Tell me about Mindset Meals. When did you first start the business and what was your initial concept?
We assist individuals and organizations who want their members to live a healthy lifestyle and build a positive Mindset by way of delivering healthy, ready-to-eat meals directly to our customers. I moved to South Florida to help a friend start a meal prep roughly three years ago. We went down there with no real business plan, got chewed up and spit out. That's exactly how business should work, in my opinion. While preparing to come back to West Michigan, I knew I needed to start a healthier meal delivery service here. We initially started with providing meals to individuals and quickly learned that serving corporations/organizations was a more efficient way to get our meals/message to multiple people with less effort.
How did your personal experience lead you to focus on healthy eating?
I was in a negative/selfish mindset for the majority of my 20's due to poor decisions and unfortunate circumstances. When I had the opportunity to move to South Florida it opened my eyes and I matured. It started with being a little more health-conscious, paying more attention to what I was putting in my body. That transitioned into heavy self-development; reading books, watching youtube videos, meditation. Healthy eating was the building block to where I am today and where I'll be in the future mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
What led you two to team up in forming the company?
In 2012, I was managing a wireless store in Holland and Mallory was managing a wireless store in Muskegon. The Holland store was second in the nation and I was ranked second in the company in sales. Mallory called our store in Holland to ask how/why the store was doing so well, we had a conversation on what she could implement or take out for her store to perform better. We stayed in contact and her store's performance quickly improved.
A couple of years later we both ended up at the same store in Grand Rapids, we turned that store into the number one store in the company. I later left for South Florida to help my friend with the meal prep business (at 260+ pounds) and she stayed here (at 210 pounds). We both went through our journey of growth and development at the same time. Both lost a ton of weight and got into a much better place mentally. I came back from Florida, partnered with a wonderful chef by the name of Q but she and I didn't work out because she didn't have the entrepreneurial spirit it takes to start a business from scratch.
I remembered that Mallory always used to cook for the wireless team and the meals were delicious, I knew she had what it took to run a business as she did for many years at Sprint. I asked her if she would be interested in partnering with me (it was called Superior Meals at the time) and before I could tell her NOT to give me an answer right now, she said, YES!
What types of meals can customers expect to see when ordering from Mindset Meals? Do you offer accommodations for specialty diets?
Our options consist of Classic (protein, starch, veggie), Keto, and Vegan.
How can customers order your meals, and when are meals delivered?
Customers can order at
https://mindsetmeals.com/ by Thursday at 5 p.m. for Sunday delivery.
How have the COVID-19 shut-downs affected your business? What are some of the innovative ways you are working to overcome these challenges?
We've pivoted to spending our energy on providing meals for corporations. All of the organizations we were connected with have closed down for the time being. Our sales have declined substantially but we see the bigger picture firstly; people are passing away so people's health is what we are most concerned about. Second, this gives us time to get to the things we kept putting off due to the daily grind. Third, it gives us time to give back to our community. The frontline workers are stressed and scared. I'm sure it feels good to know that their community is supporting them as they keep us safe and healthy.
We've implemented a no-contact delivery. Our customers will receive a friendly text letting them know that their meals are at the door. We are also in the process of creating a cook at home kit. Mallory will be creating a video with the ingredients our customers will purchase, showing them how to cook the meal. We are trying to have people have fun at home while they are quarantined.
As I mentioned, there are more important aspects to this pandemic than our businesses losing traction. The reality of it is, is that people are dying and families are in pain. We just want to bring some positivity to a place that is full of darkness right now.
Are you still delivering during COVID-19?
Heck Yeah!! We've waived all delivery fees due to the pandemic!! We've also asked for donations from the community and local farms to feed the frontline worker. We have our first donation delivered today!
Images and video courtesy Mindset Meals.
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