I started side hustle from grandparents’ council house as a scaffolder… now I’m worth £62m after hiding the truth
A SCAFFOLDER who launched a fitness side hustle from his grandparents’ council house has bagged an eye-popping £62million.
Thomas Ryder, 41, started health brand Applied Nutrition a decade ago in Knowsley, Merseyside.
The gym bunny was passionate about fitness and bodybuilding and funded cash for the project by selling muscle-bulking protein powder and delivering takeaway pizzas.
Entrepeneur Thomas also worked as a scaffolder for the local council to pocket some extra money for the ambitious venture.
On Thursday, his life changed when he sold 19% of his shares of the business, valued at £350million, on the London Stock Exchange.
Ryder retains a 35% stake in the business.
But the businessman says that punters initially believed his products were being manufactured in Belgium and not a Merseyside village.
“I want to tell you something that I’ve never told anyone else,” Thomas said in an interview on the BBC’s Wake Up to Money.
“When you go back to them years, I never told anybody that we were producing them in house.
“So a lot of our customers and partners didn’t know because I didn’t want them to ever think ‘that’s c***’.
“I never told them that we weren’t producing but I let them think that it was still being produced by this white labour manufacturer in Belgium who’s the best within Europe.
“But it wasn’t. It was being produced in house by us in the most compliant way.”
The brand has rapidly become one of Europe’s fastest growing brands, sponsoring the likes of UFC stars Paddy ‘the Baddy’ Pimblett and ‘Meatball’ Molly McCann.
Beyond recognizable prize fighters, the business has attracted interest from big UK retail chains such as Asda’s co-owner Mohsin Issa and Tom Morris – who founded Home Bargains.
JD Sports is one of its biggest shareholders, while its ex-chairman Peter Cowgill has also invested in a personal capacity.
“I’ve always been passionate about supplements and ingredients,’ he told the Telegraph.
“But back when I left school, this industry was nowhere near what it is today.
“It was still very much a bodybuilders’ industry. That has never been my thing but I’ve always been into the benefits of supplements.”
Thomas says he hopes to build on his success and achieve success across the pond.
He told the publication: “The US is the big goal. We are in an industry worth £189bn and the US is 50pc of that.
“You can’t ignore the fact that it’s by far the biggest opportunity.’
He added: “Our priority is to keep growing.
“We have not scratched the surface of where we can be.
“The growth opportunity ahead of us is huge.”
But the savvy businessman says he has no plans to abandon his roots, and will continue operations from Knowsley.
His unwavering commitment to his Merseyside home mirrors Paddy Pimblett and Molly McCann’s refusal to set up shop elsewhere.
He previously told the Liverpool Echo: “They’re both Liverpool through-and-through and understand the importance of the community.
“They also want to give back to their community like we do. It’s nice using local people from Liverpool to showcase the brand.”