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’
More Founder Stories
Fancy-dress costumes, robots and £1bn
This is a story about robots, a six-year-old company worth £1bn, and a costume-wearing CEO. This incredible ‘unicorn’ business is on a mission to disrupt how surgery is done around the world. So, how did this unicorn with more than 500 staff come about? Read their amazing story here…
Why businesses with ‘soul’ are magnetic
The story of Green & Black’s shows that the courage to be different, together with a compelling adventure story, are key ingredients for commercial success. Josephine Fairley knows how to build a killer brand, and here she shares her pearls of wisdom with you including effectiveness of complementary partnerships, the power of enthusiasm and the potency of targeted marketing…
The quiet tech entrepreneur who’s modestly building a half-billion-pound empire
It’s not about having gleaming offices, hiring tons of staff and shouting about how successful you are. These can be the trappings of ego-trippers. Effective entrepreneurship is more often about coming up with an idea, proving the concept as cheaply as possible, and scaling it as quickly as possible.
My life after my £200m exit
You heard it here first – “Behind every successful entrepreneurial awards are incredible ambassadors”. Which is why we’re super proud to have the brilliant Juliet Barratt as FEBE’s Growth 100 founding ambassador. We couldn’t be luckier to have her onboard. From working in education, to co-founding Grenade in her spare bedroom which was sold in 2021 for £200m – Juliet Barratt stands for everything FEBE is about: Determination. Hustle. Authenticity. Welcome to the FEBE family Juliet!
How my side hustle became a multi-million pound business
Lucy Locket Loves makes colourful fitness clothing and accessories for women. The Derbyshire business caters for a wide range of body shapes, with sizes spanning six to 26. Former personal trainer Lucy Arnold founded the company in 2018 after suffering a back injury. While recovering, she created leggings to sell to former clients. Customers include Made In Chelsea star Rosie Fortescue and the company launched a collection with Strictly’s Dianne Buswell last year.
From £0 to £4 in 3 years: Our secret to success…obsession!
D.Louise was founded in 2021 by Olivia Jenkins, who named the direct-to-consumer jewellery brand after her late mother, Deborah Louise. Olivia co-founded the business with serial entrepreneur Jack Zambakides and former professional cricket player Oliver Smithson. The South London company has gained attention for its high-quality, waterproof jewellery made from stainless steel, designed to withstand […]