Shane Ryan of healthy food startup, Feed, talks about tenacity, creating a mental health toolbox, and how giving back can be good for the bottom line.

 

Key takeaways

[1:42] Shane started young, planning businesses at the age of 10 and selling things from stalls on match day.

[5:15] Gave up his career in hospitality, having managed some of the top hotels in the world. Saw how healthy food affected his well being as well as a shift in people's attitudes to food, with healthy food coming to the fore.

[9:40] Spent nine months writing an elaborate business plan that on reflection was totally unnecessary which resulted in missed opportunities.

[10:55] Came up with the first idea of 'a restaurant in the cloud' delivering healthy lunches. Learned a lot through that process even if it didn’t work out.

[15:27] Had a lot of positive press, looked like a great success but the reality was that the business was crumbling. Affected his mental health.

[19:25] Decided to leave the business. Moved back home, focused on himself and his mental health. What ever you do with your career is not as important as you making sure you’re in a good place and have the internal tools to deal with things.

[22:20] Wasn’t giving up on his idea. He knew there was an opportunity around healthy food. Came up with meal pots, ready meals that were incredibly healthy, good for you and well branded.

[24:50] Taking the leap for the second time round. A lot more confident. Learned from previous mistakes.

[28:05] Shane's toolbox for mental health: Eating right, exercise and fitness. Finding things that you know clear your head and make you feel good. Having interests outside of your business so you can switch off. Mindfulness.

[35:35] Every time you buy a pot, Feed donates the cost of a meal to child thorough the charity Mary’s Meals. Mary's meals feed 1.2 million children every day in places like Malawi and Aleppo. The meals are provided through schools so that they not only get fed but also get an education.

You can still be a for profit company and make good margins and be very commercial while also having a socially conscious element at your core.

[39:20] The future is bright for Feed. Scaling up 4 fold and jumping from 25 to 90 listings in next few weeks. Having gone through the process of iteration with the previous business his product was exactly what the buyers wanted.

[41:35] Shane's three main pieces of advice:

Don’t do it on your own. Have a co-founder if you can

Just do it. Whatever you do it’s better than doing nothing. Progress is better than stagnation.

The next step is the best stepClick To Tweet

Don’t get into food! Food is great but comes with challenges. If you do, look to extend your shelf life.

 

Links to things mentioned in this episode

Feed's Website: eatfeed.ie

Feed on Twitter

Feed on Facebook

Feed on Instagram

Supervalu Food Academy 

Mary's Meals

Innovation Academy, UCD