George Greenhill is a young entrepreneur from the United Kingdom who founded Protein Package in 2016 at the age of just 17 from his parents’ home. The business has experienced over 400% consecutive Year-Over-Year (YOY) growth since starting with only £300 of personal investment.
Question One: Why did you decide to start Protein Package? What makes you stand out?
I decided to start Protein Package from home when I was 17 and still at school. To be honest, the idea came completely out of a negative personal experience, and I believed other people would also benefit from having a business like Protein Package to order from.
When everyone began moving away to study, my local football team dissolved due to a lack of players so I started going to the gym to stay fit. The gym had a supermarket next door, and I got the taste for healthy snacks and nutritional supplements but quickly faced a problem. The healthy treats either came as expensive individual products from the store where I’d be charged upwards of £3.00 — that as a student just wasn’t viable and was the same price as a whole meal! The other option was to order online in large boxes that left me with the same flavor for weeks, which gets a little boring after a while.
Sitting in a class one day, the idea hit me. Why don’t I build an online pick and mix store of protein bars, keto cookies, and protein powders — everything that makes eating healthily enjoyable. After three months of going to school in the day and spending hours in the evening building a website, sourcing suppliers, and planning, we were ready to launch.
5 years later, Protein Package has revolutionized the “pick and mix” by giving it a health twist for the snackers, sports players, and fitness enthusiasts of 2021. We’re well on our way to becoming one of the bigger players in the industry — allowing customers to mix and match the best products from around the world.
Question Two: Did you always know you wanted to start your own business?
I grew up watching business TV programs like BBC’s Dragons Den and The Apprentice — always being mesmerized by the unique ideas and hard work people put into their companies and brands that they could make a living from. Whilst nobody in my family or friendship group had ever started a company, it was always an area that interested me — especially online business.
However, I believe my real entrepreneurial spirit came whilst I was in school. As part of my business studies coursework, we needed to start a trial company; this was my first experience with buying and selling products. For our enterprise, we made milkshakes during lunchtime and sold them to other students. I loved every second and after completing it, I knew that running my own business was something I wanted to do in the future. It was just a matter of waiting for that niche or idea I felt could work, and that’s what Protein Package was.
Question Three: Where do you envisage Protein Package in the future?
I believe the future will be heavily orientated around working more closely with new innovative brands, especially with our new “Behind The Brand” feature where we explore the background behind the latest healthy snack and supplement businesses from across the globe.
Some of the world’s biggest brands are now getting involved in the health market like Mars, which recently launched its famous chocolate bar as an added protein version. I mean, seriously, who doesn’t want a healthy Mars bar? It’s a really exciting time.
Another area we’re looking to enter in 2022 is supplementation for gamers due to the rapid rise of esports fans. We’ve just started working with GFUEL Energy, an American brand to import some of their gaming energy supplements into the UK for the first time, and I can see this being key for our future growth.
In 2022, we’re also opening a brick and mortar store at the front of the warehouse so our local customers can shop in-store and be able to click and collect.
Question Four: What advice would you give to young entrepreneurs?
For anyone unsure whether to start a business when you’re young, the best advice I could give would be: Just go for it!
When you’re younger, you don’t have children to support, you’re coming into it with fresh ideas, and you haven’t got bills to pay, so I honestly think it’s the best time to give your unique idea a go — especially if it’s an online one.
I started Protein Package when I’d just turned 17. You’ll make mistakes along the way, but if you’re open to learning from them, passionate, and have an idea that others will find value from, I’m sure you’ll make it a success.
