Walking away from that on paper made absolutely no sense. Why would anyone leave a great career in tech, especially one paying that well, to start a healthy food company in Nigeria, of all places? The reason for quitting was deeply personal. I grew up overweight, and after years of trying, I finally hit my dream weight in 2023. I fought my cravings, adjusted my lifestyle drastically, and managed to get down to 89kg but once I hit my goal, I slid right back. In fact, it got worse. Within two years, I had regained over 18kg and even developed a health condition from the weight gain. That was what scared me. Losing weight wasn’t the problem; keeping it off was. I realized the real solution had to be sustainable.

I wanted a way to eat well, enjoy my meals, and stay in shape consistently, not just during “diet seasons” while sprinting back to unhealthy comfort foods after. I tried multiple meal services and healthy food options, but none of them delivered what I needed: enjoyable food, diverse menus, and smooth operations that made consistency easy and pleasant. That was the missing link.

And that’s ultimately what gave rise to PrepNourish.

Mission

With food-related conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity on the rise in Nigeria, eating healthier is no longer just a trend but necessary for survival. That’s why our mission at Prepnourish is to make healthy eating convenient, enjoyable, and sustainable for every Nigerian through nutrition-guided, chef-crafted meals that fuel results without sacrificing tast. Because we learned first-hand that if healthy food doesn’t taste good, most people (myself included) can’t stick to it in the long term.

That's why I partnered with Stefan, the best chef I’ve ever met, with over 15 years of culinary experience and multiple restaurants launched across Lagos and beyond.

Major Challenges

Funding without Venture Capital: Building Prepnourish, we decided to self-fund for the first couple of months to learn from our mistakes at a small scale before scaling. This meant a lot of equipment, packaging, and overhead costs had to come from my personal pocket. And trust me, they cost an arm and a leg. This type of funding imposes a level of discipline that venture capital cannot. This meant tracking every naira, documenting every naira, optimizing processes, and squeezing out inefficiencies.

Hiring and Retaining Talent: Hiring and retaining talent has also been an issue. The problem wasn't finding these talents but affording them. At some point, we tried handling this by hiring entry-level staff in certain positions we considered easy, but the cost of inexperience sometimes cost us more than a professional costs in a month with issues like missing checklists, avoidable mistakes, micro-managing, etc. This taught us that talent is not negotiable; it is the only lever that guarantees our standards are upheld.

Delivery pricing and location proximity: Delivery pricing and location proximity have been another major challenge. Many of our customers live on the Mainland, VI, and Ikoyi, but our kitchen is farther out, which increases transportation costs. We tried fixed-rate delivery companies to cut costs, but late deliveries hurt the experience, so we switched to on-demand riders who prioritize our orders, even though they’re more expensive. Our goal is to move closer to our core customer base by the end of Q1 2026 to reduce costs and improve efficiency.

Community

One of the biggest blessings in building Prepnourish has been our community. When we hosted our launch experience a few months ago, the turnout was incredible; friends, acquaintances, and early believers showed up in full, and many of them have continued to support the brand by patronizing, recommending us, and collaborating with us in different ways. 

Some have even invited us into their companies or partnered with us through their own businesses. We’ve also been fortunate to have people like Mr. Charles Emembolu, Mr. Nzeako Kosi, Okoye Catherine, and others who have been generous supporters and advisors from day one. That kind of backing has made all the difference.

Becoming Someone Else in the Process

Building Prepnourish also forced an unexpected identity shift. I started this journey as a software engineer, but I now find myself leading a company that people trust with their health and well-being. That realization carries a different kind of responsibility: not only to our customers who rely on us for results, but also to our staff who look to me for direction, standards, and the belief that what we do matters. Making that shift has required learning how to manage people, build systems, communicate vision, and uphold a standard that leaves no room for carelessness, because real lives and real outcomes are involved.

Why PrepNourish Exists Beyond Me

PrepNourish may have started from my personal struggle, but it was never meant to end with me. The reality is that millions of Nigerians are quietly fighting the same battles I fought: weight gain, lifestyle-related conditions, inconsistent eating habits, and the mental exhaustion that comes with trying to “eat healthier”.

Our goal is simple but ambitious: to help people eat better without stress, guilt, or extreme restrictions, and to make healthy living feel normal, enjoyable, and sustainable, not like punishment. We believe healthy eating shouldn’t be reserved for short-term diets, medical scares, or gym seasons. It should be a lifestyle people can realistically maintain.

More Than Food; A System for Better Living

What we are building at PrepNourish goes beyond just delivering meals. We are building systems that help people win consistently. That’s why our meals are not random “healthy-looking” dishes, but thoughtfully designed, nutrition-guided options that support real goals, whether that’s weight loss, muscle building, managing diabetes, improving gut health, or simply feeling better day to day.

We understand that most people don’t fail because they lack willpower; they fail because their environment doesn’t support good decisions. PrepNourish exists to fix that environment, by removing the friction, planning, and decision fatigue that makes healthy eating hard.

Meal Plans That Remove Guesswork

One of the biggest problems people face is not knowing what to eat, when to eat it, or how to stay consistent. That’s why PrepNourish offers structured meal plans tailored to different health goals. These plans are designed to take the guesswork out of healthy eating, helping customers stay on track without obsessing over calories, portion sizes, or daily food decisions.

With our meal plans, customers don’t just eat healthier, they eat with intention. Whether someone is managing a health condition, trying to lose weight sustainably, or simply wants a more balanced lifestyle, our plans provide clarity, structure, and peace of mind.

A Long-Term Commitment to Health

PrepNourish is here for the long game. We are committed to helping people not only look better, but live better, with more energy, better habits, improved confidence, and healthier relationships with food. Every meal we prepare carries that responsibility, because we know people are trusting us with something deeply personal: their health.

This journey taught me that success isn’t just about income or titles; it’s about impact. And if walking away from an 8-figure tech career means building something that helps people live longer, stronger, and healthier lives, then it was never a loss; it was a trade worth making.