She quit her job at 60 for a side hustle. It’s now a $2 million brand sold at Starbucks, Walmart

A woman from Milford, New Hampshire started her own protein bites brand after leaving her 16-year-old job in late 2024. Now her own brand is available in 13,000 retail stores, including Starbucks and Walmart.

Mother of three college athletes and a runner herself, a woman from Milford, New Hampshire, 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.

Woman quits 16-year job to pursue side hustle

Theresa Burnley, 65, was the owner of Wiley Road Foods. The brand is known for creating and manufacturing clean-label baked items for brands like Trader Joe’s and Milk Bar. In 2023, she started her protein-bite brand, Circ, while working full-time.

$2 million revenue, $1 million investment

By the end of 2024, Burnley left Wiley Road Foods and shifted her full-time focus to Circ. Two years later, the brand now offers six different flavours of protein snacks. Circ witnessed growth over a short time period, raking in $2 million in revenue last year.

Recalling her inspiration behind the brand, Burnley shared in an interview with entrepreneur.com that she always dreamed of building her own independent natural food brand with her family. She said that she was inspired to curate her brand after realising how outdated the protein bar space was. She believed that the protein in the form of bars was no longer adequate to meet the functional needs of people today. This is how she came up with bite-sized, round protein snacks that are easy to eat on the go.

Burnley revealed she invested over $1 million initially for the process and product development. The team adapted packaging equipment to form the packs. Each pack could hold five round protein bites, which became the highlight of their product. "We had taught ourselves to make ball-shaped food working for Milk Bar. Our R&D team were pastry chefs, not food scientists, so they knew how to make food that people love. But our innovative packaging, which took a couple of years to develop, was really transformative," she told Entrepreneur.com.

Initial setbacks and profit margin

The company was fortunate to secure some early retail placements. Eventually, it began generating steady revenue after its launch at Expo West.

However, the founder added that Circ took longer before becoming profitable. She said that 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. With time, the company went on to generate about $2 million in top-line revenue in 2025. "We will 4X our run-rate this year," Burnley hoped.

While Burnley invested very minimal time when her brand was just a side hustle, it changed once the brand started gaining attention. Soon after, she sold her bakery business and joined her brand full time.

"The company can’t run itself yet. I’m responsible for everything; the days are long, but it’s very rewarding," she added.

About the Author

Sneha Biswas specialises in covering entertainment and pop culture, with a specialisation on Bollywood, Hollywood, OTT platforms, K-pop, K-dramas, and major developments in the US entertainment industry. She believes in telling stories that balance speed with substance, and in making entertainment journalism contextual, culturally aware, and reader-first rather than purely reactive.<br><br> With over six years of experience in digital media, Sneha currently serves as a Deputy Chief Content Producer at Live Mint. She has spent more than three and a half years with the HT Group and returned to the organisation in February 2025, joining Live Mint to uplift the entertainment section. Over the past year, she has been closely involved in entertainment coverage including breaking news, explainers, trend reporting, box office reports and analysis for the audience.<br><br> Sneha is Google News certified, having completed training focused on newsroom best practices, digital reporting, and SEO-driven content strategies. Her work reflects a strong understanding of audience behaviour, search trends, and the evolving consumption patterns of entertainment news across formats.<br><br> Prior to her current role, Sneha has worked across multiple content and editorial functions within digital newsrooms, building expertise in content planning, editing, and real-time coverage. Her professional interests lie at the intersection of entertainment, internet culture, and global pop trends.<br><br> Working for the National city team, Biswas closely follows global entertainment movements while maintaining a strong pulse on what is happening in India.

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