Today we’d like to introduce you to Allison Schaaf.
Hi Allison, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have had such a fun journey in building Prep Dish. My background is in food and nutrition. I started out as a personal chef in Austin but quickly saw a need for helping busy moms get dinner on the table on a larger scale and Prep Dish was born. Prep Dish provides meal plans- step-by-step guides for meals that include a grocery list, meal prep instructions as well instructions for mealtime. We save our customers time and money when it comes to meals.
I started Prep Dish eight years ago on my own and it was just me. Now, I have a team that helps to make sure everything runs smoothly. I’m also married with two little kiddos. It’s been so fun to now use the meal plans as a customer and see my family enjoy the recipes and for me to personally reap the benefits of the time savings. 😉
I also want to discuss my most recent project, Miscarriage Hope Desk; a few years ago, when my husband and I set out to start our family, we, unfortunately, ran into the issue of recurrent miscarriage. I was devastated but also shocked at the lack of resources available to this subset of the infertility community. I knew I wanted to create something to help others going through similar struggles… and that is exactly what I did with Miscarriage Hope Desk! We provide evidence-based research articles that take a deep dive into what might be at play with miscarriage, as well as stories of hope to help women feel less alone in their struggle. We also have a variety of other tools and resources- I like to call it the resource I wish I’d had!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There have been plenty of struggles along the way! With Prep Dish, an initial struggle was growth. Not just how to grow in terms of gaining customers, but also how to grow the team. Surrounding yourself with the right people is so key to running a successful business and it took me a while to figure out my strengths as well as who I needed to have around me. But it was worth the time and missteps to really fine-tune the team at Prep Dish. Now that I have two little ones (a 2-year-old and nine month old!) I am more grateful than ever to my team.
It’s been crazy to see my vision and passion become a shared vision and passion with others. We all get excited about the work we do and the difference we are making in other people’s lives!
We’ve been impressed with Prep Dish, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We specialize in helping busy moms get dinner on the table. Our meal prep system allows customers to spend 1-2 hours prepping meals in advance so that throughout the week, dinners are seamless! I am proud of the feedback we receive from customers that we are “life-changing”… I especially love seeing kids get involved with meals and enjoying new, healthy flavors! I would love to give readers an opportunity to try out our meal plans for two weeks, free at PrepDish.com/voyage.
What were you like growing up?
I was always an entrepreneur at heart. I loved starting businesses that helped others. I actually had a catering business in high school, which inspired me to go to culinary school. While most people assumed because I went to culinary school to become a chef, I always knew I wanted to pave my own path and combine my skills and interests in a unique way.
Contact Info:
- Website: PrepDish.com | MiscarriageHopeDesk.com
- Instagram: @prepdish and @miscarriagehopedesk
- Facebook: facebook.com/prepdish | facebook.com/miscarriagehopedesk/
- Youtube: http://youtube.com/prepdish
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-228366439
Image Credits
Jessica Rockowitz
