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Andy Sartori and www.mealpro.net

Andy Sartori - Presenting

Company: MealPro
Website: www.mealpro.net
About: An eCommerce meal delivery service for fitness minded individuals
Alumni Involved: Andy Sartori (College 9), Chris Park (Cowell College)

http://andysartori.com/entrepreneur-story

affiliates and mealpro presentation

Tell us a little about your background and what your current role is at MealPro?

I developed a solid background in marketing and finance for my B.A. in Economics at UC Santa Cruz, as well as a strong appetite for entrepreneurship. I recognized an untapped need in the lifestyle of millennials and of fitness minded professionals in general: we all look for healthy food, for meals that can support our athletic goals and that are customized for each one of us. That became the vision behind MealPro, a fitness meal delivery service that operates exclusively through an e-commerce portal. We built out this vision with a small team of web developers, personal trainers, and nutrition specialists. I play many roles in this startup, but focus on our digital marketing strategy and on extending our footprint with our target audience on the web. I engage directly with developers and designers, to ensure that every element of our positioning is consistent, and that our customers have a positive experience when they navigate our digital property. And of course my priority is that they enjoy their meals!

What courses were most impactful in helping you grow your business?

A great one was Marketing - I learned how crucial digital media can be to both the Awareness and Retention stage of the buyer’s journey. Our instructor broke us up into groups and gave us case studies where we critiqued other companies - having the conversation with my classmates and some real life examples really allowed the information to settle in. As I look at the digital strategy I have developed at my company, I recognize some of the insights that I discussed with my classmates during small groups.

What teaching moments in the classroom were especially helpful?

Undergraduate Accounting was one of my favorites. Our professor encouraged participation by recruiting undergraduate teaching assistants and by organizing toastmasters, an extra curricular public speaking group. He really created an environment for students to learn both inside and outside of class.
Even though I did not pursue an accounting career it gave me a solid backbone to understand financial statements that I can leverage in entrepreneurship. Also, I found the peer-to-peer interaction to be not only intellectually stimulating but also personally engaging, as it turned my classmates from familiar faces into friends. Some of us still keep in touch today.

What advice would you give to other prospective students – especially entrepreneurs - interested in launching a product?

On the academic side, develop a diverse background in business and technology and get some practical internships or real-world knowledge of the product you will build your company around.
On the practical side, remember that business is a marathon, and only loving what you will do will give you the endurance to finish it - with a smile.