How a Disability Inspired a Journey into Vegan Entrepreneurship with Andrew Laurent

Pivot! A Vegan Business Interview Series

In 2012, Andrew Laurent found himself near death and with limited mobility. He had just suffered a stroke and was beginning to understand the full impact of his diet and nutrition on his condition. As a newly disabled stay-at-home dad, Andrew knew he needed to make a change. He started his own plant-based and vegan journey and soon after launched his vegan business, Broth Bomb, to support his family and help others reduce their food waste and eat more plant-based meals.

In this episode, Andrew shares how he pivoted his restaurant delivery business after his stroke to begin building Broth Bomb. The idea for Broth Bomb came while Andrew was looking for a fun way to share his favorite easy wholesome one-pot recipes with friends and family. Including the seasonings led to the idea. Using advanced sales directly through Broth Bomb's website, Andrew generated the cash flow required to manufacture their products and launch the business without financing. The business has already sold over 150,000 units!

Listen to this episode to hear all about how Andrew used the changes he was making in his personal life to overcome a physical disability as a catalyst for this new vegan venture.

Get to know Andrew Laurent and Broth Bomb better here: https://brothbomb.store

Quote

If you're going to go do a crowdfunding, I would say put in the marketing ahead of time, raise a little money ahead of time to invest in rather than just put it up there and hope. That would be my advice…Or even just do the crowdfunding yourself - set up your own website and do your own crowdfunding.

—Andrew Laurent

Shownotes timestamps

▶️ [00:44] Sometimes our businesses can be an answer to the big change we've experienced.

🧂 [02:54] Fizzy seasonings that tender beans and make them super yummy.

🤒 [04:31] Health issues and cooking plant-based became the inspiration for Andrew to create his business.

💪 [06:36] Regaining strength and focusing on himself: finding work-life balance and starting a new business.

⚠️ [09:20] Protecting your body from stress and anxiety is crucial: when culture teaches us not to take care of ourselves.

💣 [14:28] Creating seasonings and making home cooking more fun: a bomb that tenders veggies.

👨‍🍳 [18:38] Meal helper: merging great flavors and easy preparation of healthy foods.

💰 [23:36] Trying to go too big too quick: lesson Andrew learned about crowdfunding.

⚡ [25:54] Perfectionism in entrepreneurship: high expectations and high pressure.

⚖️ [28:54] A business that forces our life decisions vs. a business that inspires the life we want.

🍲 [30:55] Super Bowl and New Year resolutions about food.

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Thanks for listening to Pivot, our vegan business interview podcast. This is recorded as a live-streaming session, so I hope you’ll join us for future interviews as well! If you are feeling inspired but unsure of how to take actionable steps to improve your business, I invite you to explore our two premium paid podcasts, Going Solo and Fix It.