Vegan Business Talk Katrina Fox

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







Get Mitali’s book The Freedom Master Plan: Put Your Mission, Movement and Message on the Map – For Vegan and Ethical Experts, Influencers and Entrepreneurs



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.



Apply for Mitali’s Authority Program where you get help to write your book and be published under her Let’s Tell Your Story Imprint



Find out more about Mitali’s Thought Leader Program for busy entrepreneurs and C-Suite executives (includes ghostwriting)



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 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.org



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 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:



Facebook  

Twitter 

Instagram 



Connect with me personally at:



Facebook 

Twitter 

LinkedIn

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:



Facebook  

Twitter 

Instagram 



Connect with me personally at:



Facebook 

Twitter 

LinkedIn

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







Visit the Odd Burger 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 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:



Facebook  

Twitter 

Instagram 



Connect with me personally at:



Facebook 

Twitter 

LinkedIn