Getting food from your favorite restaurants during work week can often become a hassle. The online food ordering and delivery business surely fills the void between busy professionals and delicious food from nearby restaurants.
Many follow online food ordering & delivery business model but only a few startups adhere to the healthy food-delivery business. This is the reason why startups like MVP Meals have managed to create a niche for themselves and seize the opportunity.
Amanda Case Founder & Owner of MVP Meals
Amanda Case has been passionate about health and wellness since a young age and want to inspire other people to take care of their health. According to Case the most effective way to do that is through proper nutrition. Through years of counselling people on wellness, she learned there were so many barriers to healthy eating for people (lack of tie to shop and cook, lack of knowledge or interest in cooking healthy food, lack of awareness of creating balanced meals etc)
Case realized that a convenient meal delivery service that caters to various diets completely eliminates the majority of barriers to healthy eating for people. It helps them eat well, feel well without worrying about menu planning, shopping, cooking, portioning etc… MVP Meals makes it so easy and convenient.
MVP Meals is the leader in healthy meal delivery with an eat in restaurant option. MVP Meals are looking at a franchise model to expand Canada Wide. The mission is to continue to provide nutritionally balanced meals that taste great and make healthy eating stress free. They also have options for special diets so whether you’re vegan, keto, grain free, dairy free, diabetic, paleo etc we have options for you, in store and through meal delivery.
MVP Meals founder Amanda Case shares her journey from start-up to thriving food delivery business.
What 5 steps would you advise and give our ladies who starting their own business?
- Focus on how you will make other peoples lives better by doing something you are passionate about. Solve problems for people. Make products or services that make a difference in peoples lives. Always stay focused on that passion and purpose because that’s what will drive you through the hard times and failures.
- Build a power team. You can’t do it all yourself, ecspecially if you’re a Mom. Identify your strengths and you focus on that. Know your weaknesses so you can find people strong in those areas. For me, accounting/paperwork I dread and I’m not great at it so I decided to let an Accountant handle that. Starting as a mall business, pick a few people you can count on as part of your dream team that can help in several ways. A strong support system and power team is key.
- Make sure your mindset is right. Mindset is everything. Successful entrepreneurs study, work on their growth and are or work on being mentally strong.
- Take care of yourself. It’s easy to put yourself on the back burner when youre a business owner and a Mom. However, to be on the top of your game, you need good health (mental, physical, emotional and spiritual). Without health there is no wealth. Ensure you are prioritizing time to manage stress, exercise, eat healthy food, sleep enough etc.. It has to be a priority over other things you spend your time on such as social media, watching tv etc…
- Learn from failures to be better. Nothing will ever be perfect. Failures are inevitable. The most successful people learn from mistakes of themselves and others and apply that to keep going and do better next time. We don’t give up when things get ugly, hard or not as we planned.
What sacrifices have you had to make during life as an entrepreneur and a leader?
Too many to count! Missed social life events with friends and families, less personal time to focus on hobbies and travel in the early and growing phases. Lack of financial and job security of being an employee with a steady pay check. Increased stress of business ownership, being responsible for other employees, customers etc.. Your brain never shuts off as an Entrepreneur.
Tell us about a time when someone disliked your decision of starting a business, how did you handle this situation?
For the most part, people have been supportive. I have dealt with my share of doubters and negative thinkers. The way I handle that is by being confident in my decisions and standing behind them. Nobody else gets to tell me how to run my life. I am the CEO of a business but ultimately of my entire life. As you are the boss of your life. You have to be considerate of how following your dream can impact other people in your life that depend on you like a spouse and kids. Ultimately, I knew this was my purpose and there was nothing that could hold me back! Any challenge I faced in juggling it all, I could overcome and so can you. Get that mindset right!
What steps do you take when you want to get through a less of a good business day?
- Time management. Juggling multiple facets of a business as well as your personal life effectively requires excellent time management skills. Learn to say no to things that are not important or that can wait
- Positive mindset positive affirmations and a few deep breaths go a long way to manage challenging times.
- Call on the power team! A good leader knows when to call in the troops and delegate accordingly to get shit done.
- Focus on solutions to problems. It’s easy to get caught up in what’s going wrong. It’s important to acknowledge the issue but more importantly, how are you going to improve the situation and solve problems?
How do you manage your work days as the founder of MVP Meals?
- I start the day with prioritizing what the business needs, what my family needs and what I need that day.
- I make lots of lists, notes, reminders and calendar scheduling.
- I communicate with the team what has to get done and set a game plan.
- I check throughout the day to make sure I am staying focused on priorities and accomplishing them
What investment did you need to start a business like yours?
Mostly time. We started from humble beginnings renting a catering kitchen by the hour and have grown to owning our own space. We used profits to reinvest back into the business to grow more, often not even being able to pay myself for that work. I juggled business and wellness consulting until I could pursue my business full time.
When are you not at work, what are some of your favorite pastimes?
I send time with my kids. I love to travel and network. I read books and articles and listen to podcasts. I love being active (yoga, dancing, various fitness classes). I play guitar and sing. I enjoy outdoor activities in the nicer weather.
How do you want to improve yourselves in the next year?
Continue to learn about the many aspects of business through workshops, conferences, courses and reading. Spend more time travelling and enjoying new experiences. Increase my involvement in charity work and giving back to the community.