We recently connected with Sharon King and have shared our conversation below.
Sharon, thank you so much for joining us today and appreciate you talking about a sensitive topic. It’s unfortunately relevant to so many in the community as layoffs have been on the rise recently, and so we’d appreciate hearing your story and how you overcame being let go?
During the pandemic, everyone’s world turned upside down. My journey, in particular, witnessed a shake-up in how I earned a living. I had been selling real estate for 17 years when business came to a grinding halt. I should have seen it coming. In the years leading up to that turning point, I had lost the joy in doing what had provided me and my family a solid foundation. It was a dark couple of years in which I could not seem to regain traction in the industry that had given us so much. But then it happened… friends who knew my passion for creating in the kitchen started asking if I would provide healthy vegan meal options for them and/or their families. And from that seed, it grew to over 25 individual clients and a presence in 4 local gyms. I found myself immersed in the process of creating again and it felt good. A byproduct of doing what I love was the interest level that picked up while I was busy making new plant-based meals for everyone to try. It’s almost as if the Universe forced me out of one situation so that I could indulge myself in what lights me up: feeding people diverse, fresh food that supports a community interested in supporting their health and all the while making an impact on our beautiful earth.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I love creating interesting plant based meals and witnessing the reaction of people who have the opportunity to try them. The exciting thing about my business is how it started from a small request and turned into a viable business. I never would have dreamed that I could make a living out what I love to do most. Spending the time to imagine my next creation has become a part of my regular creative process. To bring those ideas to life on the plate is as much for myself as it is for others. Because there is a great amount of love involved in the food I create, it seems to pay itself forward in the form of more business and for that I am ever grateful.
I work diligently to source the
freshest and most seasonal produce, being mindful to shop for sustainable and organic ingredients when available. Sustainability is also an important concept in helping to reduce the amount of waste we make as we move through the world. Following that idea, I employ a sustainability model where folks who order from me exchange their empties whenever their new order arrives so that I can fill them back up with more vegan deliciousness. It has been a successful implementation which people seem to appreciate at all levels.
So what’s next outside of continuing to grow my business? Well if I am dreaming out loud, a cookbook venture is what I have a strong desire to create next. And alongside brand partnerships which align with my ultimate purpose, The SoCal Vegan will continue that grassroots growth, I feel, in surprising ways. And finally, if SCBIZ and Vegan Food Pop Up have anything to do with it, we are looking to expand The SoCal Vegan’s business reach in the San Diego area and possibly Orange County as well. Very exciting times!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Three areas that were most impactful on my journey have been my experiences within the food industry that help me create successful outcomes in the kitchen, my own personal health journey that led me to become vegan in the first place, and a strong sense of connection to the community which allows me to fill a need within the scope of my experiences.
For anyone who is early in their business journey, I would say that the best way to develop or improve would be to throw yourself into a scenario where you will gain the most experience in the area of business that you are creating. You can work for an established and successful company that can result in a greater perspective and skillset which will carry over into your own personal venture. Rather than reinvent the wheel, we can use those newly gained insights to bring our unique point of view into focus which, in essence, makes the wheel better.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
As far as collaborations go, I am always looking for partnerships with businesses which support a plant based lifestyle whether it is an ingredient, product, existing business looking to branch out into the vegan realm and everything in between. I think that co-working spaces and yoga studios would be a great match for established businesses looking to offer their membership something fresh, forward-thinking, and convenient.
If anyone would like to explore how we can work together in a beautiful collaboration, you can reach out via email at: [email protected] or send me a DM on Instagram: @thesocalvegan. I would love to connect!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thesocalvegan.com/shop
- Instagram: instagram.com/thesocalvegan
- Facebook: Facebook.com/therealsocalvegan
- Youtube: YouTube.com/@thesocalvegan
- Other: TIKTOK: TikTok.com/@thesocalvegan
Image Credits
I took all photo footage
