A life changing decision often happens without warning. Often, it’s in a comment made by another that we are able to receive in that moment.
Such was the case with Sabrina Lee, founder of The Impact Agency.
For many years, Sabrina was a vegetarian until the day a man told her vegetarians didn’t care about the animals. Shocking to hear, she took things a step further and watched the documentary, Dairy is Scary.
This one choice changed the direction of her food choices and life forever. From that point forward she became vegan and has never looked back.
Ironically, Sabrina comes from a long line of dairy and beef farmers in her lineage. Yet, her decision to go vegan inspired her parents to eat more plant based in their food choices.
“They’ll never go completely vegan, but they are eating more plant based,” Sabrina says proudly.
Sabrina is very clear that one can be plant based and yet, not vegan. And one can be vegan, but not plant based.
Plant-based is more about the diet and way we eat; veganism is about a lifestyle and a philosophy. Veganism is about aligning your values with your actions and no longer use animal products and those things derived from animal products in your daily life. This includes food, drink, clothing, entertainment, cosmetics, and other items we often do not think about regarding animal welfare.
Sabrina is clear that it’s a progression and one that can take longer for some than others. With Sabrina, there was a lot to think about in terms of what being vegan means such as the cruelty in zoos. Areas that we are often not taught to give much thought to.
“The longer we are vegan the more we become aware of just how conditioned we are.”
Growing up she was taught to love animals, but only in silos. Dogs and cats were to be loved, but cows were killed.
Her life evolved to utilize her vast business experience to be a voice for the voiceless by teaching entrepreneurs, associations, and C-Level executives how to get the most out of LinkedIn.
Business
Sabrina Lee is the owner and founder of The Impact Agency, helping vegan and ethical businesses to generate leads from their ideal clients on LinkedIn. Considered by many as the “go to” LinkedIn expert for those in the vegan world, Sabrina didn’t plan for this title. She began by using LinkedIn to grow her own presence within the vegan industry and quickly began getting inquiries and leads.
Sabrina worked in international development organisations for 15 years before deciding to start up her own charity communications, research, and fundraising consultancy.
When referrals and previous client leads began to dry up, she turned her attention to LinkedIn to connect with her ideal clients. Not only did this work, she also really enjoyed the process!
Her transition to Veganism in 2017 was revolutionary and she looked at how she can transfer her skills to support vegan and ethical businesses. Through setting up the Vegan Business Exchange in the UK, she came to understand that vegan businesses were also struggling to get consistent high-quality leads for their businesses and that LinkedIn could help them.
She began learning all she could about LinkdIn, getting support from mentors to transfer to her vegan clients. Sabrina is also a qualified coach and employs coaching in her programs to support business growth using LinkedIn as a central tool.
With the growth of the industry and Sabrina’s presence online, she’s very confident about the future needs for not only her services, but other professionals who work with vegan businesses.
Growing on LinkedIn
To get the most out of your time on LinkedIn, Sabrina recommends having a plan and vision of what you want to accomplish. In addition, she recommends the following…
- Create a strong profile. Your profile is your landing page for your business and who you are. Put time and effort into it.
- Video is a great tool to use. It’s very popular and gains a lot of traction.
- Learn how to use the search tool to connect with the people and organization you are truly interested in connecting with. LinkedIn is about building relationships.
- Avoid what is termed, “Pitch Slapping.” Simply put, avoid pitching straight out of the gate in your initial message or as soon as someone accepts your connection.
- Do NOT “Spray and Pray.” This is yet another way people are hoping for big numbers but the numbers are not targeted.
- You are better off taking time to connect only with those people you really want to connect with rather than growing your connections simply for numbers.
Getting the Most out of LinkedIn
To get the most out of LinkedIn and not get sucked down the deep, dark rabbit hole, put systems in place. Have a strategy that is clearly defined such as a 30-minute period of time each day that you write content, post content, research and do outreach.
A strategy that can be amazingly effective is to post sincere comments on the posts of people you want to connect with. This must be sincere. Avoid commenting with something like, “Great.” “Good post.”
Add value with your comments.
If you are good on videos, post videos with tips, strategies, and insights that create value.
We’re Hiring
You may have noticed the “We’re hiring,” on a profile image. This means the company is seeking talent. This could be an opportunity for those seeking full time work or even contract work. However, before inquiring, make sure your profile is fully optimized and has specifics about your skills, expertise, and experience.
Look for talking points that are specific to the organization. Put out content, such as videos, articles and blog posts that align with what they are seeking.
Trends for Vegan Businesses
There is tremendous growth with vegan and plant-based businesses. People have become much more aware of the industry due to the pandemic. Many people found information on YouTube, on blogs, on social media and through searches only to discover what is going on with factory farming and the cruel treatment of animals, deforestation, harm to the environment and other devastation that is occurring. This is causing a huge shift in how people are eating and living.
There is a lot of innovation with companies looking for products and services that minimize harm to our health, the animals and the environment. There is an upsurge of companies that are creating products to provide solutions to the devastation.
Now may be the perfect time to utilize the power of LinkedIn. If you’re a vegan or plant based business and want to fast track your success, reach out to Sabrina for a conversation. She offers a complimentary five-minute LinkedIn profile review where she can show you what is working and what needs work to accomplish your lead generation goals. What could be better than this?
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabrinajlee/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/veganbusinessuk
