Do you want to do MORE for the animals?
Are you wondering how YOU can help?
Could you perhaps be making a BIGGER DIFFERENCE in the world while also living the life of your dreams?
If you want to be inspired, look at those who are ALREADY doing it – and are CRUSHING IT! – and learn from them.
But most of all — START TAKING ACTION — TODAY!
Don’t wait another year, don’t waste another day!
We’re in such minority, and the task ahead is so GIGANORMOUS that we ALL should be CRUSHING IT!
We should all be taking action, each and every day, in a way that challenges us and those around us, to spread this message MORE — reach more people, dozens, hundreds, millions and billions even — with this message.
…for the environment, for our own health…
…but most of all — FOR THE ANIMALS!
Because they are the ones that suffer the most.
How can you start?
Check out this interview with Lindsay S. Nixon from HappyHerbivore.com, where she tells it all how it is — and what it takes to be successful.
Read on, BE INSPIRED, and start TAKING ACTION TODAY!
About Lindsay S. Nixon
She is the bestselling author of the Happy Herbivore cookbook series: The Happy Herbivore Cookbook, Everyday Happy Herbivore and Happy Herbivore Abroad. As of September 2012, Nixon has sold more than 100,000 cookbooks. Nixon has been featured on The Food Network and Dr. Oz, and she has spoken at Google. Her recipes have also been featured in The New York Times, Vegetarian Times magazine, Shape Magazine, Bust, Women’s Health, WebMD, and countless other online publications. A rising star in the culinary world, Nixon is praised for her ability to use everyday ingredients to create healthy, low-fat recipes that taste just as delicious as they are nutritious. Learn more about Nixon and try some of her recipes on her award-winning blog happyherbivore.com. She also has a podcast on iTunes, which I only discovered recently, called Meal Mentor.
Joanna Slodownik: Hello, Lindsday! You have accomplished so much online, can you tell us: How did you get started online and how long did it take you to where you are now?
Lindsay Nixon: I started blogging in late 2006. Blogs were still relatively new and obscure back then, I think there were only a dozen or so other vegan blogs when I joined, and there were even fewer vegan books or cookbooks.
None of them were were focused on health per se, or specifically, eating a low fat, no oil, whole foods diet like I was. I figured there had to be someone else out there like me trying to eat that way, so I started chronically what I was eating or making, plus information I had learned — hoping to help someone else out. It all sort of all grew out from there. My blog grew and veganism/the plant-based diet also gained popularity and became more mainstream — I think thanks in part to the Internet 🙂
JS: What were some key decisions, turning points or breakthroughs helped you become successful?
Having a specific perspective and being “different” from everyone else in the same space was the ticket for me. I think it’s also important to be consistent and reliable.
It’s okay to change your mind on things, of course, but flip-flopping, trying to be trendy or wavering in your position hurts a lot of bloggers and businesses. You have to have your own voice and own it.
JS: How did the book deals happen? Did you get discovered through your blog, or did you actively pursue agents and publishers?
LN: I met my first publisher by happy accident. I’d emailed them asking for a free copy of another book to giveaway on my blog and became friendly via email during the process. A few months later when I was thinking about writing a cookbook, I asked if they had any resource suggestions. They didn’t do cookbooks (mostly research books and non-fiction) so I didn’t feel like I was overstepping — I was mostly just curious about the process.
To my surprise, the publisher himself emailed me later that day asking for a proposal. Turns out he had wanted to get into the cookbook world for a while, but had never found the right author or the right book. Right person at the right place at the right time (and a testament it NEVER hurts to ask for what you want or need).
We were a good fit and went on to do 6 books together! I’m now at a new publisher, that I met via my agent. I got to a point in my career where I needed an agent and a bigger publishing house.
JS: You are one of the few vegan bloggers/authors who I’ve seen are offering a paid membership program – Meal Mentor. Can you tell us a little bit about it: how did it happen, how many members do you have right now, do you accept affiliate partners, etc.?
Meal Mentor is growing community of moms, dads, coeds, singles, couples, seniors and other wellness warriors who want to live in the fast-lane but not the drive-thru.
Meal mentor helps them simplify their life by taking all the guesswork out of eating well.
You save tons of time and money (and stress!) by downloading a weekly, premade shopping list and menu. All you have to do is buy a few items, then make the recipes (new faves created each week!) and make the meals ahead (takes 2-3 hours) for easy grab-n-go and reheating all week. No constant worry about what’s for dinner, no cooking after a long day.
But Meal Mentor is also an amazing, supportive community. We have personalized coaching, private forums and live chatroom chats, video chats, workshops, unlimited support, and other community events like book clubs or walking challenges.
Its so nice to be part of a like-minded group and have all these new best friends who just get it — whatever your goal is: to lose weight, to eat better, to walk 10k steps a day, to give up alcohol or cheese, get your family on board — there are others there doing it too who will be there for you.
I’ve seen so many awesome friendships forged in the groups and forums. I love the support system as much as all the delicious recipes! The members always make my day better and seeing their pictures of food or progress inspires me.
JS: Obviously, you’ve been online for a long time, and today the Internet is different than it was five or ten years ago. What advice would you give someone who’s just starting out, someone who hasn’t published any books yet, doesn’t have any products and may feel discouraged and overwhelmed?
LN: It takes time but if you put out quality content, if you help people, if you deliver value, and you are consistent, your blog or brand or business will grow. There aren’t really shortcuts. It’s about doing good work and perseverance. Just be sure to distinguish yourself. Find your niche.
Based on your personal experience, what do you think are the keys to becoming successful online? Can you name top 5 things that helped you the most?
LN: See previous answers 🙂
JS: How many of your readers are vegans versus not vegans? Do you ever get messages from people who got curious about veganism because of your work?
LN: Most of my fans are not vegan or they weren’t when they first found me, but then made the transition or are still making the transition.
How are you able to accomplish so much? What are your top tips on how to get things done?
I’m obsessed with productivity, efficiency and cost-benefit analysis. Basically, I make sure that I use my time wisely. A good place to start is with the ABCDE method. Every day you identify the most important task you must accomplish that day (A). (B) represents other tasks you should accomplish that day, while (C) is unlikely you’ll have time for, but maybe, and it’s due soon. (D) stands for delegate and (E) for eliminate, which is usually the most important! You have to learn to say NO especially when you’re starting out.
JS: What tools and resources would you say are essential to being successful online?
LN: There are a million different tools and avenues out there, each with their own merits. Find something that works for you, or that you like to use, and do it really well with all your heart and effort. It’s better to do one thing really well and become an expert with it (or at least very proficient) so you can maximize it to your advantage vs. do a half-job 10 ways or be a c-level user constantly missing out on your potential. Again, you have to learn to say no…
JS: What information do you wish you had when you were first starting out? What are some pitfalls that people should be on the lookout for, and how they can be avoided?
LN: Know what it is that you want — why are you doing this? What are you hoping to accomplish? This needs to be very clear and detailed, even if you change your mind later. You have to have a goal to work toward, plus a way to measure if you’re making progress. Do you want to be famous? Okay… in what way? Have 1million followers? Do you want to make money? Okay, how much?
Because I started all this as a hobby, with no intention or vision to make it a career or a business, I never thought about big picture.
This created some difficulties in decision making or even whether or not to pursue opportunities. You have to know where you’re going…
I also never envisioned what the end might look like and what the consequences might be. For example, when I started blogging and writing cookbooks, and joining on social media, I never thought what my life might be like if I became popular, even on a small scale. I didn’t stop to think about life as a public figure or personal brand, what THAT might look like, and if it was really something I wanted.
The last thing you want is to find yourself in a place or situation wondering “well, how’d I get here?” It’s better to have a path and a plan, even if you end up diverting or remapping later.
JS: What final words of wisdom would you like to pass on to anyone who’s reading this?
L: Never outsource your customer support. Read emails.
Thank you Lindsday for all your great work and advice!
Check out Lindsday’s website HappyHerbivore.com and her books on Amazon.com.
About the Kickass Vegans Crushing It! Interviews: The intention of the series is to INSPIRE vegans — bloggers, authors, coaches, activists, entrepreneurs, and individuals who deeply care about this issue — to start getting their message out to the masses in a big way, while also making money, and being really successful while living their passion. If you’d like to be featured or have a suggestion on who you’d like to be featured on the series, comment below (perhaps it’s you?)
