Young entrepreneur: from £300 start-up to a 7-figure business

A young entrepreneur from the Black Country, who set up his business at the age of just 17,
has moved into new commercial premises to support the growth of the business.
George Greenhill, Founder of Protein Package, established the healthy snack brand
business in 2017 at his parents’ home in Wolverhampton whilst he was at Sixth Form
College in Stourbridge.

The business provides a ‘pick and mix’ style approach to ordering a variety of healthy snacks
online which are sourced from all over the world.

At the same time as completing his business degree at Aston University, George steadily
grew the business, which really took off in 2020 owing to an increase in online consumer
habits during the pandemic.

This has resulted in the need for commercial premises to allow the business to hold more
inventory and fulfil customer orders so the business has taken on a 6-year lease at
Stanmore Business Park in Bridgnorth.

Commenting on his early success George said: “When I was 17, the football team I played
for disbanded so I turned my attention to the gym and keeping active. I started to invest in
protein bars to support my training but found that a lot of them were really expensive –
sometimes the cost of a whole meal deal or the alternative was to purchase a month’s
supply which meant I was left eating the same flavour for ages.

I saw an opportunity to set up an online business where customers could select from a
variety of products from different brands and decide on their own quantities. I approached
Barclays as I knew nothing about setting up a business account, and their local Business
Manager was really helpful in getting me started.

The business really took off in 2020 as more people were turning to online ordering during
the pandemic. This coincided with my final year at Uni which was a bit challenging at times
but I was lucky enough to secure a First Class degree.”

Thomas Perry, Business Manager at Barclays in Wolverhampton said: “George identified a
gap in the market. You have to admire his drive and I wish him every success for the future.”
Four years on the business is projected to turn over £1 million this financial year and George
has recently taken on his first Kickstarter apprentice backed by the government to support
young people after the pandemic.

George is now looking to the future and hopes to continue to grow the business by
introducing more product ranges, offering even better value by purchasing in greater
quantities himself and by looking at further exclusive brand collaborations like they’ve done
with Grenade and Barebells.