Fraser Doherty is a young entrepreneur who created two successful businesses: a jam business and a craft beer business. When Doherty was only 14 years old, he started to make jams using recipes he had learned from his grandmother. The jams, he made were unique because they were 100% fruit, there were no unnecessary and unhealthy ingredients added. Doherty began selling his jams to his neighbors in Edinburgh, Scotland, and then made a stand at a local farmer’s market to increase his sales. Doherty’s jams became very popular, and the demand soon greatly exceeded the amount he could supply. As a result, Doherty dropped out of school and rented a factory to keep up with demand. In 2007, the supermarket Waitrose offered to sell Doherty’s jams in their stores, and he agreed. This put Doherty’s jams in stores throughout Europe. In 2012, Doherty expanded his market by selling his jams in Korea and Japan, which was a very successful decision. Queen Elizabeth II gave Doherty an MBE, which is a medal that rewards someone for exemplary service to the business of the United Kingdom.

Doherty was not satisfied with just his jam business, so he co-founded a craft beer making company called Beer52. Beer52, the world’s largest craft beer club, ships craft beer to subscribing customers on a periodic basis. In order to make sure their beers have variety and uniqueness, Beer52 imports beer from a new country every month. Fraser has visited breweries in South Africa, Europe, South Korea, and California as part of his work on Beer52. Beer52 is based in Edinburgh, and Fraser has over one hundred employees who ensure that the company runs smoothly and that customers get their craft beer as quickly as possible. In addition to his two companies, Doherty organizes free tea parties for the elderly and has created beekeeping projects to help the community.

I find Doherty’s story to be inspirational because it seems simple, like anybody could do it. He began selling jams to his neighbors, and decided to take initiative and quickly expand his market, and had the guts to drop out of school, in order to make his business more successful. I guess if you have a good idea, and you’re willing to take risks, you can become extremely successful. I also like that Doherty actively gives back to his community, rather than just hoarding all his wealth and ignoring the people around him.