Arjun Sofat and his mother Rohini founded Free Soul after developing a vegan protein supplement while burning through £15,000. They initially funded their business by fitting kitchens until they could afford to buy stock. Today, Free Soul has grown to £55 million in annual turnover, employs 50 people, and sells its products in major retailers like Boots and Tesco. The company's success is attributed to a focus on helping women feel stronger rather than just losing weight, along with innovative marketing strategies such as cold-calling nutritionists and growing social media presence without a budget.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-08,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Arjun Sofat and his mother Rohini cofounded Free Soul in 2017 with just £15,000 after Rohini struggled to find supportive health products during a stressful period. Instead of traditional fundraising, they started a kitchen renovation business to raise capital for their vegan protein supplement venture. Today, Free Soul has grown into a multimillion-pound enterprise with an annual turnover exceeding £55 million, employing 50 people and distributing its products in major retailers like Boots, Holland & Barrett, Tesco, and Sainsbury's. The company’s success accelerated after gaining traction on TikTok, leading to diverse product offerings such as protein and electrolyte powders, hair and skin gummies. In the last year alone, Free Soul reported a turnover of over £35 million with a pre-tax profit of £5.5 million.
Written for “Entrepreneurial Success Story” on 2026-10-08,
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Instead of traditional fundraising to build his business, Arjun Sofat fitted kitchens.
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Sofat → build → 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.
asserted
analyst → burn → 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.
asserted
they → set → 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.
asserted
business → bring → Boots
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".
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she → come → classes
She tried supplements, “but the industry seemed obsessed with helping women get smaller.
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women → try → supplements
We thought the conversation should be about helping women feel stronger,” Arjun Sofat says.
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Sofat → think → ?
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.
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I → work → problem
So, I left banking to start Free Soul with my mum.”
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I → leave → mum
They cold-called nutritionists and quizzed them on ingredients, and taught themselves web design and Amazon listings via what Sofat calls “YouTube University” - pausing tutorials and building their own version alongside the videos.
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Sofat → call → videos
After launching in 2017, the duo would rise at 4am to hit the promo circuit, driving around London gyms to hand out samples to exercisers (Sofat once spotted Harry Styles on the dumbbells and went over to tell him about the brand).
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Sofat → launch → brand
Online, the entrepreneur ran the brand’s social media accounts “and somehow grew them to 13,000 followers.
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entrepreneur → run → followers
When you don’t have a marketing budget, you have to replace money with energy.
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you → have → energy
You say yes to everything, you meet everyone and do lots of things that don’t scale.”
Growth was gradual, with Free Soul funded by £15,000 of Sofat’s IB salary savings and reinvested sales.
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Soul → say → savings
Having no money was probably an advantage,” he says.
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he → have → money
“It forced us to stay close to our customers.”
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It → force → customers
A viral moment on TikTok Shop sped sales up: products now include protein and electrolyte powders, hair and skin gummies, and an array of other supplements which helped turnover exceed £35 million last year, with a £5.5 million pre-tax profit.
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turnover → speed → profit
Sofat remains wary of rivals, but says while big companies can copy a product easily, they cannot ape "years of customer relationships and the culture behind a brand".
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they → remain → brand
The next target is a £100 million business - which Sofat believes is buildable while staying in the UK.
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Sofat → believe → UK
“Everyone asks if we’re going international, but I actually think founders can become distracted by expansion.
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founders → ask → expansion
We still see an enormous opportunity in the UK.”
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We → see → UK
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