VBT 082: Interview with Kat Mendenhall, vegan lifestyle coach and cowboy boots maker

In this episode I interview Kat Mendenhall, vegan lifestyle coach and educator who also sells custom-made vegan cowboy boots and other accessories in Dallas, Texas.

After many years working in corporate sales, Kat found her calling: to mend the world through whole, plant-based nutrition and cruelty-free products. She is a Master Vegan Lifestyle Coach and Educator certified by the Main Street Vegan Academy, a Culinary Nutrition Expert certified by The Academy of Culinary Nutrition, holds a certification in plant-based nutrition by the T. Colin Campbell Foundation at Cornell University, and is certified as a Food for Life Instructor by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.

In 2013 Kat, who’s a native Texan, launched her handmade goods business under her eponymous brand, with her signature line of custom vegan cowboy boots.

Made from a patent microfiber material which is designed to have a leather grain look and a natural appearance, the boots come in a range of styles, and customers can tailor the finish to their liking, including choosing the material, toe shape, heel height and stitching colour.

In this interview Kat discusses:

• The challenges of running a bootmaking business, which is a dying trade, without any previous experience in the fashion industry

• Why she takes a custom-made, handcrafted approach to her boots and how this sets her apart from other shoeware businesses

• Why she chooses to have the boots made in Texas

• The importance of running your business the way you want to and defining what success means to you

• How the skills she gained working in corporate America have helped her to run two different businesses under the one brand

• How she got and continues to get mainstream media coverage for her brand

• How developing a community around her brand and being involved in her local community has resulted in her success

• And much more

Visit the Kat Mendenhall website 

Brands mentioned in vegan business news roundup:

Firefly Café

RESOURCES:

My Online PR Course for Vegan Business Owners & Entrepreneurs: Vegans in the Limelight

My book Vegan Ventures: Start and Grow an Ethical Business

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