Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Vincent Dotson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Vincent, thanks for joining us today. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?

The kind of legacy that I am building is to inspire those who look like me or come from similar backgrounds to strive for their dreams and never let anything or anyone get in their way to do so. That you can leave a positive impact on this world long as you believe in yourself and what you are doing. After I’m gone I think people will say that no matter the circumstances or problems I had in my life I found a way to overcome them and continue to pursue my goals. That I gave all that I could and put my heart and soul behind my work and into my family. I hope to be remembered as courageous, bright, and all around great human being that helped reshape the community I was raised in, as well as left a impact on this planet that change the world for the better. That I was able to start Luv Mylk on my own and build it to heights that took it from San Diego, California to around the whole world.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am Vincent Dotson, born and raised in Saint Louis, Missouri. I’ve been living in San Diego for 11 years now, moved out here originally to go to college at San Diego State Univ. Once I completed my bachelors, it was damn near impossible to leave such a beautiful place. For me, my entrepreneurial journey started during the pandemic. With the time we had in our homes it allowed me to reflect with where I was at in life and do a lot of inner work. During that time I spent a lot of time reading and learning. It led me to watching a documentary on Netflix called The Game Changers. They talked about the athletes who were on a plant-based diet, as well as the history and science linked to it. For me it made question my own eating habits which caused me switch my own diet. Whilst on this new journey I was looking for a non-dairy milk option. Being raised in the midwest I loved drinking milk. I would prefer it on a hot day over water lol. As I’m searching for a non-dairy option you see a bunch of DIY, make this milk at home. For me, that sounded amazing to try. I love cooking since I grew up watching my mom do her thing in the kitchen. With constant searching and reading I came across hemp milk. It instantly caught my attention, upon learning more about it with its benefits for the body and the environment I figured I would make it. After giving it a few tries I had my roommate, Mikey, at the time try it and he instantly thought it was a hit. After having some other friends try it, I thought I could possibly make this a business. I had always wanted to start my own business and everything seem to align with that. A close friend, Josh, of mine got into a local wine and food festival where I could sample out my milk and see how people would respond. I ended getting a lot of great feedback. That led me into building a website with my childhood friend, Austin, and then launching Luv Mylk in February of 2022. As you may now know, I make plant-based milk derived from hemp seeds. I chose hemp seeds because of its benefits compared to your oat, almond, and various options. Hemps seeds are a complete protein meaning they have all 9 essential amino acids. Also, they are rich in Omega 3’s and 6’s which are important for the brain, heart and eyes. Which most non-dairy milks lack those things, as well as Luv mylk is nut-free, gluten-free, soy-free, and oil/gum free. I think what sets me apart from others is my passion for this and my mindset of how far I want this to go. I think most people think grocery stores and that’s it for me that just part of the journey with where I’m headed. I’m proud of just what I’ve been able to accomplish so far especially while being a new father. Plus my daughter gets to see me build something from the ground up, so I can only hope that it’ll will inspire her to do something of her own. I want everyone to know that I plan on getting Luv Mylk across the globe and do my very best to make a positive impact on the planet with Luv Mylk and not get roped into big business where products tend to lose its quality and values that they stand behind. That I appreciate anyone who I have met on this journey and even the ones who are reading this. Just thank you for giving me a chance.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

The best source of new clients for me has been doing farmers markets, or vegan pop-up events. With my mylk being freshly made right now, I am unable to ship or do a lot of business outside of San Diego. Luckily, here in San Diego farmers markets are huge! There is literally a market every day of the week and a few overlap on some days. So for me going to those has been crucial with getting the Luv Mylk name out. The same goes for the vegan events I attend, since that fits more so into my niche. I’m not able to attend every single event especially with being a father but I do attend enough to make sure the name is spreading around and people start here about Luv Mylk.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I think becoming a first time father while starting a business shows my resilience. There’s so much energy and time required for both individually and to be taking them on the same time is a tall task. My daughter was born about 3 months after I launched my business in February of 2022, at first it was rough. Just on constant survival mode with just learning to be a parent, staying up late while still attending my markets at the time and having to have the energy to run a business. I do want to give thanks to Liz because while she was on maternity leave she allowed me to work my markets to start building the Luv Mylk brand which I believe helped create a good foundation out the gate. Once she went back to work things became a little more challenging, since she worked in sales she needed to stay focus during the day especially to make her quota. Which then I was with our daughter, Emani majority of the day. Needless to say I didn’t mind, it was just an adjustment that I had to make while still running and operating Luv Mylk. I would have her strapped to my chest when I’d do some prep work before the kitchen, and next to me while doing my accounting/ordering. I’d even take her with me to some coffee shops that I was trying to get Luv Mylk in. You definitely move a little slower with a newborn, you have to stop to change a diaper, feed, or it was time for a nap. At times it does suck I can’t spend as much time as I would like with her because I do have a job to build Luv Mylk, however at the same time I’m excited to have her around me to see me do it. To see her dad build and accomplish his dreams. To see what amount of work, courage, passion, consistency, and discipline it takes which obviously she’s a newborn so she won’t get it now but as she gets older and still sees me progressing and growing. I can only hope that it inspires her to do great things of her own. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.luvmylk.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luvmylksandiego/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincent-dotson-90969164