Plant-based Nutrition

Nat Jaconetty has been following a plant based diet for over a decade. After seeing the health results first hand of following a vegan diet she decided she wanted to bring nutritious plant-based meals to the meal delivery industry. Her Los Angeles, California-based meal subscription service Herb & Seed delivers organic, healthful vegan meals to subscribers once a week, using local produce that's bursting with flavor. Jaconetty, like so many entrepreneurs, found there were some big bumps in the road during the height of COVID-19 but figured out how to adapt her business and make sure they were following all necessary safety protocols. Today the chef is excited about expanding her client base and scaling to cities beyond Los Angeles. Jaconetty's story, as told to The Story Exchange 1,000+ Stories Project: What was your reason for starting your business? For me, success is when your greatest passion can be translated into something you do and create every day. There is nothing more fulfilling than accomplishing something your heart is behind 100%. I'm very blessed to be able to do what I love every day. I wanted to bring to life my love of plant-based food to clients and I can't wait to continue to see my passion project turn into something larger as we scale. How do you define success? I'm so blessed and grateful that I get to do what I love on a weekly basis to clients. Tell us about your biggest success to date Herb & Seed has seen many successes so far, one for me would be watching the business grow and expand into new avenues that exceed our original goals. Growing into the catering market here in LA has been something unexpected but exciting to watch unfold. We've seen uptick in catering orders and look forward to growing and scaling. Also, as we scale we can't wait to grow into other markets and bring our success offering to other places in the US. What is your top challenge and how have you addressed it? Covid-19 was a huge challenge not only for Herb & Seed but I’m sure every business. Learning proper protocols and preparations was huge for the food industry during the pandemic, but I felt grateful that we could provide COVID-19 friendly meals to people during that time. We made it through and I feel that we're so much more in tune with how to deal with a crisis moving forward. It puts mistakes and challenges from a time period prior to COVID-19 that much less of a hardship. I believe in the hard times you learn strength and through those times you grow the most. What is your biggest tip for other startup entrepreneurs? Always keep a clear vision of where you see your business or brand going. Creatively it helps spark ideas, and keeps you on track to reach your goals. This could be a written timeline, or even a vision/mood board that can change as you and your business evolves. How do you find inspiration on your darkest days? I try to think of my biggest goal with Herb & Seed and what it takes to get there. Planning can be so exciting for me and the biggest inspiration spark for where my business can go. It is so rewarding down the line when you finally see your dreams become reality. Who is your most important role model? I learned so much from my mom, she was essential in starting my business as she is a nutritionist and started her own business in the health and wellness space. So it’s easy to say she is a huge role model to me in business and my life. Share your story! Check out our Advice + Tips for entrepreneurs starting-upWatch our latest videosSubscribe to our podcast

Plant-based Nutrition

She’s Bringing Plant-Based Pre-Made Meals Straight To Your Door

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