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Nevell Provo – Smooth Meal Prep
By Wanda Taylor Photography contributed
Nevell Provo, Smooth Meal Prep
NEVELL PROVO SMOOTH MEAL PREP From Athlete to Celebrated Entrepreneur
When you put together a young go-getter with an entrepreneurial spirit, a mom who loves to cook, and a family who lend their skills to the cause; what you end up with is one very delicious startup. The well-oiled machine behind the company, Smooth Meal Prep, is Co-Founder and CEO, Nevell Provo who is from the community of North Preston, Nova Scotia. The idea was inspired by his mother and Co-Founder, Karen Provo. Karen had been preparing healthy meals for Nevell during his basketball season. To make some extra cash for a trip, she started preparing meals for ten other players, and according to Nevell, “things took off from there.” With some financial support from Blue Water Community Business Development Corporation, a bit of consultation with Saint Mary’s Entrepreneurship Centre, and business plan guidance from the Black Business Initiative, Nevell went from accomplished athlete to entrepreneur. Since launching in 2018, Smooth Meal Prep has served over 18,000 fitness-focused meals to clients across the Halifax Regional Municipality. Nevell’s hard work and entrepreneurial spirit have been recognized across the business community. In 2019, he placed second in the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards, Atlantic. This year, he received the 2020 Family Business Association’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, which recognizes and celebrates entrepreneurial innovation and leadership. The visionary entrepreneur was also selected to compete in Canada’s only national student entrepreneur competition, Enactus Canada’s Top 12 Student Entrepreneur Pitch Competition presented by HSBC Bank. The competition empowers the next generation of business leaders, by bringing together young entrepreneurs who compete for a $10,000 grand prize. While Nevell is not quick to admit his successes, he reveals the road hasn’t been easy. As with the launch of any startup, there were risks and challenges. This being his first business venture, Nevell says there was a huge learning curve for him, and he made some rookie mistakes, particularly around regulations and food health certifications. Nonetheless, he was determined so he put in the work and navigated through those challenges until he came out victorious. Working through the challenges gave Nevell a deeper understanding and a greater focus on what he needed to do. He learned that organizational structures and systems were essential to growing a successful business. He also learned the importance of staying on task and building a solid team of people with different skills and abilities that would help to strengthen a business’ operations. Nevell has no plans of slowing down and is already strategizing the next steps for his business, post-Covid-19 pandemic. His future plans include expanding and growing his brand beyond Nova Scotia. He is fortunate to have strong emotional support from his family who are also all hands on deck in the business. He gets a lot of motivation from community role models running their own successful businesses. One of his greatest role models is the late Nipsey Hussle, who he says came from a background similar to his own and went on to inspire whole communities through his business and entrepreneurship. To other young people trying to find inspiration, Nevell has a few words of wisdom. “Don’t be afraid to dream. Don’t be afraid to start. We started Smooth Meal Prep in my mom’s kitchen with two people. I was the cook, marketer, delivery guy, accountant, and a lot more. We delivered the food in grocery store bags. A year and a half later, we have a team of 11 employees and have sold over $250,000 worth of food.”
