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IDEAS for Opening UP a Business

Business Ideas / April 20, 2018

38 Vegan Business Ideas To Help Change The Demand of Ethical ProductsI’m just going to come out and say it. I’m sick and tired of the lack of availability of vegan products in the current marketplace. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t find it difficult being vegan. But it would be nice to have more options at my fingertips when shopping.

In almost 2 years of being vegan, I’ve longed for more ethical businesses. In my day job, I work in the city centre, so naturally I’m exposed to retail and consumer buying behaviour on a daily basis.

Surely I’m not the only one wishing that there was an amazing cruelty free gelato bar to rival all of the dairy based ones? Or fashion retailers that only stock timeless garments that are ethically sourced and made?

I always imagine a world where ethical businesses are more readily accessible to the general public. I wonder then what people would opt to buy if they had a choice? McDonalds drive through vs Vegan Burger drive through? Wouldn’t that be interesting?

Whilst these are my opinions through my own personal experiences, statistics are showing that veganism is on the rise. Below shows the growth of search engine traffic for veganism and vegetarianism between 2009 and 2013. No doubt it has continued to climb steadily as vegan is becoming somewhat mainstream.

These are promising numbers on the demand side of economics. However this post is about how we can all tap into our inner entrepreneurial talents and help the supply side of this equation.

I’m seeing more and more business owners who aren’t vegan themselves, add vegan options to their product mix as they see a clear market opportunity.

A new Pizzeria recently opened in our local area. They make good quality pizza’s with ‘naturally’ sourced ingredients – ahem, mainly from animals. However they do have two vegan pizza options on their menu including vegan cheese (which is a big deal!). The manager told us that their vegan pizza’s are by far their best sellers so they’re going to look to expand. They’ve had so much success because they literally have no competition. So all of the vegans in town are flocking to this one Pizzeria.

This goes to show that conventional entrepreneurs are starting to see the opportunity in the growing vegan consumer market. I would personally love to see social entrepreneurs join the party, whether they’re creating goods that are vegan, fair trade, organic or eco friendly. We need more options. We need to help shift the demand by increasing the supply.

In this post I’ll be sharing 38 vegan business ideas that could help any marketplace. I want to share these ideas with you because I hope that you’ll help them come alive. These are not by any means new revolutionary ideas, but they do seem to be missing in many marketplaces. Keep in mind we live in Australia in the capital city, so maybe where you live there is much more to choose from.

If you don’t fancy yourself as an entrepreneur, maybe you know someone who would like to try to start a socially conscious business? In any case, I encourage you to reflect on all of the occasions when you’ve struggled to find a specific product that is vegan friendly and think about how you can help solve that problem yourself.

I’ve broken the list down by category to help filter through content.

Let’s get into it.

Food & Beverages

  1. Gelato Bar with delicious dairy free ice cream.
  2. Vegan Pie Shop.
  3. Nut Cheese Deli.
  4. The vegan version of Krispy Kreams.
  5. Fast service Pizzeria with home delivery options.
  6. Vegan cafe that specialises in avocado toasties and world class organic coffees with almond milk.
  7. Vegan friendly bar or night club.
  8. Start a food truck specialising in mouth watering vegan burgers.
  9. Premium organic vegan restaurant with innovative recipes.
  10. Become a vegan alcoholic beverage retailer.

Services

  1. Freelance illustrator who services vegan friendly small businesses.
  2. Company accountant or bookkeeper for online vegan entrepreneurs.
  3. Photographer servicing compassionate businesses.
  4. Specialise in project managing organic and vegan shop fit-outs.
  5. Become a social media manager for vegan businesses.
  6. Offer copywriting services to help build the profile of vegan entrepreneurs.
  7. Study to become a health professional that serves the vegan community using natural cruelty free practices.

Fashion

  1. Online vegan sneaker retailer.
  2. Bamboo clothing line specialising in everyday garments.
  3. Organic, fair trade and vegan line of jeans.
  4. Tailored vegan suits for men.
  5. Start a funky vegan sock company.

It’s also important for the supply chain to ensure it’s all fair trade.

  1. Animated YouTube channel producing 2–3 minute videos teaching people the truth about consumerism (someone please do this!).
  2. An all vegan childcare centre with community veggie garden.
  3. Vegan wedding blog producing amazing content and advertising ethical wedding brands and services.
  4. A series of online courses teaching people how to cook different vegan cuisines at home.
  5. Partner with your local education institutions and develop a vegan chef school certification.
  6. Produce a documentary style podcast that captures the stories of animal cruelty, fair trade, and environmental issues.

Technology

  1. Develop a dating app that accurately connects vegan soulmates together.
  2. Create a concierge service in the form of a mobile app that connects all of the local ethical tradespeople with vegan customers.
  3. Design a line of solar powered smartphone accessories.
  4. Invent sustainable materials to be used in various industries.

Cosmetics & Beauty

  1. Create a makeup line that is vegan, fair trade, organic and eco friendly (let us know when you do).
  2. Build a vegan friendly and chemical free nail polish company.

Events

  1. Start a popular vegan meet up in your area and get local vegan businesses to sponsor you.
  2. Host vegan cooking workshops.

Investing

  1. Start an investment fund specifically for ethical businesses.
  2. Become an angel investor for vegan businesses.

Source: theminimalistvegan.com