Note to business owners who want vegan business

Mike and I are vegan.

We share our house with four dogs and two chinchillas. As expensive it is that they can seem at times, I'm sure it's nothing compared to having human children.

We don't have a lot of extra money as I work in the non-profit world and Mike teaches in our local public school system. Don't get me wrong, we live very well. We both feel like we live a charmed life.

So when we shop, we like to spend money with nice people. When we dine out, we want amazingly delicious food and incredibly hospitable service.

This can be challenging with some folks. Recently we have had poor experiences when trying to support vegan businesses and businesses that are trying to get vegans to spend their money with them.

Some experiences were around things like this:

Do you really think that you have to act like you are cooler than us? I get it, you are cooler than us. So relax.

If you have promoted a product as vegan, it should be vegan. Don't get pissy with us when it's not. It's not our fault. Vegan means no animal product. None. And no insect product. Zero. If your product contains just a little animal product it's still not vegan.

I'm vegan. I'm against cruelty to animals. I'm shopping with you. I don't want your opinion as why it's OK to use animals for this purpose or another. I definitely don't need you to tell me that they don't really hurt the animals in whatever process you are talking about.

If you own or run a restaurant and want vegans to dine with you, then create delicious vegan food. Make your vegan dishes so incredibly creative and tasty that your restaurant will be the talk of the town. A simple salad or pasta dish just doesn't do it.

If you are vegan and have created the most amazing vegan product, food item or business, we are super excited for you. We will probably end up loving your product or business just as much as you do. So please treat us kindly. Arrogance and ego don't really work for us. Kudos on the wonderful creation. We'll support it. Just remember that we're customers and will be part of your success.

We LOVE vegan businesses. We love them even better when the folks we engage with speak with us rather than at us and if they treat us as if our business and support might matter to them. A vegan business that we love and one that ROCKS at this is Vegan Cuts. I met the owners (I think they were the owners!) at a bloggers conference. They we so incredibly nice to me, just one of hundreds swinging by their booth. They made it so I wanted to do business with them. And we sure have! Their initial way of treating me created a long term customer and a huge fan.

This all boils down to the big rule for us: treat others as you wish to be treated. It's pretty simple. And easy. Personally I believe that it's so much easier to be kind to someone than unkind, especially to a customer!

If you are in business I assume you want to do well. Please keep some of this in mind. The way you treat people really makes a difference. I don't mean to come off negative with this post, I truly want businesses to take note and think about some of these issues. It's not just Mike and I who have experienced this, but much of what I am writing about are issues that many of our friends and blog readers have experienced.

We look forward to buying your product, dining at your restaurant and enjoying your newest vegan creation!

Thanks for reading!

Create a vegan pop up market where you live!

It's the third Sunday of the month and in Denver that means Neat Market day.

I think it's been over a year since a group of people who were already serving a monthly vegan dinner decided to create the Neat Market. Vegan vendors of all varieties come to sell their goods. Well, everything is a suggested donation. Hundreds of people come. Everyone leaves happy. Some of us leave stuffed because we not only shop, we eat.

Imagine being able to meet friends, grab the newest vegan drink with a great sweet and maybe even lunch. Then go meet the person who is selling vegan cheese right next to the guy who has just started a tempeh company. Vegan marshmallows dipped in chocolate, of course!

I love the Neat Market. And every time we go I think that this is something that could be happening in any city where there is a vegan community.

It can be some work: finding a place, spreading the word, finding enough vendors that make it worth the trip, etc. Yet it is a wonderful way to build community and spread the message of vegan awesomeness. We have met incredible people doing incredible things. Oh, and every month there is a non-profit that can raise money and awareness for their cause.

We are all about building community as a way to be a strong voice for the voiceless. This is a perfect way to that. It's like having a mini veg fest every month. The bonus is that every time we go we get to try something we hadn't tried before. And we get to watch vegan businesses grow and thrive.

I have planned a lot of events. They take time and commitment. And when you're working on an event that can do so much good like a vegan market, it seems a little easier.

You don't have to live a big city. You need to know some other vegans, hopefully a few that have been creating delish vegan food or awesome vegan products. That's really it. The rest will come about with your passion and compassion.

We would love to hear about vegan pop up markets where you live.