Instead of traditional fundraising to build his business, Arjun Sofat fitted kitchens. The former Barclays Investment Bank analyst and his mother, Free Soul's co-founder, Rohini Sofat, had burnt through £15,000 cash during recipe-honing and development of their first vegan protein supplement.So they set up a renovation business, fitting kitchens and installing cupboards until they had enough cash to buy their first pallet of stock. Today, the Sofats' supplements business is bringing in £55 million annual turnover, employs 50 people, and sits on the shelves of Boots, Holland & Barrett, Tesco and Sainsbury's.
Inspiration had come from Rohini’s health issue: under extreme stress due to her husband’s illness, she tried to cope via a heavy exercise regime, cramming in Barry's Bootcamp classes but feeling "awful". She tried supplements, “but the industry seemed obsessed with helping women get smaller. We thought the conversation should be about helping women feel stronger,” Arjun Sofat says. He was then working at Barclays on consumer health M&A, “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 Free Soul with my mum.”
