A father and former marketer who launched a multi-million dollar meal kit business
Father-of-one Billy Green left a career in marketing to chase a dream. Make-Out Meals – meal kits with recipes and ingredients by Australia’s favourite restaurants – was founded in 2020 after Melbourne’s first lockdown. It’s now a multi-million-dollar business.
"When I launched Make-Out Meals, I wasn’t feeling enthused at all by my job. I was working in a large corporate environment as a marketing manager and was able to take advantage of remote working.
For six months I spent my afternoons and nights working on the business concept: cooking your favourite restaurant dishes at home. We took the time to develop the business properly. Some of the restaurants were excited by the idea – many said no, too. Our first major investment was developing branding so when we pulled the trigger on that I knew I was in for the long haul.
I grew up in a traditional family and the idea of not having a stable, corporate job was foreign. It took me a long time to break out of that mould and challenge myself to try something new.
As an entrepreneur you’re working around the clock whether you have kids or not. The added flexibility of being my own boss helps – I’m able to juggle life in a way that works for me. Being a dad has made me more flexible and open. Whether it’s illness or a broken arm, things change quickly. Routines get affected and plans need to adapt."