E137: Pivoting Your Business without Losing Your Passion with Melanie Boudens

Discovering how to pivot in business, and how to create a work-life balance during times of change and growth.

[1:28] Valerie LaVigne: Welcome back to The Women's Empowerment Podcast please join me in welcoming Melanie Bowden's friend wife, Mama to me in October, vegan chef, and former restaurant owner of six years now the owner of a recipe and lifestyle blog and a brand new vegan food business, lover of all animals on nature of connections, and community with small business owners, welcome to the show.

Melanie Boudens: Yes, I'm grateful to be here.

VL: It's so amazing that we could connect over the show because I remember meeting you, I want to say it was 2019 So, a couple years ago. It was at a retreat, you were cooking for the retreat. And I've been to a lot of retreats, of them being vegan.

I guess the menu is all vegan, and I have to say I was very impressed with the uniqueness of your creations. So I want to know where do you get your recipe inspiration or how do you come up with your recipes?

MB: Um, yeah. So, to be totally honest, I say this a lot of my cooking classes before I went vegan which is somewhere around 11 years ago now. I really could barely cook just about anything like I think there's like three dishes, maybe I could do, and maybe like chocolate chip cookies or something in terms of sweet things, and so when I went vegan, it was just like, full stop. How do I eat now. So I was really forced to learn how to cook, and learn how to cook vegan. I've cooked, many horrible things so you know like, it's just goes to say with anyone, practice makes perfect. But when I went vegan obviously it's a long time ago it's like vegan before it was cool, and I'm from a really small town where I didn't know anyone else that was vegan or any really even vegetarian, so I was hit with a lot of like, you know, vegan food is disgusting. What will you eat, you're going to starve, I distinctly remember my dad being genuinely concerned that I was going to die.

And so I kind of felt this like big urge that I just really needed to prove to people that vegan food could taste just as good as non vegan food so I really started with just converting the classic dishes that I knew I loved or that my mom would cook. Growing up, just trying to make them vegan so I just essentially veganize all my favorite dishes, just like making small swaps and changes like replacing butter vegan butter milk with almond milk. Chicken with tofu stuff like that so I just, I try and keep it simple and basic, but making sure that the flavor is still there, and just creating dishes that anyone can love whether you're vegan or not.

VL: That’s so fun! Do you have a favourite dish?

MB: I love like a good mac and cheese which is, I mean who doesn't. So I love to make a good vegan mac and cheese, and I'm like a big sandwich and meanie. And so I like to make different sandwiches and stuff like that as well, amazing I love vegan mac and cheese, that's like, I'm so I'm not a vegan but when I do go out, I sometimes get some vegan food and then I'm looking for, like, the best vegan mac and cheese.

VL: I love that, that's so cool. So I did want to ask you about because when I met you you owned a restaurant. Was that correct?

MB: Yeah

VL: And then, that was two years ago so tell me what happened. You do not own a restaurant anymore. What, like, walk us through that that transition or that pivot?

MB: Yeah, so I started actually the restaurant before I had the physical brick and mortar restaurant. I started doing caterings just out of my house and then I did wholesale to a couple of local shops and grocery stores.

But the ultimate goal is to always have a physical sit down, restaurant, so I did open that I started in 2014 and then we opened the restaurant in 2016.

And then last year, just like other business owners and Pandemic hits. We did do a little bit of a pivot, we started doing prepare prepared meals for people and then we would deliver them across like certain parts of of Ottawa where the restaurant was and that was going well but I had a really hard time with transitioning, not that it's easy for anyone but I had a really from the restaurant to doing the meals.

It was kind of just like I didn't sign up for this, and I missed by customers and seeing their faces, and seeing them come into the restaurant, stuff like that so that was a bit of a challenge and then of course just like everyone else, there's a financial strain coming on and I just wasn't confident that things were going to be over or better or easier anytime soon.

I wasn't willing to like dive deeper into that struggle financially, emotionally, physically, that kind of thing without knowing when the Vita at the end of the tunnel would be. So I decided instead of continuing on and whatever pivot to was going to be with a restaurant that maybe it was better to just close things now before I got too deep into something. I wasn't comfortable with, especially owning a business, especially a restaurant is, is a challenge as it is in normal worlds.

Yeah, that was the end of it.

[7:57] VL: Wow, I mean, so I'm also a business owner and I, there's something that I don't think people realize if you're not running a business and you are kind of forced to do this pivot, you know there's a lot of opportunity in this type of situation. However, for you, you mentioned the end goal was a sit down restaurant and now it's kind of like, okay, but this is now, this, this, the goal has to change, right, but the big idea the big dream that you had which you were building, and was successful at was changing so yeah I can see that would tell that would take a toll. Right, and probably cause a lot of stress. Would you say that, in that time like would you say the pivot has really inspired you to change with this new direction that you're in, or are you still longing for one day a sit down restaurant again?

MB: Well it's funny when I first closed the restaurant and I still do have people ask me like, are you going to open again are you going to open something new again. And the first little while after I closed my answer was like, hell no, absolutely not.

But now I totally see myself opening something, you know, not anytime soon, further down the road.

Maybe in a few years, maybe that'll change too and maybe I won't want to in a few years, but with what we're doing now. I can see, I missed the restaurant terribly and I'm definitely not emotionally over it or anything like that but I see the success and like the difference between what we're doing now with our business versus the restaurant and I still get that same satisfying feeling like as a business owner with the new business that I had with the restaurant. It's just an adjustment getting used to, you know, being an online business first. You know in person where restaurants was such a community space.

So adjusting to it. Yeah I love the business now but I still adjust. It's very different and very weird but I think that what we're doing now, can accomplish the same goals as what I had with having a restaurant, so.

VL: Yeah, amazing and it kind of makes me think of like, it's not necessarily the goal that we're striving for and I think a lot of us have to have this reminder that it's the core values that create this goal or that are the foundation of the goal. So tell us more about what you're doing now what the business looks like, what, how are you serving people online?

MB: So, I had approached a very good friend of mine who actually owns an animal sanctuary and is also vegan so we share a lot of the same goals and values in life, with an idea and asked her if she wanted to jump on board. I would love to have her. So, we started a, again a vegan business has to do with food.

But now, it's just in a different way, we create dry sweet and savory mixes that people can make at home, and it was essentially 100% is inspired by the previous restaurant because we took most of our best selling items that were on the restaurant menu and I converted them into dry mixes so people could still make the same items at home. It's kind of like Betty Crocker but it's vegan and obviously better and we have a sweet and savory so you just add two to three of your own ingredients from your own kitchen or pantry.

To make the product and then you bake and cook it so it just, it's kind of fickle, it's just, again, still making vegan food tastes delicious but also making it more approachable and easier for people who also aren't vegan or vegetarian as well so we're trying to, again, hit both aspects of the spectrum. And then I do also do my own little personal thing on the side which is my recipe blog and everything, and I really enjoyed because I share a lot of the recipes from the restaurant that people are looking for on the blog and I do Xoom cooking classes with people as well so that's really fun for me because like so good to connect them so it's very different but still very good and like he said, like, the most important thing at the end of the day is to have those values within your business, stealth, and we do I think so. Good.

[12:38] VL: You know what, it's such a it's such a great story because I feel like the pivot, came from one, a demand to an innovative idea, and three those values that you're speaking to, and, you know, the Zoom life isn't always amazing but if it's what we have right now I think it's, it can do wonders and like you said, if there was an opportunity for you to open another restaurant again in the future. I mean, you can do that too, right like you know you've done it before so what's to stop you from doing it again.

MD: Hopefully Yeah

VL: Yeah, exactly, exactly, because if there's anything that the business owners and entrepreneurs and people for that matter anyone has learned from this past year, it's that there is an opportunity to come back better and stronger, with all the knowledge that we've learned from this last year so to that I'd love to ask you if you have any advice for business owners, entrepreneurs, people going through changes and pivots and all these things, what was your advice for them?

MB: Um, I think the biggest thing I would say is just really be mindful not to lose yourself in the business, because I think you become so much about your business and the success of your business and building it and the people that you employ and the people that you serve.

For serve and help is just like you put yourself on the back burner, and even sometimes family and friends get put on the back burner to share with a lot of business owners like you know this.

And for me, I didn't realize how much of that I was losing and how much of that I was doing until I was out of it again. So, I really like to just step back and think like, am I who I want to be, am I acting the way I want to, I want to portray myself.

And I remember like obviously your business is like your baby to anyone. It's so important to you it's who it's almost you know like entirely who you are but at the end of the day what matters most is like your own self and the people that are in your lives. So just really step back and take a look at who you are and who you want to be and, and try to see that from the outside perspective. Instead of just, you know, being that, as a business owner, you're always in that reactive mode. So, you know, trying to switch to being proactive and realize, okay, am I on the right path, personally, as well as, as an entrepreneur. So I think that was a really big change for me when I got out of it I realized that, okay, this business was great and successful but I am not personally successful like emotionally and physically so yeah I just really think about, if this is what you want personally as well.

VL: Because most of us, we are the business, our service is part of the business, where you're the face of the business. So, you know, you identify with your business. This is a part of you and definitely losing that or having to change it in some way in a drastic way can be quite a struggle, and, you know, from, from my perspective like looking from the outside at your business I feel like this was a massive opportunity for you to recognize that, okay, this is what I really want and this is how I can do it differently, while taking care of myself and I think this is a huge positive for you and a lot of people just learn this too late. Like, until. So, for example, like, I'm. I teach Pilates and so if I hurt myself, knock on wood if I hurt myself. I can't teach.

So, because human capital is one of our greatest resources, and yet we put it probably last on the list of the things that we need to take care of so I actually shared, I'm not sure if you heard this episode but it was my accountability meeting that I do every month, and I've changed this a little bit this year so I did a new episode about it. Essentially what this accountability meeting was tracking all these parts of my business and so this year I changed it to also track parts of my, my health and myself, and one of the things I asked myself was yeah, one of the things I asked myself was how many days did I take off this month, and in January, I took off for February. It was January, January, I took off one full day of work, one full day and an entire month.

Episode 132: Behind the Scenes: My Monthly Accountability Meeting

www.valerielavignelife.com/132

And in January. The studio was closed for one of the lockdowns that we had, so I have other businesses that I do too, but like I'm constantly on, I'm constantly working so that was a huge awakening for me and I thought again, my goal next month is just to have more days off than last month, and so now I'm very conscious about boundaries around my time boundaries around what I check my emails. When I do interviews I don't do more than two interviews in a day. I think now I just do one a day. But yeah, it's been a really, a really great way to kind of like shift and change perspective and I like what you said about moving from reactive to proactive so do you have any practices similar to that where you like to check in, or how you kind of gauge where your health and your wellness is that?

MB: Yeah, well I love, I love the, taking, taking a look back at like, Okay, how many days off, did I do or how many days did I do or not do something that's amazing because when you're in it. You really don't think about that you're just like go go go go go what's next and what what's, what's going on now and, and stuff like that.

The biggest thing that I've done, is with the cell phone is now having my phone I, it's, it's off it, because I think, especially like as an online business people are assume that like, you know they're sending an email, they're like a night owl it's 11pm they're thinking like, you haven't responded to, like, No, I'm sleeping now so we're not open 24 hours a day, even though it's an online business, in terms of customer service but I my phone for business purposes is after 8pm I'm not there anymore. That's a really big thing for me as well and then in the morning because I'm an early riser, then I hit emails and do some productive things early in the morning after I know I've had a good sleep and I've shut things off.

And then I think the other thing is just paying attention to my relationships two just checking in like making that effort to check in with people as often as I can and making sure that I'm spending time with my husband as well. But definitely the phone thing has been really big for me because, especially after you know your business owner, like, being a restaurant owner I was at the restaurant sometimes from like 5am or 6am till seven or eight at night, maybe longer depending on what's going on. So then you get home and it's not just home time it's phone time. So, making sure I put that down, It's been a really, really big thing for me, and just checking in, like, mentally to make sure, like, are you still on this, this right path that you want to be on and do so like who you are right now that's that's another big thing too.

[20:46] VL: Yeah, that's a, that's a really hard question to ask ourselves sometimes do we like who we are because we don't want to admit that they're like darker sides to us or that you know we're not that positive and nice i, this morning I reacted poorly to my with my partner and this morning, and he laughed and it wasn't like the greatest, you know, it wasn't, it wasn't a bad goodbye, it was just like, oh, I shouldn't have reacted that way it was probably just a little grumpy about it.

But I think him and I have really good boundaries with being able to say hey listen, I'm sorry, like I made a mistake. I shouldn't have said this way I shouldn't have acted that way. So I think we do well with that.

But it's easy to get caught up in it, it's easy to, to not be aware of all the things and it's a lot easier to do that than it is to ask ourselves Do I like the person that I am right now because it means you have to look at all, all parts of us, for sure.

MB: Yeah, especially when stress from being a business owner is clouding those thoughts like if you're just so focused on, like, what's going on if you're so stressed out about what's going on. You really don't think outside of like, What's stressing you out so you've become unaware of the way that you might be like you know like your set like just talking to people, you know, you don't realize that so really just like checking in with yourself, like, you know, maybe at the end of the day was a nice person today because stress can make us all, you know, not so nice sometimes so, I think.

I think that's the good thing it's just like, like I said you know check in with who I who you are and, and making sure that you are who you want to be and who you want to treat or how you want to treat other people getting realigned with, with that, for sure.

VL: Well I love this, this is So, this is such a like refreshing reminder I find because it's so easy to get caught up in that negativity and it's so easy to get caught up in just the day to day busy ness and I think this is a huge reminder for a lot of entrepreneurs, a lot of business owners a lot of people who are feeling maybe overwhelmed right now, right, because there's a lot going on. And there are a lot of changes happening.

So, basically I guess my next question for you is, in terms of planning your business. What advice would you maybe give someone who is in their business right now wants to plan for the future, but also wants to be aware of possible transitions or pivots or changes that might come up?

[23:35] MB: Ah yeah I think just like really taking a look at what you want in your life personally, and figure out how does that tie up with what you're trying to achieve with your business. For example, you know, I've wanted kids for many years, but we've always just never, you know, kind of going down that road because I'm thinking, How in the world can I have a baby right now we're all running a restaurant like there's just no way.

And then, you know, we just started this new business. Early this year and we actually weren't planning a pregnancy was a total surprise for us so I actually thought I was pregnant, the month before we launched our new business, and then it was just kind of like an eye opener Oh, like, well, whether we're ready for or not or I think I can do it or not this is happening, so I need to learn how to run a business and grow baby and have a baby all at the same time so, you know, you might have this crazy elaborate one or two or three year plan for your business. But how is it going to relate back to your personal life and how is it going to affect your personal life.

And is it going to get in the way of personal goals that you have, because, you know, they're equally important, if not more important in your personal life as much as your business life so I think when you're going over your yearly or quarterly or monthly goals.

Just making sure you, you know, have a column for for me and a column for the business and how are those things going to collide together and mesh together if they're going to work or not, and maybe taking some things off the list for the business or for personal or changing the timing of things to what can wait and what can't so that would be good to plan out the future if you want to be really mindful of your personal life as well. I like that I, I think I already do this but I just don't I didn't think of it this way but yeah planning your business goals, and then also your personal goals and kind of weaving them together, because I've also been in a position where I'm so focused on my business and my business goals that you know, six months goes by and I'm like, What have I done for myself

VL: This is the worst. Someone asked me what do you do for fun? I'm like what my business is like this is, this is my life like I don't have a hobby I have. I have a business. I don't have a baby, I have a business. Congratulations, by the way, I know that I said this to you outside of the show but I'm so excited for you for your pregnancy that's a very, very lovely surprise.

MB: Yes, yes, very good, but we're definitely excited despite the surprise.

VL: Now, what you were saying made me think of the kind of work life balance. What is your perspective or what is your opinion on the work life balance. Do you think it exists, or does it not exist, how do we do this?

MB: Had you asked me a year ago when I was still running the restaurant I would have laughed, you know, so there's no such thing as that.

But now running this new business, don't get me wrong, like it's still really hard and takes up a lot of time and you know I'm juggling a few different things at the same time also trying to take care of myself and the baby.

So I think if you are currently, like I was, when someone asks you, there is work life balance exist and you do the same thing, I would have done a year ago or two or three years ago, and just kind of laugh and say there's no such thing. That's when you really need to look about, what are you doing with your personal life and your and your, your business life. And how can you create some form of balance, like you said, you know, you said you don't have any hobbies, because what you do for fun is your business, which is amazing because obviously you want to enjoy your business and have fun with it. But you should also have something that's fun outside of your business entirely so I think and you know what a lot of us probably don't even know what that is, because it's been so long that we actually took the time to do that. So maybe it's, you know, thinking. Before I was a business owner, what did I love to do, and am I still doing that now, because I think in terms of balance, it doesn't necessarily mean as a business owner, we might never work, just 40 hours a week, but are we okay with working 50 or 60 Probably yes maybe no. But, what are you going to be doing those other hours of the week that are bringing you like peace of stress release enjoy like with your family and your friends and stuff so I do think that work life balance exists, I think, maybe just not all of us have found it yet so kind of like back to that list of personal vers business is just writing things down on that list and making sure that you're achieving both goals on either side of the list.

VL: Yeah, I think those are amazing questions to ask ourselves I think that's a great place to, to start and really dive a little deeper and now that I'm thinking about it, I'm like, Okay, wait, I actually do have hobbies.

I like reading and I like hiking and I like traveling. I was just like oh wow so quite the workaholic, which I'm trying so what I've noticed is that they're such a badge of honor to be busy, and I really caught it, when people would email me and say, Hey, I know you're super busy. But, hey, I know you're super busy but hey, you're probably really busy right now but I wanted to ask you this, I'm like, I don't want to be. I don't want to be that busy person, and it took, other people kind of showing me that or telling you that or asking, sending me these emails for me to realize and see that part of myself so it'd be to add to our personal development and self inquiry, less questions, we could ask ourselves like how are people around us like those relationships who were saying how are people treating us or speaking to us or emailing us, that sort of thing because that was definitely an eye opener for me for sure.

MB: Yeah, and even asking friends and family you know like, how am I treating you, it might be a really hard question to ask and you might be afraid of what the answer will be. But, I mean I didn't have the opportunity to ask those questions, because like I said I came out of it and then saw from a different perspective, who I was, how it was possibly treating people so I kind of found that out on my own. Luckily, but if you're if you're in there and you are kind of always busy busy busy maybe, you know, just saying to your partner or your friend like am I giving you what you need as someone special to me in my life because we all want to be there for people so maybe you're just asking those hard questions to make sure from, from their perspective that, you know, they're getting what they want or need out of your relationship to because it goes both ways.

VL: you know what though, asking the hard questions, leads to so much growth, and I want to add this in as a reminder for people who are asking their friends and their family, how this is going, just be really prepared for whatever answer that they're going to give you and really accepting it in like a kind way, Because most of the time those people are saying, Hey, this is how I feel and this is, I'm saying this because I really care about you and it's easy to react, maybe not so well. But yeah, I think that's important to ask those questions and to be prepared for any kind of answer we're gonna get.

But yeah, I think that's important too to ask those questions and to be prepared for any kind of answer we're gonna get you. Oh my goodness. Well, okay, so this wasn't really the direction that I thought our conversation was going to be in but I'm so glad it went this way because these were incredible questions and reminders, and I think he gave some really sound advice for people who are in, you know, turning points in their business or just growing their business. So, really thank you for, for surprising me with this.

I guess this new topic that I haven't really explored that much so thank you.

Let us know where we can find you where we can follow you, how can we be a part of and support your business?

MB: Yeah, so if you love to learn more about cooking and recipes. And like I said I don't care if you're vegan or vegetarian, and none of that matters just, what matters is that you just want to learn how to cook and cook good food.

WEBSITE + BLOG https://www.melanieboudens.com

IG | @mel.b.21

WEBSITE | https://growyourroots.ca

IG | @growyourrootsfoods

[33:28] RAPID FIRE

1. What are you currently reading? What’s your favourite book?

MB: Currently reading a book about babies, it’s a birthing book

2. What do you love most about being a woman?

Um, again, going back to pregnancy I think it's been, I've always been really terrified of pregnancy to be totally honest, absolutely horrified. I would say to anyone you know, maybe thinking about it, is just, it becomes more of a beautiful journey than just about having a baby.

So I would say, like, it's been amazing, being a woman and remembering that like we can do the best that we can to create human tiny humans so yeah I've really enjoyed that process of it so far anyway.

3. What does empowerment mean to you?

Um, I think empowerment really means to me. I keep thinking about community and like empowering not just yourselves but other people, especially being in that entrepreneur community.

4. What are you currently working toward?

I would say, I'm currently working towards being a successful business owner. At the same time as being a good wife, friend, and future mum.

I wanted to say thank you so much for being a part of the show, it has been a really cool experience to one speak with you today but also to be kind of following you through this pivot over the last couple years, like I said I met you when you're a restaurant owner and now how you've changed and created this wonderful online experience. I can't wait to see what else you come up with. I can't wait to try your premixed recipes. I'm very excited about that. So thank you so much for being part of this and for being an inspiration, and an incredible business owner, and soon to be Mom, I'm so excited to see that part of your journey too!

Podcast Host

Valerie LaVigne

Valerie is the creator and founder of Valerie LaVigne Life and the Women's Empowerment Show. She helps busy and empowered women create healthy habits so that they can become the best version of themselves and transform their lives. Learn more about Valerie here!