A mother and son in the UK who ran out of their £15,000 savings while developing a vegan protein supplement started fitting kitchens and installing cupboards to raise money for their first stock. What began as a small business funded through their own savings has now grown into Free Soul, a supplements company with an annual turnover of £55 million and 50 employees.Arjun Sofat, a former analyst at an investment bank, started the company with his mother, Rohini Sofat, in 2017, according to a report by The Standard. The two initially spent £15,000 developing and improving the formula for their first vegan protein product. When the money ran out, they decided to take up renovation work rather than seek early investment from outside investors.The pair continued fitting kitchens and installing cupboards until they had saved enough to purchase their first pallet of supplements. Nearly a decade after its launch, the company’s products are now sold through major UK retailers.The company has also expanded beyond its original vegan protein supplement. Its range now includes protein powders, electrolyte powders, hair and skin gummies, and other nutritional supplements. Despite the company’s growth, Sofat believes that starting with limited money helped him understand customers and build the business without depending on early venture capital funding.
Rohini’s health struggles inspired Free Soul
The idea for Free Soul came from Rohini’s personal experience with health and fitness. She was going through extreme stress because of her husband’s illness and had started exercising heavily to cope with the situation.Her routine included attending Barry’s Bootcamp classes, but despite the exercise, she continued to feel “awful”. She then began exploring nutritional supplements, only to find that many products marketed towards women focused on weight loss rather than strength and overall wellbeing.Arjun told The Standard, “but the industry seemed obsessed with helping women get smaller. We thought the conversation should be about helping women feel stronger,”At the time, Arjun was working at an investment bank, where he dealt with mergers and acquisitions involving consumer health businesses. His professional experience exposed him to large companies operating in the same industry that he and his mother were beginning to explore.However, he found himself increasingly interested in developing a product that addressed the problem they had identified.He recalled, “and I realised I was spending my days analysing billion-pound businesses while thinking far more about solving this problem. So, I left banking to start the company with my mum.”
Developing their first supplement
Neither Arjun nor Rohini began with a large team or an established product development operation. Instead, they contacted nutritionists directly to understand ingredients and work on the formulation of their vegan protein supplement.They also had to learn how to build and operate an online business. The two used YouTube tutorials to teach themselves website design and how to create Amazon product listings.Arjun described this process as “YouTube University”. They would pause instructional videos, follow the steps and build their own versions of what was being demonstrated.The initial £15,000 came from Arjun’s savings from his investment banking salary. Much of it went into developing the product before they had enough stock to begin selling.With their savings exhausted, the mother and son started a renovation business. The money earned from installing kitchens and cupboards eventually allowed them to purchase their first batch of products.
Finding the first customers
After launching the company in 2017, Arjun and Rohini focused on introducing their products directly to potential customers.They regularly woke up at 4am and drove around London, visiting gyms and handing out free samples to people exercising there. On one occasion, Arjun spotted singer Harry Styles lifting weights and approached him to talk about the brand.Alongside these visits, Arjun managed the company’s social media accounts himself. Without a dedicated marketing budget, he worked on building an online audience and eventually attracted 13,000 followers.He explained, “When you don’t have a marketing budget, you have to replace money with energy. You say yes to everything, you meet everyone and do lots of things that don’t scale.”Rather than raising money from investors during its early years, the company relied on the founders’ savings and revenue generated from product sales. The money earned was reinvested into the business.Reflecting on those years, Arjun said, “Having no money was probably an advantage,” adding, “It forced us to stay close to our customers.”
From £15,000 savings to £55 million turnover
Free Soul’s growth was initially gradual, but a viral moment on TikTok Shop helped accelerate sales. The company’s expanding product range also contributed to its growth. The company recorded turnover exceeding £35 million last year, alongside a pre-tax profit of £5.5 million. Its annual turnover has now reached £55 million, and the company employs 50 people.Arjun acknowledges competition from larger supplement companies but believes that established relationships with customers provide an advantage. He said competitors might reproduce individual products, but they cannot easily replicate “years of customer relationships and the culture behind a brand”.The next goal is to build the company into a £100 million business. However, Arjun is not planning to rush into international markets. He believes the company still has considerable room to grow within the UK and that expanding overseas too early could divert attention from existing opportunities.“Everyone asks if we’re going international, but I actually think founders can become distracted by expansion. We still see an enormous opportunity in the UK,” he said.
