Jamie & Kayla Giovinazzo of EAT CLEAN BRO on Creating a Meal Prep Business
Interview with owners of Eat Clean Bro Jamie & Kayla Giovinazzo about prioritizing every customer, the business of healthy food, and building a culture with clear communication.
By Shawn P. Walchef •
Key Takeaways
- A Lesson in Filling a Need - Before meal prep and delivery companies were as widespread as they are now, you had to “have a guy.” Living in New Jersey and having a personal relationship with wrestling star Mike "The Mizz" Mizanin allowed Jamie Giovianzzo to have access to an extensive amount of athletic and entertainment contacts. He was able to get in touch with these connections to offer his cooking and meal prep services. With only four items on the menu and his friend's kitchen as his workspace, Giovianzzo's career had begun.
- You Are Only As Good As Your Last Meal - Jamie Giovianzzo's father taught him the simple lesson that if something is wrong, fix it. As his business skyrocketed, Giovianzzo and his team were put under immense pressure. Instead of running from it, he extended hospitality to cover for mistakes, owned them, and treated every customer with the individual care and respect they deserved.
- Communication Is Key To Culture - Kayla Giovianzzo is the key behind the success of the business that is Eat Clean Bro. As the company exploded, there needed to be a clear culture and guidelines in place. Kayla and Jamie ensure that communication from the top down is present, and they keep their employees as a priority.
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Jamie and Kayla Giovinazzo have built a healthy food empire with Eat Clean Bro. But success took time, talent, and teamwork.
At 19-years-old the CEO/Founder of Eat Clean Bro Jamie Giovinazzo wanted to combine his two passions of cooking and fitness to create a meal prep company.
The year was 2012 when Jamie took a chance on himself. He was on his last $300 and had given up on his dreams of cooking. Until everything changed for the better.
He began cooking again after a chance phone call from a long lost friend. That was enough to reignite his passion to restart his meal prep company journey during a time when that wasn't really a thing. Eventually, Jamie became "the guy" that cooked and prepared meals for clients.
"I had a Rolodex of business (contacts). So I just started going down by calling everybody's name," Jamie Giovinazzo recalls with Restaurant Influencers host Shawn Walchef of CaliBBQ Media. "I had four items on my menu and I started cooking at my buddy's house."
That decision would forever change his life. It also led him to find his wife Kayla and learn she was indeed the one.
Business had been doing so well at this point that Jamie had to call a rain check on a first date with Kayla in order to sort through receipts to submit for taxes. Instead of casting him aside, Kayla decided to help him organize. They have been locked in ever since.
Kayla, who eventually dashed her dreams of being in Law Enforcement to be a part of the family business full time, still exhibits that helpful, considerate propensity to this day as the VP of Eat Clean Bro.
One of the company's overarching goals is "sculpting your company into a positive, uplifting, awesome place to work", according to Kayla. She is the brains behind ensuring the success continues to happen.
The two have built an empire and become a powerhouse couple that has amassed upwards of $20 million in sales per year for the company that now stretches across 15 states and operates out of a 17,000-square-foot facility with 150 employees.
Marriage, money, and meals have all been put into their proper place as Eat Clean Bro continues to grow.
"I'm only as good as my last meal" is a proclamation that Jamie Giovinazzo and Kayla Giovinzzo embody.
With their dedication to hospitality and incredible celebrity backing, the Giovinazzo family's ascension has been fast and shows no signs of slowing.
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