Meal-Prep: The Smarter Business Model

As a prospective Chef or Food Entrepreneur, whenever you hear the words “convenient”, “lucrative”, “flexible” and “safe” in the same sentence, you should be able to think of an in-home Meal-Prep Business. Have you ever imagined achieving your life goals without stress but with a great level of financial abundance? There’s no need to think twice- nobody ever enjoys losing comfort over a business that doesn’t meet up to their expectations.

Unlike Catering business models (which includes dinner parties, meal-delivery, and retreats), starting an In-Home Meal-Prep Business doesn’t cost a fortune. You are not required to rent a large store in the city with a well-equipped commercial kitchen and several delivery vehicles to start up. There’s no special requirement to build a team of permanent employees or hire independent contractors to get things done. All that is required is to take private orders and work from the comfort of the clients home. Sounds like a dream, right?

It’s important to state in clear terms, that in-home Meal-Prepping is the best way to achieve your goal as a Chef or Food Entrepreneur if working less and making more are your two top values. Contrary to what most people think, Catering Businesses are more tedious and less profitable than they seem. Let’s dive in!

WHY SHOULD I CHOOSE AN IN-HOME MEAL-PREP BUSINESS OVER A CATERING BUSINESS?

The Time Factor

The first Advantage of choosing an in-home Meal Prep Business over a Catering Business is “the time factor”. Think about this, a Caterer spends so much time on planning to ensure that their contract is properly delivered at the designated event. This includes lots of unpaid job hours and sleepless nights because Caterers carry the burden of making sure every tiny detail is perfect and ironed out by the end of the event and even after- chasing the client for final payments. We all agree that most jobs pay their workers hourly just to ensure that every bit of time and effort put into their work is acknowledged and paid for, right? Meanwhile as a Caterer, you must work overtime (without pay) to satisfy your Clients and their Guests on their big day.

For in-home Meal-prepping, it is a totally different game because you work on hire (and if you’re a Prepped for Profit student, learn how to charge their card– no more waiting on invoices). You get direct confirmation from your Client on a menu that you propose and an agreed-upon system that you bill the hours needed to complete that project. You don’t need to bother about presenting the meal, cleaning their dishes, serving a large crowd of strangers, or waiting on them to pay your invoice at their convenience.

So, would you prefer to work for about 12 hours daily as a Caterer or just six hours a few times a week as an in-home meal-prep Chef? Nothing feels better than having enough time to live your best life while making lots of money. The feeling is Golden. 

Open Window for Creativity

In every Chef business, the best way to set the bar high is by showcasing your expertise through continuous creativity in menu-creation. Meal-prepping gives you the creative freedom and challenge you seek to bring out the best in you. For example, if you have a vegan Client, you can start with your own cooking style and their Client Preferences List (a template all of our Prepped for Profit students receive) to create their menus, insert seasonal ingredients, and adjust based on their palates.

Unfortunately, you can’t entirely achieve creativity in a Catering Business because you’re hired to feed many people at one time using a general, pedestrian menu suited to please the average palate. Worse still, you don’t have your nights and weekends to explore other food options because most weekends are packed with events where you must deliver. At this point, you may agree that it’s really boring to keep making average meals on a weekly basis all your life.

The Cost Factor

Many Chefs initially avoid the meal-prep business model because they assume they will need to burden the cost of a commercial kitchen, employees, and delivery trucks. Wrong!

Here’s the good news: you won’t break the bank to become a in-home meal-prep chef! You only need the necessary skills for your first Client to commence immediately, then use their funds, kitchen, cooking equipment, and property.

Safety, Warmth, and Healthy Relationships

The importance of Safety and Warmth in business relationships cannot be overemphasized. In most cases, Client relationships evolve to the point where you’re regarded as a family member and it’s truly rewarding! Meal-prepping is a personally safe option too because the environments and the people are usually familiar. To further ensure their safety, I coach Chefs how create a clause in their Client Agreement that states we are not responsible for communication with anyone that comes onto the property; and that we may leave the premises if we ever feel unsafe- while full payment for the day must be owed.

Contrastingly, a catering business is oftentimes a one-off transaction with strangers without an opportunity to build a long-lasting relationship and trust with the parties involved. 

Personality Merits

One of the greatest advantages of in-home meal-prepping is that it’s great for all personality types. Unlike the Catering Business which is strongly suggested for extroverts with extensive business knowledge, meal-prepping accommodates both introverts and extroverts with little-to-no prior business knowledge since it deals with just an individual or a small group of people and simplified admin tasks. 

Permits and Tax

The good news is that most States do not require catering permits or sales tax permit for meal-prepping as you are considered a “cook for hire”! This is a non-taxable service (if performed the way that I teach in my Prepped for Profit Blueprint). This means you do not have to obtain a permit to perform services or collect and pay sales tax- saving you valuable time and energy.

However, Caterers do not share in this good fortune because all States require permits for all forms of Catering services including dinner parties, meal delivery, and retreats. They’re also strongly required to collect and pay quarterly sales taxes. Who wants that extra work?

WHAT’S NEXT???

Now you’ve realized the enormous benefits of the simplicity of the Meal-Prep Business Model, don’t you think it’s time to take that bold step into your freedom plan? It’s not a time to procrastinate or doubt your capabilities, but the perfect time to kick-start your in-home Meal-Prep Business with all the essential skills you need.

Dive into the Prepped for Profit Blueprint and be prepared to start meal-prepping in just 3 weeks. Contact Chef Tiffany Thomas to book an appointment today!

See you at the top!