How to make money on healthy eating: A Success Story

The founder of the project Easy Meal Vadim Malkin - a person with dual nationality, political strategist in the past, intends to create a network in Moscow mini-cafe, where it will be offered only healthy food. More recently, Vadim had problems with being overweight, but appealed to the holy faith nutritionists, and was able to achieve an optimum result. His cravings for healthy food, he decided to instill in employees and offices in Moscow, but too meticulous approach to the preparation of diets and selection of products more than once put the project on the brink of survival. Now Malkin said that much would be done differently if it starts all over again.

Film critic, a political scientist, entrepreneur

40-year-old Vadim was born in the Moscow suburb of Khimki. In 1994 he graduated from the Film Institute with a diploma "film critic-writer." In 1996 he got a job in the first sociological agency Russian Research, where, in his words, doing everything right, from technical support to the analysts. Sociology fascinated him, and he defended on this subject thesis at Moscow State University.

After the Russian Research, he went to work communications agency Burson-Marsteller, which has launched a project of the World Bank for the development of legal culture in Russia. Then there were the Federal News Agency (FAI), spin-doctoring, and he created the Agency for Strategic Communications, whose client was the party "Yabloko", funded by Yukos ... As you know, the history of the oil company ended dramatically and Vadim in October 2003, went to London, where until now He spends most of the time.

London's business did not go: the security of Russian companies do not trust the person associated with Yukos.

At Albion in 2003, he launched his first business - consultancy Russian Axis, which was to assist major Russian companies to do business in England. However, the idea was not particularly successful: the security of many domestic companies after the verification refused to cooperate with Vadim because of its connection with Yukos. Then he decided to change direction and in 2007 created the Transitional Markets Consultancy - Project who advised foreign companies in their activities in the markets of the former Soviet Union. In 2010, he graduated from the MBA program TRIUM, where he met future partner for Easy Meal, Petersburger Yuri Samokhin. By the time the advice Vadim tired, and he began to think about the real business.

You are what you eat

The idea came to Vadim Malkin, when he arrived yl London to Moscow, faced with the fact he did not know that you can have. Just because a healthy diet is not possible in most outlets catering capital and change their habits Malkin did not want to. He thought it would be interesting to run the project that delivers healthy food directly to your home or office.

Preliminary calculations show that the launch of Easy Meal in London would cost 15 million rubles in Moscow - 10 times cheaper.

Vadim said that for a long time to choose where to start a business: in London or Moscow. In the United Kingdom, according to preliminary calculations, the launch of the project costing 300 000 pounds. At the rate of 2011, when the decision to launch, the pound was worth about 50 rubles, that is, the English start would cost 15 million rubles. "This sum I did not have, and attract venture capital money I could not, and embarrassed," - says Vadim.

In Moscow the launch required 10 times less money - 1.5 million rubles. Choosing between London and the Russian capital, the partners decided nevertheless to start with Moscow. "Who would have thought I was fast, if you had to make the decision again. In London, it would be a more expensive, but safer ", - says Vadim.

Price start in Russia as a result has grown by 3.5 times

Firstly, the initial estimate increased by the fall of 2012, when the project was fully launched, more than three times - up to 5 million rubles. After several failures with partner restaurants in Easy Meal decided to organize its own production, it required additional capital expenditures. Secondly, to do business in Russia from London was quite difficult. Neither the preparation and control technology, or you can not try dishes.

Diet workplace

The essence of the project lies in the fact that the proponents of a healthy diet should choose his online Easy Meal dishes based on the ratio of calories and vitamins, proteins, fats and carbohydrates: every dish is accompanied by a list of ingredients and nutrients. And you can choose either a lunch or an entire program based on daily or weekly caloric norm that specifically hopes nutritionist. And as in any healthy diet, any diet is not one of the founders of Easy Meal did not understand, the company was called British nutritionist Sue Baik, which offered a variety of feeding programs according to the rules of nutrition with the layout nutrient composition (proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins ) and sign in calories. As a result, several programs have been approved - for vegetarians, for dieters, for those who simply follow a healthy diet, etc.

We start a business Vadim Malkin and his wife Julia Umnyakova with atypical for the Russian startups thoroughness: they ordered a sociological study of healthy food market in Moscow. It turned out that the capital they have tens of thousands of potential clients, who work in offices and are willing to follow the figure.

Facts and figures about the Easy Meal

"We have made a business out of nowhere - rather, by denying what was then on the market", - says Vadim. The idea of ​​delivering rations has already been implemented in the US and Europe - there were about 10-15 companies. In Russia at that time was only Justforyou ».

The next step was the development of the site, which cost 500 000 rubles. It made for a long time, says Vadim. For the site a real battle between the humanities and the IT people who wanted to "128 buttons in terms of abstract algorithm" instead of user-friendly page with a minimum number of clicks. Remaking site took more than a year after the launch of the project and required additional investment.

In the year before the launch of Vadim launched an advertising campaign to Facebook - it allowed him to make the brand recognizable and to get feedback from potential customers in the course of the development of correcting errors and taking into account the wishes.

Stress test start

As long as the advertising campaign, the partners looked for a place where she was preparing food, and special equipment. Rent in Moscow was very expensive, and the suburbs are not suited for logistics - customers do not have to wait for three hours. They were looking for a few months, eventually we found a small kitchen on Alexis - more expensive than it was in the business plan, but there was no way. Logistics functions have decided to outsource friendly company.

Vadim Malkin: "The big problem was the same couriers. If a man of 30-40 years in Moscow came to settle courier 20 000. "clean" - it means something to him, most likely not. He or drug addict, or an alcoholic ... "

Vadim gladly and often talks about how Easy Meal ordered the original packaging with the logo that it is recognizable and it could heat up food. We went on Russian suppliers, but it turned out that to make such a package in the outback in England - fast, half the price and better. Order for the next six months has managed in the amount of about 300 000 rubles. But the customs of the requested documents with the press that in its production have not been used nanotechnology. Explanations with British provincials was pretty funny, says Vadim, but the main point was that in England since 1989, no seals. At all. I had to make it specially for the Russian customs.

Formulation and "conditional Onishchenko"

The project was started in the summer of 2012. Contrary to the expectations of the founders, sales and visitors to the site was not, and the partners decided they were wrong with the business idea and the region. But in the fall, according to Vadim, "flooded". It turns out that eating right not only want a woman - a lot of orders and come from men. The project is now almost two years, and the founders are already aware, when the wait for a seasonal decline, and when - growth.

As soon as sales improved, there was a problem with the "conditional Onishchenko." At Easy Meal is very rigid formula that is tied to the 14 parameters (calories, proteins, fats, saturated fats, sugars, vitamins, fiber, etc.), and when, for example, Russia banned imports of the cheese "Philadelphia", quickly find him substitution is not possible. Collapsing the whole nutrition program. Due to the unexpected unavailability of components had arisen remodel 12 food recalls Vadim.

"From this story I learned a good lesson: do not have to start a business without a partner, who would be well versed in the restaurant business", - says Vadim.

Now the average check one delivery Easy Meal - 1900 rubles. Vbudni carried 80-120 deliveries of nutrition programs - multi-day diet for the whole day (they have different lengths, from 5 to 21 days) and single orders - lunch. Half of the visitors bought lunch, half rations picks for the day.

The Easy Meal founders have invested 15 million rubles, and attracted investment estimated at 1 million euros. To date, the project partners have invested about 15 million rubles - the amount of the original estimate in London, says Vadim. Plus, in early 2013 attracted private investment, the size of which he did not disclose, but said that the project at the time of the transaction was estimated at 1 million euros.

The company came to self-sufficiency in the fall of 2013. While revenue fluctuates from 3 to 4.5 million rubles per month. Plans for this year is fairly modest: to grow revenue by 30-40% to a stable 5 million rubles a month, and start a new "offline" trend - a network of mini-cafe healthy diet.