Founder Friday: how the cooking problem of a man became a 5 million solution

The founder on Friday of this week was Dynamic Business with Tomi Jurlina, co-founder of Training mealsTo discuss how a hatred against cooking led to a business revolution.

From a start -up investment of $ 1,400 to delivering 5 million meals and creating the world’s first air frituse meals, Tomi and his business partner Deakin have changed personal frustration in entrepreneurial gold.

When cooking becomes the enemy of profit

The story of training meals begins with a problem that many fitness enthusiasts will recognize: the gap between good intentions and the kitchen reality. In 2012, Tomi Jurlina came to a gym and received what a game-changing tool should have been: a protein meal plan from his personal trainer. There was only one problem.

“I never enjoyed cooking and I still don’t do that,” Tomi admits with refreshing honesty. Faced with this culinary roadblock, he did what a practical person would do, he asked his trainer if there was a service that could process the meal preparation for him. The answer was less than encouraging: “Only if you hire a personal cook.”

But instead of accepting the defeat, Tomi saw the chance. “That’s when the idea really clicked,” he explains. Working together with Dean, whose mother and aunt were talented chefs, started to shape the concept. “I shared the concept with him, and from that moment everything started to fall into place. It was a personal solution for a real-life problem that grew into something much bigger.”

From kitchen table to kitchen revolution

What started when an investment of $ 700 of each founder has evolved into something that could not have predicted Tomi nor Dean. The company has now delivered more than 5 million meals throughout Australia, but their journey to success was not without its learning curves.

“You could probably write a book or even a comedy series about the challenges that we are confronted with on training meals,” laughs Tomi. “We had neither earlier business experience and to make things even more interesting, I have never been passionate about cooking, in fact I hate it! If there was a mistake, there is a good chance that we made it.”

Despite the rocky start, or perhaps because of it, training meals have carved a unique position on the Australian market. “We were the first to introduce protein -rich meals on the Australian market, and although we have made just about every mistake you can think of on the way, we never stopped pushing,” Tomi thinks. “In many ways we have set the blueprint that others now follow in space.”

Innovation that changes the game

The newest breakthrough of the company perfectly includes their innovative mind. With two -thirds of the Australian households who now have air frituses, training meals saw a chance that nobody else had seen.

“Our most recent innovation is a good example of this: we have launched the first high-eggwin ready meals in Australia and possibly the world that can go directly into an air frituse, just like a microwave meal,” Tomi explains with clear pride. “It is a game changer for convenience, quality and customer experience, and it reflects our continuous dedication to stay ahead of the curve.”

The answer is unprecedented. Sales have tripled since the air frituse meals were launched only six weeks ago, forcing the company to bring in extra kitchen staff to meet the demand.

Stay ahead of the peloton

For Tomi, innovation is not just a business strategy, it is the company’s DNA. “Innovation has always been the core of what we do during training meals,” he emphasizes. “We were the first to introduce protein -rich meals for the Australian market, and since then we have continued to lead the way.”

This dedication to first go beyond product development. “Staying first means constantly evolving whether it is through product development, packaging or how we deal with our customers. We are proud to put the benchmark in the industry and keep others sharp.”

Binding wisdom of the trenches

Because of all the mistakes and victories, Tomi has distilled his experience in clear lessons for other entrepreneurs who navigate similar challenges.

“One of the biggest obstacles was finding the right partners and building a reliable team,” he notes. “In business, everything can happen and it often crucial to have a Rock-Solid foundation that consists of people you can trust.”

The lessons learned have been of fundamental importance for their continuous success. “Two of the most important lessons we have learned are: First of all, the quality of your product is everything, especially in the food industry. And secondly, the figures in the books must make sense. If they don’t, you will constantly pick up to catch up.”

Build something bigger than yourself

What makes Tomi’s story particularly compelling is how he has made a personal weakness of his aversion to cooking, in a business force. By recognizing what he could not do and find partners who could do that, he created a solution that resonates with thousands of Australians who face the same challenge.

The success of their air fride meals, with favorites such as southern baked chicken and chicken parmigiana who are in charge, proves that sometimes the best business ideas come from the most honest self-evaluation. Tomi did not pretend to love cooking or tried to become something he was not. Instead, he built up a company to solve the problem for people like him.

From that first interview with a personal trainer to becoming pioneers in the healthy meal industry of Australia, training meals represents more than just business success; It is proof that the best innovations sometimes come from the simplest recordings: “I hate cooking and I bet I am not alone.”

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