Growing a Tech Platform with Philanthropy & Support for Small Businesses at its Core
In this episode, I interview Vikas Garg, the founder and CEO of abillion, a sustainability platform for plant-based dishes and cruelty-free products.
Four years ago, Vikas left his high-flying career at one of the world’s largest hedge funds after he found a new mission — to help and inspire a billion people to go vegan in the next 10 years.
Based in Singapore, Vikas is dedicated to grassroots education and conservation initiatives around the world.
Abillion currently has more than 300,000 active users and the app has been downloaded nearly 1 million times. Through its giving program, the business has donated over $500,000 to impactful causes and is aiming to donate more than $1 million by the end of 2021.
In this interview, Vikas discusses:
• How he came up with the idea of abillion and its unique offering
• The challenges of creating an app based on user-generated content, with no tech experience in a new country where he knew no one and a precarious visa situation
• How he attracted millions of dollars in funding for a social impact business
• How he plans to monetize the platform while helping small business owners sell their products and gain valuable consumer insights
• Why he decided to use much of the investment money on donating to charitable causes, rather than on marketing
• The marketing strategies he used to build and grow the business
• Unexpected trends in the plant-based food market uncovered by abillion’s data
• And more
Download the abillion app on iTunes or Google Play
Visit the abillion website
RESOURCES:
My Online PR Course for Vegan Business Owners & Entrepreneurs: Vegans in the Limelight
My book Vegan Ventures: Start and Grow an Ethical Business
Follow Vegan Business Media on:
Connect with me personally at:
22 July 2021, 1:52 am - 43 minutes 18 secondsVBT 166: Jenny Goldfarb of Unreal Deli on Going from $10k to $100k Profits Shortly After Appearing on Shark TankIn this episode I interview Jenny Goldfarb, founder of vegan meat company Mrs Goldfarb’s Unreal Deli in Los Angeles. After becoming vegan, Jenny craved the familiar flavors of her family's New York Jewish delis from her youth. The former tech entrepreneur began experimenting in her tiny kitchen, trying out the recipes on vegan and meat-eating family and friends. Encouragement from them quickly led to Jenny shopping around her first plant-based meat products and getting placed in all the major Los Angeles delis. The products – made in LA from whole ingredients from local farms – are now available in major grocery stores nationwide, Jenny landed a spot on Shark Tank in 2019 where she got an investment from Mark Cuban, who recently went vegetarian, for more than double what she asked for. The company took revenue from $10k in profits to $100k shortly afterwards and continues to expand. In this interview Jenny discusses: • How she got the attention of restaurant chains, grocers and one of the biggest food brokers in the US very early on • Why she decided to go on Shark Tank, even though she’d already had several plant-based investors offering her money • What’s involved in the application process and preparation period for the show • The benefits of media coverage on the company’s bottom line after her Shark Tank appearance • How Covid forced her to pivot the business from focusing on restaurant chains to getting products into retail outlets • Why she uses both ‘vegan’ and ‘plant-based’ in her branding and marketing • And more Visit the Mrs Goldfarb’s Unreal Deli website RESOURCES: My Online PR Course for Vegan Business Owners & Entrepreneurs: Vegans in the Limelight My book Vegan Ventures: Start and Grow an Ethical Business Follow Vegan Business Media on: Facebook Twitter Instagram Connect with me personally at: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn8 July 2021, 2:44 am
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