Q&A with Protein Package founder George Greenhill

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George Greenhill is a young entrepreneur from the UK who founded protein pack 2016 at the age of only 17 from his parents’ home. The company has grown over 400% YoY since launching with just £300 in personal investment.

Question one: Why did you decide to start Protein Package? What makes you special?

I decided to start Protein Package from home when I was 17 and still in school. To be honest the idea came entirely from a negative personal experience and I believed that other people would also benefit from having a shop like Protein Package to order from.

When everyone started moving away to study, my local soccer team broke up 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 a taste for healthy snacks and supplements, but quickly ran into a problem. The healthy treats either came as expensive individual items from the shop where I was charged over £3.00 – that just wasn’t profitable as a student and was the same price as a whole meal! The other option was to order online in large boxes which left me with the same taste for weeks which gets a bit boring after a while.

One day while sitting in a class, the idea came to me. Why don’t I build an online pick and mix store with protein bars, keto cookies and protein powders – everything that makes healthy eating fun. After three months of going to school during the day and spending hours in the evening building a website, finding 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, athletes and fitness enthusiasts of 2021. We’re well on our way to becoming one of the bigger players in the industry — giving customers the opportunity to mix and match the best products from around the world.

Question Two: Did you always know that you wanted to start your own business?

I grew up watching business TV shows like Dragons Den and The Apprentice on the BBC – always fascinated by the unique ideas and hard work that people put into the companies and brands that have enabled them to make a living. While no one in my family or circle of friends had ever started a business, it was always an area that interested me – particularly Online store.

However, I believe that my real entrepreneurial spirit emerged during my school days. As part of my business studies, we had to set up a trial company; This was my first experience of buying and selling products. We made milkshakes for our company during lunch breaks and sold them to other students. I enjoyed every second and after completing it I knew 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 that I thought might work, and that’s what Protein Package was.

Question three: Where do you see Protein Package in the future?

I believe that the future will be heavily geared towards 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 companies from around the world.

Some of the world’s biggest brands are now entering the healthcare market, such as Mars, which recently launched its famous candy bar in an added protein version. I mean, seriously, who doesn’t want a healthy Mars bar? It’s a really exciting time.

Another area we plan to move into in 2022 is nutrition for gamers due to the rapid rise of esports fans. We just started working with GFUEL energy, an American brand, are looking to import some of their gaming supplements into the UK for the first time and I see this as key to our future growth.

In 2022 we are also opening a physical store in front of the warehouse for our local customers to shop in store and click and collect.

Question 4: What advice would you give to young entrepreneurs?

For anyone unsure about starting a business at a young age, the best advice I could give would be: just do it!

When you’re younger, you don’t have any children to feed, you come in with them fresh ideas, and you don’t have any bills to pay, so I honestly think it’s the best time to try your unique idea – especially if it’s an online idea.

I started Protein Package when I 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 will benefit others, I’m sure you’ll see it through to success.

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