At 60, she quit her job for a side hustle. It is now a $2 million brand sold at Starbucks, Walmart | Today’s news
A mother of three collegiate athletes and a runner herself, the Milford, New Hampshire woman has successfully turned her side hustle into her own brand, which hit $2 million in revenue last year. What started as a side project is now available in 13,000 retail stores, including Starbucks and Walmart.
A woman left her job of 16 years to pursue a side hustle
Theresa Burnley, 65, was the owner of Wiley Road Foods. The brand is known for creating and producing clean-label baked goods for brands like Trader Joe’s and Milk Bar. In 2023, she founded her brand of protein bites, Circ, while working full-time.
Revenue $2 million, investment $1 million
By the end of 2024, Burnley had left Wiley Road Foods to shift its full-time focus to Circ. Two years later, the brand now offers six different flavors of protein snacks. Circ has seen growth in a short period of time, reaching $2 million in revenue last year.
Recalling her inspiration behind the brand, Burnley shared in an interview with podnikatel.com that she had always dreamed of building her own independent natural food brand with her family. She said she was inspired to manage her brand after realizing how outdated the protein bar space was. She believed that protein in the form of bars was no longer sufficient to meet the functional needs of today’s people. That’s how she came up with bite-sized, round protein snacks that are easy to eat on the go.
Burnley revealed that it initially invested over $1 million in process and product development. The team adapted the packaging equipment to create the packages. Each package contained five round protein bars that became the highlight of their product. “We learned how to make ball-shaped food for Milk Bar. Our research and development team were pastry chefs, not food scientists, so they knew how to make food that people love. But our innovative packaging, which took several years to develop, was truly transformative,” she told Entrepreneur.com.
Initial setbacks and profit margin
The company was fortunate enough to secure some early retail locations. Eventually, it started generating steady revenue after its launch at Expo West.
However, the founder added that Circo took longer to become profitable. She said the company initially faced higher fixed costs than brands that use co-packers because it manufactures its products in-house, but at scale, in-house manufacturing is expected to provide a significant cost advantage. Over time, the company has generated about $2 million in peak revenue in 2025.
While Burnley invested very little time when their brand was secondary, this changed once the brand began to gain attention. Soon after, she sold her bakery and went full on with her brand.
“The company can’t manage itself yet. I’m responsible for everything, the days are long, but it’s very rewarding,” she added.
