Today we’d like to introduce you to Maggie Ortlieb.
Hi Maggie, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
The year is 2014, and I had just moved across the country to Los Angeles from Michigan, to accept an unpaid fashion internship. My career in fashion lasted all of two months—I needed to find work that paid. So I got a job as a hostess at a sushi restaurant, then as a front desk agent at a fancy Santa Monica hotel, and then as a marketing coordinator at a staffing agency in Century City. Finally, I landed what would be my last corporate job, a senior marketing position at a top accounting firm.
At the same time I began this position, I launched VegOut, my plant-based media company. The company looks a lot different now than it did back then, though. It started as a small blog, followed by an accompanying Instagram page. I spent most of my time outside of my day job on Instagram—growing the page.
Turns out, there was a demand for what I was doing—and the Instagram page was proof of that. What began, then, as a passion project, a way for me to show non-vegan friends what I ate when dining out, has grown into a full-blown nationwide media company with a print magazine, a website with content published daily (reaching far beyond my friend group!), and social media pages that boast 220K+ followers. It’s been a seven-year journey and a lot of work to get to where I am today. From the beginning, the growth has been organic and carefully curated, and I really believe that’s what has led to the cult-like following we have today.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No. Starting and growing a media company has been the most challenging thing I’ve ever done. It’s also been the most rewarding. But it has definitely not been a smooth road. It is really difficult to separate myself from my business. When the business is doing well, I feel up. And when it’s not doing well, I can get pretty low. It’s been part of my identity for seven years now.
In addition to the emotional rollercoaster, one of the major struggles with building a media business is that you have to grow an audience before anyone will pay you for advertising. So, for the first three or four years, I was working around the clock and bringing in no money. Once I had the audience, it was a struggle getting brands to advertise—many people want free coverage. They don’t understand that advertising is our main source of revenue. And, while I’d love to give free promo to all of the amazing brands forwarding the vegan movement, I need to make money, too—to pay my team a living wage, to pay for printing and other business supplies, and to grow the company in a sustainable way so we can further the VegOut mission.
To be transparent, though, the biggest struggle has been managing my mental health—I deal with depression. And if you ask anyone who battles depression, when an episode comes, it can be debilitating. Earlier this year, I went through a major period of burnout and my biggest depressive episode yet. My team was amazingly supportive, carrying the business forward while I took a step back to focus on my mental health.
Alright, so let’s talk about the business. What should we know?
VegOut is a nationwide plant-based food and lifestyle magazine. We publish a quarterly print publication, maintain a website with free content updated daily, and manage multiple social media pages across a number of platforms.
From dining out to cooking at home and ethical fashion to celeb interviews, VegOut is your source for all things vegan. We curate the best vegan grocery items, restaurants, sustainable apparel brands, and more. And we’re not just for vegans, we’re for flexitarians, lactose intolerant individuals, and folks looking to incorporate more plant-based meals into their diet. I recognize not everyone is going to go vegan overnight, or at all, but the more people who incorporate plant-based options into their daily lives, the better it is for the animals, the planet, and our collective health. Our goal at VegOut is to create a more sustainable food system. We do that by meeting people where they are, and by showing them plant-based alternatives that taste great and cause no harm.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
If you’re a brand with vegan options and want to advertise, email [email protected]. Have a newsworthy story to pitch? Contact us at [email protected]. And if you’re a reader, you can subscribe to the magazine at VegOutMag.com and share our digital articles on social media. Thank you!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://vegoutmag.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vegoutmagazine/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vegoutmag
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/vegoutmagazine
Image Credits
Kimberly Tran
