As parents, we teach our children the importance of eating healthy, making them cute bento boxes filled with heart-shaped fruit and snacks for school lunches and limiting junk food. But as busy adults, we have all been guilty of not always practicing what we preach and hitting the drive-thru after a long day or skipping meals altogether.

We all have health goals and aim to live a healthy lifestyle, but life happens, and sometimes we need to do what we have to do to get by regarding " fast food." It's hard to find comfort foods that nourish our bodies but also quick, convenient, and taste good. And if we do, maintaining a healthy diet becomes expensive. Luckily, Haylee Houkom and her husband Seth also had the same issues and did something about it. This power duo founded Power Plate Meals, a local Fargo-based company that brings healthy ready-to-eat meals to its consumers.

As former bodybuilders, they have always been health-conscious, and the frustration of not being able to find fast yet healthy meals, well frustrated them. They knew there was a need and wanted to do something about it. Foodies at heart, Haylee and her husband developed a business plan to provide their community with healthy, protein-packed, convenient meal options. 

They opened their first retail location in a rental kitchen in Fargo. After just one month of success, an electrical fire forced them to close its doors. But instead of getting defeated, they found an old Dominos storefront, rented it, and opened their doors within two months. They didn't know it then, but the fire may have been a blessing in disguise because it brought Power Plate Meals to become alive again, stronger than ever.

Although they faced many setbacks, including a global pandemic, Power Plate Meals thrived and grew. During covid, people worked from home, wanted delivery, quick meals, and wanted to stay healthy. They persevered through the hard times and adapted to meet consumers' needs. Almost seven years after its conception, Haylee has nine retail locations across the Midwest and ships nationwide. But they didn't stop there. Haylee noticed shopping habits had changed since covid and wanted to provide access to consumers while expanding their brand with wholesale. So, they did, and Power Plate Meals can be found in local grocery stores. Haylee's next three-year plan is to enter grocery stores nationwide, with Target in her sightline.

With a revolving menu, Power Plate Meals strives to create unique hand-crafted dishes that are high in protein and offer a wide variety of ingredients. Power Plate Meals are cooked with high standards and quality, as they are the only ready-to-eat meal prep kitchen inspected in the Fargo area. Rest assured, your meals were made with love.

So, what's Haylee's advice for anyone looking to turn a pipe dream into reality?

1. Don't let logistics and regulations be an obstacle.
2. Use social media for branding and awareness.
3. Figure out what customer wants and give it to them. 

If you want to hear more about Haylee's journey, tune into the Persevere Podcast with Haylee Houkom as she shares her journey from conception to now having multiple retail locations and expansion into wholesale markets. Haylee shares some of their challenges, why customers love their meals, and what they do to grow and reach their goals! Spend less time in the kitchen, and more time doing things you love. 

Tune into the podcast featuring Haylee Houkom and Power Plate Meals.

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