How to start a vegan business on a low budget in 2026!

Vegan businesses inspire!

So you are wanting to spend your time doing something that gets you out of bed in the morning? I know it’s not fun having these amazing business ideas that align with your values but you feel like it is an impossible feat.

I am here to encourage you to start doing what you want to do instead of what you feel like you have to do.

When I finished college, the very last thing I wanted to do was get a 9-5. I did play the game though for a while until I was like f this. I went to job interviews and gave it my best, but my heart wasn't in it.

When I was driving to my job interviews on the highway I just felt like an insect moving around aimlessly with no real purpose.

Not that insects don't have a purpose, they sure do! Especially bees and ladybugs, but you get the point, hey every analogy has its problems!

I gave up on the job searches and decided to travel across the united states from New Jersey (where I am from) to California because that seemed like a way better idea than working 40 hours a week in a job I didn’t like just to pay the bills.

I never made it to California because I fell in love with Colorado on my way there!

I wound up living there and working for a grassroots organization that protected wilderness areas and our water from dirty energy threats - drilling and fracking for oil and gas, and power plant pollution, etc.

During my time working there, I learned all about vegetarianism and veganism and became a vegetarian.

Being a vegan or a vegetarian wasn't talked about much in the late 1990s, but when I traveled west it was very common and my heart resonated with the lifestyle instantly, and it changed my life for the better. 

After some time in CO, I left for Hawaii to work on an organic farm/meditation center. I wanted to learn how to grow food and was interested in developing a spiritual practice as well. 

Use the skills you already have to start your business. 

I wound up living on a farm for 7 years. It was the first time in my life I was doing something that felt meaningful to me.

I didn't have any special skills to start a business, I just had a desire to do good for people and the environment, and everything sort of fell into place. Serendipitous! So you're wondering what does this have to do with how to start a vegan business? 

We sold all of our veggies and offerings that we grew and made on the farm at farmers’ markets. I learned how to plant seeds, cultivate the plants, harvest, and sell them hand to hand. 

It was a big commitment.  We woke up at 5 am to load the van, set up our booth at the market, and then came back home at 3 pm to finish up unloading. I learned so much about how to do something you love while at the same time making a living from it.

Plant the seeds.

If you have an idea, plant some seeds and see what sprouts! Food entrepreneurs have been known to launch their products at farmers’ markets. Everyone from bakers to artisan jam makers, to bread makers, started by selling at farmers’ markets.

You can develop something at home and share it with your friends getting feedback on it until you have a winner, and then go test it out at the farmer's markets.

It doesn't always have to be food! Handmade soaps and salves for the skin, candles, clothes, teas, drinks. You can offer services like massage, yoga, and vegan health coaching.

There are so many possibilities! There are endless vegan vendors and vegan festivals popping up all over the place. Now is your time to get on the veganpreneur train.

If you want to be a food or beverage entrepreneur, selling your products at farmers’ markets is a great cheap way to get feedback on what you've created and if they are into you have started a following of products that will help you in the long run.

You don’t need heaps of money to start out!

The way we sold food preps at our organic booth was in boring plastic containers.

The quality is what sold it, not the packaging, so you don't have to worry in the beginning about how your product looks.

Once you have a product that is serving you well, investing some money to develop your brand to attract more people will help your business grow.

Time to step it up a notch.

It takes your business up a notch when you can tell your story visually to attract customers.

There are ways to get ideas for the style you are imagining. You can go on Pinterest and look for design ideas and see what is out there. Start collecting these ideas to see what kind of vibe your business could have. 

You can present your ideas to a brand strategist and work on coming up with a brand that fits the personality you want your business to have.

The brand sums up the people's perception of your company, so it's important to get it right, and working with a professional can help make your business look more polished. 

Get your online presence on!

After you have your brand in order, and everything looks good for the people that are seeing you face to face. It is time to get your online scene in check.

I know many people who have small vegan businesses but neglect to get their business online because of lack of time or because they don’t think it’s important.

It is a digital age and not having a website for your business makes your business look less legit.

If you have a website and the design is out of date you’ll want to get a redesign so you are not sending a message to your customers that your business is in the dark ages. 

I recommend using Squarespace to build your website for your vegan business.

It’s great for small businesses and easy to update and manage on your own.

If you are just starting your business and you don’t have the budget for a web designer, you can easily do it yourself, by swapping out the visuals. Hire a designer if you think it looks too basic to help you achieve the look you are going for. 

If you have had your business for a while, It’s important to work with a designer to achieve the vision you have for your business website. Web design isn’t easy so if you are realistic about what you can do and what is over your head then that’s good!

If you try to do everything yourself for your business things just wind up looking scrappy.

Market your biz.

Don’t forget to post on social media about your company and products.

Vegan festivals are starting to be the norm, instead of a needle in a haystack these days.

People are wanting healthy products and healthy food, and are tired of the same old same old lifestyle that winds up hurting them in the long run.

People are waking up to the fact that what they put into their bodies directly affects them mentally and physically. 

If you have a business idea I encourage you to act on it. I think the best way to learn something is to actually do it!

Seek out someone who is doing something that you want to do and learn from them. Don’t doubt yourself and get out there and make it happen!

**Enjoyed this article? Discover more insights in this post:

If you are looking for vegan business ideas, I put together a list of ideas you might find helpful.