Youngster Boxes Clever With New Business

A precocious youngster who launched a business less than a year ago aged just 13 has seen it turn over nearly £200,000. Henry Williams, who is taking his GCSEs a year early, is the driving force behind Nibula Treats, a hamper company.

Unable to contain his son’s entrepreneurial ambitions, his dad Mark, mum Kate and older brother Oscar have all become part of the new family business.

It is run from the garage of their house in Andover, Hants, but the youngster has grand ambitions.

At present, the company sells a variety of hampers targeting the gift and corporate markets through its website and over Amazon, eBay and TikTok.

It offers next-day delivery across the country and utilises AI technology to ensure it stays ahead of the curve.

Henry, now 14, said:

“It all began because I wanted to have some more pocket money so I started washing cars and mowing lawns. But then there was a drought and no-one needed their lawns cut so I was looking around for something else."

“I saw the hampers but the market was saturated so I started looking for niches and decided to focus on local, artisan products from Hampshire. Then dad saw how the business was growing and bought an tiny hamper company for the name and website and its branding - and things really took off."

“I emailed producers and networked and spoke to people - and I had to take my dad with me to meetings because I was only 13. Most people were really encouraging and with dad’s help and my mum and brother getting involved the businesses has really grown and we send hampers to all parts of the country."

“At the moment I am developing AI on our platform so customers can ask it what a recipient might like in their hamper and so it can also suggest messages. By the time I’m 16 I want to be fully self-sufficient in business.”

Dad Mark, a business analyst, said:

“Henry has always wanted to run a business and after he started selling hampers we decided to home school him because he was so determined."

“That was last year and the business has sent out tens of thousands of hampers and he’s had a turnover of £170,000 in that time. My wife is leaving her job to help because everything has become so busy and I’m trying to help out around my consultancy work."

“Our other son Oscar, who is studying for a B-Tech, joins in with the packing, so we have a two-generation family business. But in this case the older generation joined in after the younger generation started it.”

Above Photo: Henry Williams and his distribution centre – the family garage & family together

Oscar, Mark, Kate and Henry.