Stephanie Redcross Brings Vegan to the Mainstream (Interview)

Since I first went vegan in 1995, I've witnessed a sea change. What once felt like fringe is now creeping into the global collective consciousness. This has not been an accident, of course. Dedicated activists and green entrepreneurs have been tirelessly toiling to promote plant-based living. One such advocate is Stephanie Redcross, a dedicated vegan (for five years) and the founder of Vegan Mainstream. Using skills like strategic planning, market intelligence, social media, design, search engine optimization, and public relations, Stephanie and Vegan Mainstream are here to "spread awareness for your animal friendly business to both vegan and non-vegan consumers." They explain: "We want to propel your vegan or vegetarian businesses into the mainstream."

Here's more of their game plan:

- Vegan Mainstream aims to fill a gap in the billion dollar veg/vegetarian U.S. marketplace by exclusively helping small and medium sized veg/vegan businesses not only market to vegan/vegetarians, but the mainstream.

- Vegan Mainstream is headquartered in La Jolla, California. Its employees work in California and virtually

- throughout the United States from Connecticut to Seattle.

- The company launched in October 2009 with one employee. It now has a team of 10 marketers and 15 writers.

- Nearly 15,000 social media fans from all over the world follow Vegan Mainstream online.

I wanted to know more so I went directly to the source: Stephanie Redcross. "As the founder, Vegan Mainstream provides a space for me to merge my passions, veganism and marketing," she explains. "Everyday, I get to use my management and marketing training to save animals, save the planet and help vegan business owners succeed. It's a dream come true!!!"

Below is the rest of our conversation...

WATCH VIDEO: G Word: Keep it Vegan

Why Vegan Marketing?

My Conversation With Stephanie Redcross

Planet Green: You started at General Electric? Not many greenies, vegans, or lefties are gonna have anything but distrust of and for multinational corporations. So, how did you transition from GE to Vegan Mainstream?

Stephanie Redcross: At GE, I was notorious for veganizing most team lunches, dinners and events. It was a great opportunity for me to drive awareness and break many of the stereotypes about "what a vegan looks like". Often, vegans and non-vegans don't realize there are Vegan lawyers, politicians, athletes, businesswoman, etc - we come from all professional fields. Also, due to my roles, global responsibilities and exposure to senior level leadership, I was able to create dialog within the company about providing alternative choices in the cafeteria, creating a safe-haven for anyone considering the lifestyle and making ethical choices for animals and the planet. I found many people could relate to the lifestyle because they had a family member making the transition. As individuals, we can drive change by being the catalyst for vegan discussions at work, not just with our vegan friends. To move veganism to the mainstream, we must engage and recruit people from where they are, then start the journey towards veganism.

[b]PG: How has your business experience helped?/b]

SR: My GE background is what makes me stand out from the crowd. I have 11 years of solid marketing and management expertise—there is no disputing GE's management training. So, vegan and vegetarian business owners and entrepreneurs know they are working with a company, Vegan Mainstream, that has a solid business understanding and is managed by one of their own. As a vegan for 5 years, I have a personal passion for the movement and have been a part of the community.

[b]PG: So let's say I have an idea for a vegan business and I come to your company for a consultation. What type of input would I get?/b]

SR: We tailor each consultation to address any immediate need. There's no reason to talk about strategy if someone needs help making a critical decision or resolving a current challenge. While we provide marketing solutions to vegan and vegetarian business, we ultimately are a resource to the business community. So, we are always willing to have a conversation about the fundamental reasons to choose one marketing tool vs. another. We find people have a lot of questions about Social Media, Email Marketing, Press Releases and Search Engine Optimization (SEO), so during the call we will describe each tool and the ideal circumstances for implementing these solutions. If a potential client is searching for an overall strategy, our mantra for new businesses is get connected, get educated, and get involved. A consultation with Vegan Mainstream will always be based on the caller's needs. We will recommend free and paid tools to help you connect with the vegan blogger community, track vegan and vegetarian news stories and participate in online and offline discussions to ultimately establish and grow your business. We will do everything we can during the call to provide ideas and solutions to help you achieve your business goal, whether you hire us or not.

PG: What about those folks who are still in the early stages of launching a green business?

SR: It's never to early too build your brand. If you are planning to launch a retail or online store in 6 months or less, we often recommend launching a Facebook and Twitter account. This will help you identify and connect with your potential customers before you open your doors or sell your first product. Social Media can help you become a trusted brand prior to selling a product. If you've established your expertise, shown your community commitment or educated your fans on your passion, they will be more than willing to support your business. It's critical to provide value to followers/fans, before promoting your product.

PG: Vegans make up less than 3% of Americans. How soon do you see that changing?

SR: The change has already begun. Over the last year, we've seen a surge of movies (Food Inc..), television shows (Food Revolution), coverage on major news outlets (Huffington Post, NYT and CNN), new vegetarian and vegan options and labeling in grocery stores (Trader Joe's) and 21-day kick start programs (PCRM) and endorsements from world organizations (United Nations) and local municipalities, schools and restaurants adapting plant based initiatives (Meatless Mondays). While the vegan community has always established a public forum for discussion about the effects of our food choices on our bodies, the planet and animals, now the general public is starting to ask questions, raise concerns and demand healthier options for their families. Earlier this year, 6 of the top 25 best seller books on Amazon were vegan and vegetarian, therefore Americans are making a choice to arm themselves with the facts. We believe the numbers will increase geometrically as people change their minds, become educated and see and feel results. Personally, I believe we can't stop at educating individuals, vegan choices must be accessible to all Americans for us to make the transition from 3% to 100%. Veganism can't be the best kept secret, we have to allow everyone to participate in the movement. Yes, a few people my try to distort the vegan ideals, but we can't fear that segment of the population when we are doing something we know it right for the environment, for our health and for animals. This fall, Vegan Mainstream is planning a market study to benchmark the awareness and accessibility of Veganism in American. We believe creating an annual pulse survey to monitor these metrics will help us measure the velocity of the movement into mainstream America and ultimately the world.

Vegan Mainstream Client Excerpt

Tracye Lynn McQuirter, By Any Greens Necessary:

"Vegan Mainstream delivered results beyond my expectations! Vegan Mainstream has also taught me so much about how to use social media effectively. Stephanie has spent time with me on the phone answering my many, many questions with patience and understanding. Also, with the help of the Vegan Mainstream team, I recently hosted my first Twitter chat. Their behind-the-scenes coordination made everything run so smoothly that I was able to relax, respond to followers, and have a ball doing it!

Connect With Stephanie Redcross and Vegan Mainstream

- Email: Stephanie@veganmainstream.com

- Website

- Twitter

- Facebook

- Blog