Jam by Josh wasn’t my first business, it was my second. I’ve always loved cooking. Ever since I was young, I was in the kitchen. When COVID started, I wanted to create something that would bring people together when we had to be apart. The best way I could think of doing that was with food. I created my first business called Cooking Classes for Kids by Kids, and I taught the kids step-by-step how to make certain dishes on Zoom. I taught more than 13,000 kids by the end of that summer because I went viral, and I had hundreds of people per class. Then, I got really into gardening and that opened a whole new world of canning and food preservation. That way, I could preserve all the amazing fruits and vegetables that I was growing. One day, I decided I wanted to try making jams, and after sharing them with my friends and family, they loved them so much that they kept telling me I should try to sell them. That’s exactly what I did. That’s how Jam by Josh was born.

I sold occasionally at farmers’ markets for the first few years, but I didn’t take the business seriously until May of 2024 when I realized I had something special and I could take this to the next level. So I decided to file my LLC and launched my website JambyJosh.com. Then, I got into my first grocery store this January. I have plans to expand to 50 stores by the end of this year and 150 stores by the end of 2026.

When I was first reaching out to grocery stores, I found myself having to call them dozens of times before I could get past the secretary and speak to someone who had the authority of getting my product into their store. My age was definitely a problem, and my stutter was also an issue. I never let that stop me. A lot of people don’t take me seriously because they assume that I’m immature and unfit to run my own company because of my age. Then my stutter adds onto that. I have a lot of people call me out on it which is why I’m very open about it and like to address it before I speak to people. That way, everyone’s aware. I’ve overcome a lot of challenges regarding my age. I’m just 15 years old and I’ve built a profitable business and secured numerous retail partnerships. I think overcoming challenges regarding my age might help me grow.

I think the thinkBIG! Summit was an amazing opportunity. I met a ton of wonderful people. I would recommend it to any kid who’s thinking about being a part of it.

Just start because a lot of people think they’re too young or too old or they don’t have the capital or resources to start a business. I feel like that’s really the only thing stopping them. Just start and figure things out as you go. I feel like that’s the best piece of advice I can give to somebody.

The money is going towards the business because I’ve scaled a lot. Starting cost for a steam kettle alone is $25,000. I’m using the money towards three key areas and those include: people, equipment, and marketing. I want to hire some part-time staff to help me make jam in the kitchen as well as get into more grocery stores. I want to hire a demonstration team with high schoolers to do demos in grocery stores. I’m saving up for a label machine because the most time-consuming part of the whole process is applying every label by hand and then a lot of the time it’s not straight, so I have to take it off and put it back on again. The hardest part about having a business is getting yourself in front of the people to see you. I want to invest more in the marketing side of the business, that way I can share my story with more people.

I’m honestly not sure what my plans are regarding college. I’m planning to potentially get a law degree and then use that to help my business. A lot of my mentors went to law school and learned corporate law. If I continue at the same rate that I’m growing now, I fear school might just slow me down. Education is the most important thing, but I’ve learned a lot through experiences and mentors.

I want to become a lifestyle brand. I plan to not just sell jam but to add on and do a whole line of different food products. I want every household in America to know the Jam by Josh name.