The Wolf of School Treats: Pupil’s £50k tuck shop empire
FOR Nathan John-Baptiste a day not making money is a day wasted.
But, given that he is just 15 years old, it is an approach that has not always delighted his teachers.
Matters came to a head when the youngster set up a potential £50,000a-year business empire from the boys’ toilets of his school.
Starting with just £5, he sold £230 of fizzy drinks and snacks every day to fellow pupils at his north London school. Nathan, by now nicknamed the Wolf of Walthamstow, hit a weekly turnover of £1,150, allowing him to lead a lavish lifestyle of meals out and trips up the Shard.
But the school found out about the business and requested he stop. If he had continued to sell £230 of merchandise a day, he would have a turnover of £50,000 a year – half of which would have been profit.
Nathan said: ‘They asked me to stop selling bits at school. I did my punishment in the isolation room for a couple of days. So I’ll start investing in different things – I can’t sell sweets for the rest of my life.’
He explained that he had been inspired by a talk from a millionaire given as part of a programme to keep him on the right path.
That same day, Nathan started selling sweets to his schoolmates from the boys’ toilets. He employed one friend to help and expanded as demand skyrocketed. He eventually enlisted 11 others to help with sales.
He told the Sun that pupils ordered Lucozade, Chewits, KitKats and Fruit Pastilles via Snapchat before picking up treats at break time.
Nathan admitted that he spent a lot of his earnings – but he has managed to save £5,000 so far.
His long-term goal is to be a millionaire, he said, adding that he was interested in becoming a stockbroker and investing in property.
Nathan’s mother Sharon, 43, who lives with her son in Walthamstow, said that part of the reason he started selling things was his desire to make money before he could legally be employed by anyone.
She added: ‘Of his entrepreneurial skills, I’m very proud. He’s a very strong-willed child.’