Vegan Business Talk

In this episode I interview Victoria Moran from Main Street Vegan Academy. Victoria is a hugely successful writer who’s been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show – twice – as well as in other high-profile media including Good Morning America and The Washington Post. She’s been vegan for 31 years and her college thesis was the first work on vegan philosophy and practice to be put out by a major publisher, back in 1985. Victoria is the bestselling author of 12 books, covering areas such as spirituality, compassion and plant-based eating and living. They include Creating a Charmed Life, The Love-Powered Diet, Main Street Vegan and the most recent The Good Karma Diet. A renowned and popular inspirational speaker, certified holistic health counselor and graduate of the T. Colin Campbell Foundation/eCornell program in plant-based nutrition, nearly four years ago Victoria launched the Main Street Vegan Academy to train and certify vegan lifestyle coaches. The six-day program is held four times a year in New York C

In this episode I interview Nichole Dandrea from Nicobella Organics, makers of vegan, organic, dark chocolate truffles, in Atlanta, Georgia. Since launching their truffles in late 2009 Nicobella – which combines the names of Nichole and her toy poodle Isabella – have created more healthy treats with their munch line and peanut butter squares. Nichole is a registered dietitian and yoga instructor with a passion for bringing healthy, plant-based, ethical treats to people – and believes dark chocolate should be its own food group! This is another audio interview I did for my book Vegan Ventures: Start and Grow an Ethical Business. In this interview Nichole talks about: •    Price versus quality – the dilemma between producing products cheaper but lower quality, or pricing them higher and maintaining high quality •    How outsourcing parts of the business allows it to grow •    The importance of creating a community around your brand •    The types of email content that – surprisingly – get more open and c

In this episode, I interview Tim Barford, owner of organic hemp products firm Yaoh and organizer of the VegFestUK festivals, which attract tens of thousands of visitors each year. Tim’s owned Yaoh since the 1990s. Based in Bristol, Yaoh has topped the Ethical Consumer Magazine’s Best Buy categories 4 times for its range of organic, vegan food and bodycare products. As well as running their own events in Brighton, Bristol, London and Scotland, VegFestUK also sponsors and supports other vegan events in the UK. This is another audio interview I did for my book Vegan Ventures: Start and Grow an Ethical Business. I’m from the UK originally and when I went vegan in 1996 there was an annual vegan festival that was held in a small hall in central London where I lived and it probably saw maybe 1000 or so people through the doors. Now the London event alone attracts over 12,000 people and is held at the prestigious Olympia venue in Kensington. I was invited to speak at London VegFestUK last October and launch my b

In this episode, I interview Jeremy Johnson, owner of Vegan Perfection in Melbourne, Australia. Jeremy’s interview will be particularly informative for those of you interested in importing products internationally and also getting products into retailers. Jeremy became vegan while he was living in the UK. When he moved to Australia, he was initially frustrated at the lack of products available, so he filled a gap by starting Vegan Perfection whose core business is as a wholesaler and distributor. There’s a lesson there already – about filling a gap in the market to achieve success. This is another audio interview I did for my book Vegan Ventures: Start and Grow an Ethical Business. In this interview Jeremy talks about: •    The importance of being proactive – instead of waiting for clients (in Jeremy’s case retailers) to come to you, you must go to them. And that might fly in the face of ‘attraction marketing’ which is a buzzword right now, but it goes to show that you have to do what works for your par

In this episode, I interview JL Fields, vegan lifestyle coach and educator, Food for Life instructor, co-creator of Real World Vegan Meal Plans, kitchen coach, personal chef, career coach, and a corporate consultant offering wellness training, brand representation, and strategic planning services. JL runs the popular blog JL Goes Vegan and she’s the host of the Easy Vegan with JL Fields show on KCMJ, which is Colorado Springs Community Radio. She’s the author of the book Vegan Pressure Cooking and co-author of Vegan for Her. She’s a graduate of Victoria Moran’s Main Street Vegan Academy – and in fact she’s now on the teaching faculty. So, she’s got a very diverse range of offerings in her business. This is another audio interview I did for my book Vegan Ventures: Start and Grow an Ethical Business. JL’s story is an inspiring one, because she spent many years working in the not-for-profit sector before deciding to make a sea change in middle age. This is important, because we often hear about people start

In this episode, I interview Joy Pierson and Bart Potenza from Candle Café, Candle Café West and Candle 79, which are vegan, organic fine dining restaurants in New York City. This is another audio interview I did for my book Vegan Ventures: Start and Grow an Ethical Business. Joy and Bart have been in business for several decades, so as you can imagine, they have a wealth of experience and they were so kind and generous in sharing it with me. They’re a lovely couple and Joy’s name is totally reflective of her nature, which emanates joy, so it was a real pleasure interviewing them and they also hosted the New York book launch of Vegan Ventures. In this interview Joy and Bart talk about: •    The number one way to get through the difficult, challenging times faced by small business owners in the beginning, particularly when you’re on the brink of potential disaster •    The importance of not compromising your values, even – or especially – when the going gets tough •    The key ingredients that make the b

In this episode, I interview Ella Nemcova, founder of The Regal Vegan which produces vegan gourmet spreads, including the renowned Faux Gras, Basilicotta and Superfood Pesto. This is another audio interview I did for my book Vegan Ventures: Start and Grow an Ethical Business. Ella’s products are in the gourmet, premium range and she’s a great example of a small business owner coming up with a unique product and managing to raise the company’s profile through that, which allowed her to add new products and continue to grow. In this interview Ella talks about: •    Why it’s important to use words and images that reflect your brand – and how she does this with The Regal Vegan •    How being across many different marketing platforms helped the company grow •    How to get comfortable with selling •    And much more Visit The Regal Vegan website. Brands mentioned in vegan business news roundup: 00+Co Buttercream Dreams The Butcher’s Son RESOURCES: My Online PR Course for Vegan Business Owners & Entrepr

In this episode, I interview UK publicist Karin Ridgers, owner of Mad Promotions who also runs online TV station VeggieVision TV. This is another audio interview I did for my book Vegan Ventures: Start and Grow an Ethical Business. I love Karin because she’s so passionate about PR – in fact I hired her to do some PR for me when I launched Vegan Ventures at London VegFestUK in October last year and she got me on LBC Radio, the UK largest talkback radio network. What I’ve found about Karin is she’s one of those rare publicists who really gets what journalists need and gives it to them. As a journalist myself, I really appreciate PRs like Karin who make my job easier. In this interview Karin talks about: •    How PR is still the best and fastest way to get recognition for your vegan business •    Why putting ‘vegan’ front and center when approaching journalists isn’t always the best move •    What to look for in a PR professional •    What PR professionals expect of you •    And much more Visit the Mad

In this episode I interview Sebastiano Cossia Castiglioni, a multi-million-dollar businessman and vegan investor. Sebastiano was recently profiled in Forbes magazine in connection with a 20-course, gourmet plant-based dinner created by chef Daphne Cheng that he hosted in New York. Born in Milan, Italy, he was taught wine appreciation by his father as a child and is the owner and chairman of one of the most renowned and pioneering organic and biodynamic wineries in Europe, Querciabella. Querciabella is a vegan winery with the best critic scores in the world. Sebastiano is the chairman and CEO of NKGB strategic consultancy, the chairman and owner of Opteres, an exclusive fine art network that consults with and facilitates sales to private clients and banks, and plans to launch a classical music label in 2017. In July 2014, he was appointed by the Italian Prime Minister to the post of Advisor to the Minister and Foreign Direct Investment Senior Advisor with the Italian Ministry of Economic Development. A pa

In this episode, I interview Seth Tibbott, founder of Turtle Island Foods which produces the range of renowed Tofurky alternative meat products. This is another audio interview I did for my book Vegan Ventures: Start and Grow an Ethical Business. It was such a pleasure to interview Seth because he’s run a vegan business for over 20 years and seen massive success. But it wasn’t always like that – he had some tough times and it actually took him many years before his business turned a profit. And I think it’s really good for us to hear about the challenges and struggles that successful vegan entrepreneurs had because sometimes we might be tempted to think they had it cushy all the way along. That’s rarely the case and Seth’s story certainly demonstrates that. In this interview Seth talks about: •    The innovative strategy he took with his living arrangements when he couldn’t afford conventional rent •    How Tofurky took off and hit the big time when Seth stopped conforming to how he thought a ‘businessma

In this episode, I interview Heather Lounsbury, owner of Live Natural, Live Well in Santa Monica, California and author of Fix Your Mood With Food. This is another audio interview I did for my book Vegan Ventures: Start and Grow an Ethical Business. The first few episodes of Vegan Business Talk have been with business owners who have a widget to sell – a product. Heather, though, is a service provider. She’s a Chinese Medicine Practitioner and Acupuncturist. In this interview Heather talks about: •    Why giving away lots of free sessions and appearing desperate, particularly when you’re starting out, is a mistake •    The importance of learning to be a business person, not just a practitioner in your field •    How she got major celebrities as her clients •    And much more Visit Live Natural Live Well for more information. Check out Heather's book Fix Your Mood with Food at Amazon.                 Brands mentioned in vegan business news roundup: Vegan Style Bourgeois Boheme RESOURCES: My

In this episode, I interview Georgie Campbell, co-founder of Addiction Food in Sydney, Australia. This is another audio interview I did for my book Vegan Ventures: Start and Grow an Ethical Business and Georgie’s a good friend of mine too. I met her when she was first starting out with Addiction Food and I’ve been so happy to watch her business that she runs with her husband Grant grow over the years into the success it is today. I know they’ve both worked incredibly hard and it’s really great to see it pay off. Addiction Food makes delicious handmade sweets and healthy plant-based treats, that are organic, fair trade and sustainable. In this interview Georgie talks about: •    How the business deals with the challenge to stay competitive and attract clients, while raw materials are increasing in price •    Why she decided to stop using the word ‘vegan’ in her branding and marketing •    The importance of having another passion away from your business •    And much more Visit the Addiction Food websit

In this episode, I interview Mellissa Morgan, founder of Ms. Cupcake, a vegan bakery in the UK’s South London, whose tagline is ‘The Naughtiest Cakes in Town’. It's also the name of her fabulous cookbook. This interview with Mellissa is another one that I did for my book Vegan Ventures: Start and Grow an Ethical Business. Mellissa gives some great tips including: •    Why you should invest in branding up front •    How her strong branding sets her apart from the crowd to the point where if 50 other vegan cake businesses opened on the same street as hers, she wouldn’t be worried •    How she got five publishers beating down her door to write a cookbook •    And much more. Visit the Ms. Cupcake website. Brands mentioned in vegan business news roundup: Soledad 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 pers

In this episode, I interview T.K. Pillan, one of the co-founders of Veggie Grill, a healthy, fast-food chain in the US. This is one of the audio interviews I did for my book Vegan Ventures: Start and Grow an Ethical Business. What’s interesting about Veggie Grill is that from the outset, the owners’ vision and plans were to create a chain of restaurants, never just one. In this interview T.K. talks about: •    The strategies he and his co-founders used to establish a chain of 28 restaurants. •    The importance of location when you’re opening local businesses •    And how finding the right team was key to Veggie Grill’s success Visit the Veggie Grill 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  LinkedIn

In this first episode of Vegan Business Talk, I interview Sugandh Agrawal, owner of vegan handbag brand Gunas in New York. Plus a round up of latest vegan business news. This is an interview I did for my book Vegan Ventures: Start and Grow an Ethical Business. Sugandh talks about: The challenges to stay affordable while maintaining quality and ethics and making a profit. Balancing the demands of family life with running a new business The importance of honesty and being open with customers And much more Visit the Gunas 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  LinkedIn