KS2 / KS3 PSHE: How to become a successful entrepreneur

I'm Fraser Doherty and I run a jam company called SuperJam. I guess some people would imagine running your own business means you go into a big office, wear a suit, and sit behind a desk, answering the phone all day. But for me, running my own business is a lifestyle that allows me to work from home, and I can spend my time doing things that I enjoy as well as working really hard on trying to grow my business.

Today, I'm going to be working on some new flavours of jam—some strawberry jam and some raspberry jam—and I want to try and come up with some recipes that particularly appeal to kids, and it's going to be called SuperJam Junior.

Thank you.

I've got some strawberries, I'm going to chop them up, then boil them up and add grape juice. That's all that goes in it. So it's all just 100% fruit, there's no sugar or any additives or anything like that.

You have to make sure your idea is something people want to buy, and when I asked people at farmers' markets what they wanted, they told me they wanted jam without sugar, so I knew I was onto a good idea. One afternoon when I was 14, I was visiting my grandmother, and she was making jam in her kitchen, just in the same way as she had for as long as I can remember, and I got really excited about it and asked her to teach me how to make jam. Soon, I was making my own jars and selling them at farmers' markets and little shops. I was making 1,000 jars of jam a week in my parents' kitchen, which was about as much as was possible.

When you start a business, there will be moments where things don't work. At one point, Waitrose said no to my idea, and although I was sad that they said no, I was grateful that they gave me honest advice. Looking back, I'm glad that we changed the labels and moved to a different factory. Now we make more than a million jars in a year. We run hundreds of tea parties for elderly people all over the country. Today, I'm meeting a few people who can hopefully help us start having big tea parties in London. This place would be great for a tea party. Hopefully, they're up for it.

Hi! Hey, how are you?

When I was about 16, I had my first big meeting. I went along wearing my dad's suit. It was probably two sizes too big for me, and I was pretty frightened at this meeting because it was something new, there was a lot of pressure, and I really wanted it to work. But now, when I meet people, I don't feel frightened by it. I've learned that people are usually more than happy to help you, and in fact, there's nothing to be scared of.

Thanks very much, everyone.

Today, I'm going to take along recipes to a taste test this afternoon with some kids. The kids might like it, they might not like it, and if they don't, it will be really useful to know what they would do to change it. Try and find out how we can make the product even better than it already is. Sometimes it's difficult because I might come up with a kind of jam that I think tastes great, and we put it on the shelves, and people don't necessarily buy it. We tried launching rhubarb and ginger jam, which was delicious, but unfortunately, it didn't fly off the shelves, and we had to stop selling it.

Hi, my name's Fraser, and I've made some very special jams for you today to try, and I'd love to hear what you think. Help yourselves!

Mmm! Lovely.

Great.

Yeah.

Which one do you think's got the best label?

The teddy bear.

I like the one without seeds because it's sweeter.

What do you think? Which one's your favourite?

The one with seeds because it's sweeter.

Put your hands up if you think jam for kids without any seeds in is a good idea.

It's a great idea.

Well, thanks so much for taking part in my taste test.

I'm really happy that you all liked the idea for making jam for kids without any seeds.

I think it's kind of amazing that you can come up with an idea, and with a bit of hard work, it can change your life. It doesn't have to take a lot of money—I didn't have access to any money when I was 14. It just takes love, imagination, and a lot of work.