The Business of Being an Author and Influencer with Toni Okamoto of Plant-Based on a Budget

This is a special episode of this podcast, because the guest is not only an entrepreneur making money by making the world a better place, but she also just happens to be my wife. Toni Okamoto is the founder and CEO of Plant-Based on a Budget, and she has her fourth cookbook coming out right around the time that this episode drops!

Long-time listeners will recall that Toni was actually the co-host of this podcast for the first 20 episodes, and medium-time listeners will recall that she was an interviewee two years ago on episode 51 when her last book came out. It was a fun interview that I recommend going back and checking out, but this is even more fun and doesn’t require knowledge of the first episode to enjoy.

When Toni and I first met, Plant Based on a Budget was just a passion blog she did in her free time. Fast forward to today, and with no external investment, just through revenue generation alone, Plant-Based on a Budget is now a profitable company employing five people and reaching millions with a message of how to save money by eating in a way that’s better for you and for the world. 

In addition to talking about Toni’s latest book, Plant-Based on a Budget Quick and Easy, we also talk a lot about the business of being an influencer, how being the CEO of a profitable company that puts her in the spotlight has changed her life, and more. I had fun doing this interview, and I hope Toni did too. You be the judge. 

Resources discussed in this episode

• You can get Toni’s new cookbook here.

• Our past episode 51 with Toni.

• Toni recommends listening to the Food Blogger Pro podcast, including a recent episode with Toni about her business.

• Our past episode with Moby and his new documentary Punk Rock Vegan Movie.

• Alfonso Revilla’s stellar photography.

• Paul recommends following science and engineerinfluencer Mark Rober.

• Vox’s story on the trend of kids wanting to be influencers.

• Investor Seth Bannon’s tweet arguing that influencers aren’t creators, but rather entertainers.

More about Toni Okamoto

Toni Okamoto is the founder of Plant-Based on a Budget, the popular website and social media platform that teaches millions how to save dough by eating veggies. She’s also the author of the Plant-Based on a Budget Cookbook, and the co-host of The Plant-Powered People Podcast. Okamoto’s work has been profiled by NPR, NBC News, Parade Magazine, and she’s a regular presence on local and national morning shows across the country, where she teaches viewers how to break their meat habit without breaking their budget. She was also featured in the popular documentary What the Health. When she’s not cooking up a plant-based storm, she’s spending time with her husband and their rescued dog in Sacramento, CA.