Interview with Jill Nussinow, President, The Veggie Queen

Tell us about your business.
I offer a cookbook, The Veggie Queen™: Vegetables Get the Royal Treatment,  DVD, Pressure Cooking: A Fresh Look, Delicious Dishes in Minutes and services, including writing, speaking and consulting, to help people learn to eat delicious food that just happens to be healthful in a most delicious way.  My audience is people who like to eat and cook, especially locally, sustainably grown foods.  Stay at home Moms and busy parents are most appreciative of what I have to share.

Please tell us what being a business owner means to you and why you became an entrepreneur in the first place?
I started my own business to have more control over what I offer and to whom. No job existed that allowed me to utilize my nutrition and marketing background so I started my nutrition counseling practice. My business morphed when the internet came along and now I offer products online. Being a business owner means that I have flexibility and control over what happens for me and the people whose lives I touch.

What or who has been your greatest influence in business and why?
Being grateful has influenced my business, as well as having perseverance and a sense of humor.  Many people have influenced me but most likely my mother and father have the most since they’ve encouraged me to do what I want, and they each have their own businesses. I just knew that it would be possible.

What would you say is your greatest professional accomplishment to date?
My greatest accomplishment to date has been the publication of my cookbook in 2005 and reprinting in 2007. It was also the biggest learning experience.

What’s the best advice you have received in business that you wish to pass on to our readers?
Hearing NO doesn’t mean that it’s the end of the conversation, just another opportunity to gain a different perspective. And don’t take things personally. It’s not likely personal.

What one thing have you learned as a small business owner that has served you well over the years?
Just keep moving on – things may often happen to set you back but if you keep going, things will go your way.

What one thing you’d like to share with other small business owners that have helped you succeed?
Having a business is rewarding and hard work. If you put yourself into what you do it will pay off.

Are there any resources or tools you’d like to share with other small business owners that have helped you succeed?
I used the One page business plan to help me on my way.

What is Number One Business Goal you plan to accomplish over the next year?    To consolidate my 2 websites and 2 blogs into one WordPress platform so that it’s easier to find all that I have to offer.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?  A supermarket checker recently asked me how I was. I said, “I have more things to do than I can really get done in a day.” He said, “People who have their own businesses are busy and passionate. People who have jobs can’t wait for their time at work to be over.”

How can our readers find you online?
http://www.theveggiequeen.com, http://www.pressurecookingonline.com , http://www.theveggiequeen.blogspot.com , http://www.pressurecooking.blogspot.com . http://twitter.com/theveggiequeen