Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in health and wellness but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Caryn Dugan, Founder of Center for Plant-based Living, located in St. Louis, MO, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I am the founder and owner of the nation's first plant-based nutrition and culinary education center, the Center for Plant-based Living. My customers are whoever is interested in learning how to add more plants to their plates.
Tell us about yourself
In 2008 I lost my dad to cancer. Exactly ten weeks later, I, too, was diagnosed, and that was the one-two punch I needed to reevaluate my health status and figure out why and how my immune system was not up to par. This catapulted my interest in taking control of my health from a nutrition standpoint. The motivation I need to keep going (even though these last 2+ years in a pandemic) is the absolute hunger to learn more every day about how food fuels both health and disease, read the science, talk with experts, and then communicate that knowledge in bite-sized pieces to people who come into the shop or who take cooking classes either in-person or virtually. This is about helping others understand they have more control over their bodies and, ultimately, their health than they ever thought.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
The biggest accomplishment that I am grateful for and is not solely my own but also those who support and partake in the community here - and that is passing along the long-standing mission of "A Plant on Every Plate." I started out as STL (St. Louis) Veg Girl in 2011, where I traveled around town and eventually regionally and then even nationwide, educating people all with this mission.
Since opening the Center for Plant-based Living, I have carried that mission, and it is an absolute joy to watch people in classes, programs, and events continue to carry out to other attendees by sharing life tips, resources, and support. Sure, maybe I did put up these four walls, but this business/community is nothing without the people inside of it.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
One word: COVID.
A good amount of people who come through these doors are trying to reverse a common chronic illness, and with COVID in the air, it's been challenging, and I totally get it. I'm not sick, and I'm not sure I'd want to sit in a class/event for a couple of hours, even if it were to enhance my health! That said, the virtual component of our business has taken off! We have invested (a lot of money) in state-of-the-art cameras and have put in essentially a mini TV studio in our kitchen - the only challenge now is learning how to work it all!
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Do not follow trends - look at the long term.
- Do something that will help others and will have a trickle-down effect.
- Believe in yourself. Really believe.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.cpbl-stl.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/centerforplantbasedliving/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/plant_based_center/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CPBL_STL
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carynkdugan/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
Turn your craft into recurring revenue with Subkit. Start your subscription offering in minutes and supercharge it with growth levers. Get early access here.