She quit her waitress job with $100 at 21. How Bianca Monley turned a healthy-meal cooking side hustle into a $5 million business

Bianca Monley was 21 when she walked away from her job as a waitress with just $100 in her pocket and no business experience.

She did not have a detailed business plan. Or a big company behind her. Instead, she started making healthy meals in a tiny apartment in Bondi and selling them to friends at the gym.

What began with 10 people eventually grew into thousands of customers and over the years, a multimillion-dollar home-delivery business.

From a Bondi Apartment to a Growing Meal Business

Monley says her decision to start the business came from her passion for health. Her first goal was simple: help people live healthier lives.

She started by cooking the meals herself and selling them to people she knew. As more customers came on board, the small operation became a much bigger business.

The journey was far from easy. Monley describes years of mistakes, long nights and learning as she went along.

She Eventually Had to Stop Doing Everything Herself

Monley handled almost every part of the business in the beginning. She cooked the food, packed orders, delivered meals and managed the finances.

But that became harder as the company grew. Monley also had three children within two years, forcing her to learn how to let go of some responsibilities and trust other people.

The business expanded into Melbourne and Sydney, while Monley also built a 100-acre farm and brought in chefs, nutritionists and gardeners.

She says the company’s focus on fresh home-delivery meals and its farm-to-plate approach helped set the brand apart. Monley says it was the first company in Australia to offer fresh home-delivery meals and the only one to build a farm to grow organic vegetables.

Hugh Jackman Became a Turning Point

There was a point when the pressure of running the business became overwhelming for Monley. She recalls sitting on her kitchen floor surrounded by bills and feeling the weight of the business.

Then came a major break.

Monley says Hugh Jackman became a client and was photographed with one of the company’s coolers. She describes what happened next as a moment when the business suddenly took off.

She later connected with Miranda Kerr and Cate Blanchett, whom she describes as “walking billboards” for the company.

Monley also credits Gwyneth Paltrow with giving the business another major boost after naming it among the top 10 delivery services globally.

The Company Was Delivering 10000 Meals a Week

When the business was delivering 10000 meals a week, Monley started thinking beyond simply delivering food.

She then decided to buy 100 acre farm and create a farm-to-door experience to give customers greater transparency about where their food came from.

For Monley, innovation was not only about constantly starting something new. As she said, it could also mean improving what already worked, listening to customers and adapting to their needs.

Reaching $5 Million Took Years

The business eventually reached $5 million in revenue but Monley says it did not happen overnight.

It took years of hard work, sleepless nights and learning from mistakes, looking back, she said building a successful business is more like a marathon than a sprint.

Her biggest lesson from the journey is that success is not a destination but a mindset, she said, “Back yourself.”