Des Moines Mom Movers & Shakers is an annual series celebrating local moms who are thinking outside the box and making a difference in the community through the businesses they own, organizations they are involved in, and the work they do. Check out the rest of the series and read profiles from previous years here.
Megan Garvin started her business, Batch Balanced, a high protein muffin batter, in her kitchen in 2019.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family.
My name is Megan Garvin and I own Batch Balanced. My husband, Jon, and I have been married for 13 years. We have 4 daughters; Blake (7), Piper (6), Reese (3) and Shea (8 months). Jon and I are both from the Quad Cities but have made Des Moines our home for over 15 years.
What do you consider the biggest challenge of motherhood to be? Biggest joy?
Time is the biggest challenge of motherhood. There simply isn’t enough of it and the time we do get goes by way too fast. All four of my girls are so unique and different and I wish I had all the time in the world to dedicate to each of them to help them become the best possible version of themselves. I’ve got a household to run, driving the girls to and from school and activities, and a business so I do the best I can and pray its enough.
This may sound simple and redundant but my biggest joy of motherhood is motherhood. I love being a mom. It’s the most important job I have, it’s a massive responsibility and I don’t take it lightly or for granted. I don’t really have a favorite memory or specific thing I like best. I love it all, even the hardest parts because I know one day I’d do anything to have them back.
How did you start Batch Balanced? What was your inspiration?
Batch Balanced started in my kitchen. I was working with a local nutritionist, Kelly Timmerman where we taught our clients how to nourish their body and feel their best by stabilizing blood sugar. I developed recipes that had balanced macronutrients and could be meal prepped to make eating healthy sustainable. At the time, I was a new mom and needed healthy and convenient options for fueling myself. I was grabbing protein bars and shakes for quick fueling. I needed something that was as quick and convenient as a protein bar, but was made with nourishing ingredients. Once I developed the recipe for the muffin batter and discovered my family loved it, I started prepping the batter in bulk and freezing the batter in ziplock bags that could be thawed and baked later. A few of my friends with young children started asking if I would be willing to sell my batter and that’s when I realized I may have accidentally started a business.
The inspiration behind the business is that we all want to feed our family healthy food that tastes good but that can be inconvenient and time consuming. I realized if I could deliver a product that is convenient, delicious, and healthy I would be delivering something many people I know are constantly searching for but struggling to find.
What’s the best part about being your own boss?
Freedom. I have my priorities and I do everything in my power to live out those priorities. Being my own boss makes it a lot easier to avoid the inevitable conflict of priorities between my personal and work life that I’m very thankful for. It’s not perfect and there’s still plenty of conflicts but being able to independently troubleshoot those conflicts and set my own schedule is something I try not to take for granted.
What’s the hardest part about running your own business?
I have a hard time saying I run my own business because I have such an amazing support system around me. I work with some incredible people who help me with production, distribution, marketing, pop-ups/farmers markets, etc. I really try not to look at anything as the hardest thing, just the biggest challenge at a specific time. I get a lot of reward in taking the most difficult part of running my own business and improving it so it’s no longer the most difficult part. Then I can work on repeating that for the next most challenging thing, embracing that process and learning each step of the way.
What advice do you have for moms who want to start a business?
Passion and belief are by far the most crucial prerequisites when starting a business. The ups and downs of running a business aren’t for the faint of heart and if there isn’t a deep conviction that the time and energy being put into the business are worth it, it’ll be tough to sustain the energy necessary to make it a worthy endeavor.
What do you wish you knew when you started?
I don’t know. I really didn’t know anything about running a business when I started and there’s still so much I’m learning every day. There’s no substitute for experience and there are a lot of lessons I’ve learned the hard way that have been costly in time and/or money but nothing that couldn’t be overcome and I’m better off for going through it.
What do you love about raising a family in Des Moines?
Des Moines is an amazing place to raise a family. Des Moines offers so much for a young family – parks, bike trails, festivals, concerts, farmer’s markets, etc. It’s safe, affordable, easy to get around, and has great schools. But what I’ve loved most about raising a family in Des Moines are the people. We are surrounded by a community of like-minded, caring and friendly people who are supportive and encouraging. It can be hard to find a true sense of community in a city the size of Des Moines but the people in this city have figured out how to do it.
Quick Takes:
Favorite local restaurant I am a foodie so it’s really hard for me to pick just one, but when I get the opportunity to go out I always love any of the St. Kilda Restaurants.
Best place to take kids Racoon River Park. We love to bike, hike, and explore so we can usually spend a good amount of time there.
Favorite summer activity Biking with the girls! We have loved biking all over Des Moines. We usually pack a picnic or bike to a local restaurant to break up the trip. Our favorite so far this summer is biking to Wilson’s Orchard.
How/where do you relax? Getting outside, hiking or a good yoga flow. Moving my body in a gentle way that allows me to clear my head and get away from the noise has been my go-to.
If your life had a hashtag, what would it be? #balance
Know a Des Moines mom we should feature? Let us know! Email [email protected] with details and we will be in touch.
