Founded in 2016 by then 23-year-old George Melhuish, this West Bromwich based company supports over 30,000 customers. Safe Fence is a manufacturer, hirer, distributor and installer of non-mechanical construction site plant. Expansion into areas such as groundworks, scaffolding and material handling equipment has seen sales more than double in two years, reaching £13.8m in 2021.
‘As an entrepreneur my job is to be a hype-man and recruiter’
George Melhuish
Founder - Safe Fence
More Founder Stories
Propercorn: From the simple to the sublime…
PROPERCORN’S HQ buzzes with youthful energy. Stroll through the front door, past the doorbell emblazoned with the words ‘Done Properly’, and you find yourself in one of London’s more life-affirming offices. The ‘guilt-free’ popcorn brand’s co-founders Cassandra Stavrou, an ex-ad agency employee, and Ryan Kohn, an entrepreneur since university, tell us how it all began…
Cassandra Stavrou & Ryan Kohn
Co-founders - Propercorn
‘How we made tofu sexy’
Tofoo produces organic, gluten-, dairy- and yeast-free products from soybeans. Husband-and-wife team Dave Knibbs and Lydia Smith have built the business to sales of £18.6m in 2021. The North Yorkshire firm says it is the fourth-largest brand in the chilled meat-free market, with more than one million households buying its products regularly. Its recent growth is partly due to winning listings in major retailers including Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose.
LYDIA SMITH & DAVE KNIBBS
CO-FOUNDER - TOFOO
Why we’ll be bigger than Heinz
Dr Will’s is on a mission to reduce our sugar consumption. Its sauces, dressings and mayonnaise are made with only natural ingredients and are sweetened with dates rather than added sugar. Its eponymous cofounder, Dr Will Breakey, teamed up with Liam White and Josh Rose to launch its products in 2017, and they have since won
Liam White
Dr. Will's
Driven by a mission for pretty poops we’ve created a £13m turnover business
Husband and wife duo Aneisha Soobroyen and Jack Walker, set out to solve their pet’s ‘tummy troubles’ when they discovered probiotics. This put them on a journey to start Scrumbles from their London home, creating gut friendly food for cats and dogs. Founded in 2018 they later appeared on Dragons’ Den, where the founders rejected […]
JACK WALKER & ANEISHA SOOBROYEN
Founders - Scrumbles
“Our no.1 aim is to be sh*t hot!”
When it comes to pulling off creative ideas, Marie Owen is your go-to leader. Founder of an award-winning production services company, she is the advertising and film industry’s real-life dream-maker. Since starting the business in 2006, Marie has worked with the likes of Harry Styles, Meryl Streep and Marcus Rashford. But it hasn’t all been celebrities and glamour. “I didn’t take a wage for at least four years. But there was always a hunger within me to do more and be better.”
Marie Owen
Founder - LS Productions
Being an entrepreneur is probably the worst way to make money…you have to be in it for the adventure!
This ‘insurtech’ start-up uses technology to deliver online insurance and detect fraud. It offers insurance policies to renters and people in house shares, as well as homeowners, and has amassed more than 100,000 customers since it was founded in 2016 by Jimmy Williams and Greg Smyth. This May, the London-based company secured £16.5m in a […]
Jimmy Williams
Co-founder
Urban Jungle