Upbeet + Rooted is a women-owned marketplace, a community where vegan, plant-based, and cruelty-free lifestyles come together to live out our mantra, “do no harm,” through our thoughtfully hand-picked foods, products, and goodies from small businesses across the country.
Our mission is to empower a no-harm world for the good of animals, people, and small businesses across the globe.
As a part of my series about “Big Ideas That Might Change The World In The Next Few Years” I had the pleasure of interviewing Kim Bohstedt & Diane Mantel, the Founders of Upbeet + Rooted.
Upbeet + Rooted is a women-owned marketplace- a community where vegan, plant-based, and cruelty-free lifestyles come together to live out our mantra of“do no harm,” through our thoughtfully hand-picked foods, products, and goodies from small businesses across the country.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you please tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
We are both very passionate about animals and living a life where we do not harm them in any way. I, Kim, own a dog walking company, and (my mom!) Diane is a kitchen and bath designer. We both wanted to do something for the greater good and something that we are extremely passionate about. We are very close as mother (Diane) and daughter (Kim) and wanted to be able to see one another more often, so we decided to create a plant based/vegan business together!
Can you please share with us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
In August of 2019 we had our very first pop up market, and we had absolutely no expectations or idea of how it would go. The most interesting part to us was that it went off without a hitch! Everything flowed, it was seamless, and truly magical. It showed us that we were on the path to something great and that the vegan industry was ripe for this.
Which principles or philosophies have guided your life? Your career?
We believe wholeheartedly in manifestation and trusting the process. We feel that if we are true to ourselves, our values, kind to others, and follow our passion, we will not fail.
For Upbeet + Rooted — we choose partners who share similar values so that we can work together to make the world a better place.
Ok thank you for that. Let’s now move to the main focus of our interview. Can you tell us about your “Big Idea That Might Change The World”?
Upbeet + Rooted is a women-owned marketplace, a community where vegan, plant-based, and cruelty-free lifestyles come together to live out our mantra, “do no harm,” through our thoughtfully hand-picked foods, products, and goodies from small businesses across the country.
How do you think this will change the world?
Our mission is to empower a no-harm world for the good of animals, people, and small businesses across the globe.
By having this platform with ‘No Harm’ brands we are :
-Saving animals — billions of land and sea animals are slaughtered every year for human consumption.
-Saving the earth — animal agriculture is the leading cause of environmental destruction planet-wide.
-Saving human lives — animal products have been linked to degenerative diseases.
-We are building a powerful community of people and brands committed to living the no-harm mantra in order to create meaningful change through product choices and intentional living.
Keeping “Black Mirror” and the “Law of Unintended Consequences” in mind, can you see any potential drawbacks about this idea that people should think more deeply about?
-The only drawback that comes to mind is possibly a financial one.
Was there a “tipping point” that led you to this idea? Can you tell us that story?
We always wanted to work together and have always had the same passion for animals. One day, while living in different cities, we said, “let’s do something to bring awareness to this No Harm lifestyle we are so passionate about.”
We didn’t know what it would look like or how it would unfold but we decided on that day in January 2019 that we would begin the process. We have had and still have SO many ideas in our idea tank and cannot wait to see how we will incorporate them synergistically.
COVID19 was our most recent “tipping point,” leading us to the need for a pandemic pivot and new idea for a traveling pop up market. We were forced to find creative ways to replicate the business online so we could help keep vendors’ businesses afloat and continue to spread our mission of being the go-to site for those looking for clean, no-harm products.
Going virtual beginning this December, our new market will feature all our favorite brands and products that align with our ‘do no harm’ mantra. The updated website will grow as a trustworthy source that makes no-harm living easy, fun, and approachable. Every item is vetted to support brands that share our values while taking the guesswork out of the customer experience.
What do you need to lead this idea to widespread adoption?
We need the support of our amazing community that continues to grow, exposure from large reaching publications/blogs/businesses/companies that believe in us and want to help support/promote our Do No Harm mission.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)
- We wish we would have started earlier because of the amazing response we have received thus far. It’s clear that the industry is ripe for this.
- You can’t do it all yourselves. It’s ok to ask for help but be selective of who you let into your little bubble.
- Be prepared for things to change course several times while trying to nail down your concept. It’s ok to massage/reshape different ideas and be ok with (the word of the year), PIVOTING.
- Don’t second guess yourself/trust your gut. If someone shows you what they are all about/who they are at their core, believe them.
- Don’t take things personally or let the criticism from others get in the way. There will always be those who don’t understand/like what you’re doing. There will also be gossip, don’t engage, it’s a waste of your time and energy and that needs to be spent on the business. No matter how hurtful it is, it is not worth it to engage.
Can you share with our readers what you think are the most important “success habits” or “success mindsets”?
- Be kind (to yourself and to others)
- Be consistent
- Build an amazing community /network
- Stay true to your mission, don’t get off course
- Give back
- Stay humble
Some very well known VCs read this column. If you had 60 seconds to make a pitch to a VC, what would you say? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
Upbeet + Rooted is a women-owned marketplace, a community where vegan, plant-based, and cruelty-free lifestyles come together to live out our mantra, do no harm, through our thoughtfully hand-picked foods, products, and goodies from small businesses across the country.
U+ R exists to empower a no-harm world for the good of animals, people, and small businesses across the globe.
We are a powerful community of people and brands committed to living the no-harm mantra in order to create meaningful change through product choices and intentional living.
A few additional notes to the VC’s
– We’ve proven this concept and validated the idea with the market
– We’ve grown our social following 250% over the last 6 months
– We know that what we’re doing is good for animals, businesses, the environment, and humanity.
– Have an opportunity to make real meaningful impact
How can our readers follow you on social media?
Instagram : @upbeetandrooted
Facebook :upbeetandrooted
Website : www.upbeetandrooted.com (new site coming this winter!)
Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.
Kim Bohstedt & Diane Mantel’s Big Idea That Might Change The World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
