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"Basically, we’re trying to make veganism look as sexy as it is."
JODI MONELLE
First thing hear you'll hear in this interview is my surprise by the fact that Live Kindly, the brand that Jodi started, has only launched in April. I'd been seeing their posts frequently on Facebook, and from the massive engagement and the sheer amount of content they seem to be producing, I figured they must have somehow flown under my radar for the past year or two.
Not so.
Live Kindly has actually only been operating for 6 months when we recorded this. So how come they look and feel like an established brand with a professional team of writers and video editors behind it? I was really happy to get the opportunity to talk with its founder about this.
Like many vegans, Jodi wanted to share her passion and ideas for making the world a better place... and like many vegans she started a blog. And like many bloggers (not just vegan ones - this one holds all across the board), she soon found out that blogging is tougher than it looks. First, you need to write. A lot, and consistently, even when your motivation is taking a break. And then you have to get your content in front of other people. (While at the same time learning to master whatever content management system you chose.)
That's where most people give up. And that's where Jodi did just the opposite.
As with most smart business ideas, she started thinking how she could solve her own problem - which, as she quickly realized, was shared by many aspiring vegan bloggers. Then she realized that a part of that problem was everyone trying to go at it alone, and Live Kindly, a platform for sharing compassionate ideas, started taking form.
In this interview, you'll learn how Jodi pulled together her core team of content creators (even though she couldn't promise them any sort of compensation), got Live Kindly funded (and began turning her non-vegan investor onto the growing potential of the plant-based industry), and turned it into the fastest growing vegan brand of this year.
With her team spread across the globe, you'll also hear how they use this to their advantage, how they stay in touch, what works for organic growth, and why they always strive to be inclusive with their messages.
When you're thinking of the bottom line of making the most impact, that last bit, making sure you include people who may not (yet) see things the way you do, is super important - and unfortunately, vegan brands sometimes forget about it. Tune in for a lesson on how to keep it a priority while still rocking social media like Live Kindly does.
Transcript
Jodi Monelle - Live Kindly
Jodi Monelle [02:52] Hi Jerry, thank you and thanks for having me on!
Jerry Sever [02:55] Thank you for joining me. You’re based in Canada right now, am I right?
Jodi Monelle [03:02] Yes that’s right I live in Vancouver. I’m obviously not from here.
Jerry Sever [03:06] Yes, I can hear that – originally you’re from the UK?
Jodi Monelle [03:10] Yes, originally from the UK and a small city called Bath, but I’ve been travelling for the last, I think, just over three years now. Prior to this I was living in New Zealand and now I’m settling here in Vancouver.
Jerry Sever [03:26] I’ve got to ask now, where in New Zealand did you live?
Jodi Monelle [03:27] All over, but mostly Wellington.
Jerry Sever [03:30] Cool, because I don’t know I mentioned when we spoke last week, but we lived in Wanaka until last year, so relatively close. It got a bit too cold for us!
