We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Stephanie Dreyer. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Stephanie below.
Stephanie, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
I found my purpose by accident! As a struggling new vegan with a non vegan family, I started a blog to share my plant-based lifestyle and connect with others in the community. Over time, I gained expertise in feeding my family of 5 with one meal, despite our dietary differences. I started to get asked to teach classes and share my tips. I also began writing articles for other magazines and other blogs at this time. I loved sharing recipes and strategies for meal planning and prep. I was just doing my best to serve and help people, while doing what I love — make delicious plant-based food for my friends and family. As I continued to do these things, I realized that I was helping people and wanted to figure out a way to reach more people so I decided to scale my in-person meal prep classes into a digital membership.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Vegan Dinner Club is a weekly, plant-based meal prep membership. I help busy parents make meal time easier by providing weekly dinner plans and recipes without time consuming prep so that they can enjoy daily healthy, homemade meals with their family without having to think about it.
As the only vegan in my family, the meals aren’t just for vegan and vegetarian families, but also families who might have a mix of vegans and omnivores like me. I start with a plant-based meal but also offer suggestions for the non plant eaters so that everyone can eat the same meal. My goal is to simplify dinner and eliminate the need to make multiple meals a night to please everyone.
I’m most proud of our unique approach to dinner prep. I don’t just give you a menu of dinners for the week and a grocery list. I help you figure out where to best plug those meals into your weekly dinner plan based on your schedule. I also give you a weekly prep system that transforms your daily dinner hustle. My done-for-you prep plans take you step by step with what to do to prepare 4-6 meal components for the week in less than 2 hours so you can have dinner on the table during the week in about 30-ish minutes.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I’m really fortunate to have a strong foundation in marketing. I earned my Masters degree from Northwestern in integrated marketing and have spent the last 20 years in my “day” job using those skills for a variety of clients. Those marketing skills have been instrumental in my business’ launch and growth.
Second, I think my ability to connect with my community has been crucial for the growth of my business. Sharing my struggles and personality has personalized the experience for my members which provides more value to them.
Last, I believe my ability to learn and acquire new skills has been essential. I’m constantly learning and applying that knowledge to my business. Digital marketing is ever changing so you have to keep up!
As far as advice, I’d say to be ready to pivot! Expect the unexpected and when it happens, be flexible to change direction and adapt as necessary to be successful. I have had to do this several times throughout the launch and expansion of my business. If something isn’t working, I study and learn from it so that I can make the changes necessary to keep growing.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
Overwhelm is a constant struggle for me as an entrepreneur, mother and wife. I am a one-woman show so I am not only product development, but also CEO, CMO, tech support, and customer service. It’s A LOT!
When I begin feeling like it’s all too much, I ask myself, “Where am I making this harder than it needs to be? How could I make this easier?
I also journal on it! Writing is very therapeutic for me and has helped me brainstorm solutions to many problems.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.vegandinnerclub.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vegan_dinner_club/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VeganDinnerClub/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniemdreyer/
