From Wine Cellars to SEO Success: Lessons from My Unconventional Career

From Event Floors to Entrepreneurial Growth

My name is James Nathan. I’m 36, living in Richmond, London, with my fiancé and our golden retriever/cocker, Manuka. My journey has been anything but linear, but every twist has shaped how I help businesses unlock real growth today.

Early Hustle: Where It All Began

At 16, I got my first taste of hard work at Bright-sparks, an event catering company. Watering tables at the races and exclusive city dinners taught me the value of long hours and teamwork. The money was good, but what really hooked me was the energy, the drive to work hard so I could play harder with friends. Bright-sparks wasn’t just a job; it was a rite of passage for me and my mates, and it built the work ethic that’s stayed with me ever since.

A Gap Year—But Not the Backpacking Kind

When it came time for a gap year, I already knew I wanted to work. I started at Ballymaloe Cookery School, where 5am starts and 12-hour days were the norm. Feeding chickens, cooking, and learning from the best. Three months later, I left with a merit and a new respect for discipline. 

Next up was a ski instructor course, with B.A.S.I in Zermatt. Having skied since I was three, I thought it would be all powder, carving and late night bars. The reality? More classroom than slopes, and a serious amount of focus required. But I left qualified to teach others, which was the goal.

After this, I headed to Greece to be a chef at a private members club on the coast. This was 7 months of 35 degree heat, a substantial amount of ouzo, and a lot of fun. After this I found myself back in the UK cooking in a Michelin starred restaurant.

Falling Into Wine—and Finding My Niche

At 19, I landed at New London Wine, a well-known merchant in Battersea. Over three years, I learned the ropes of fine wine trading, then moved through four more independents across London. I started at the bottom and worked my way up, until I hit the top in each.

What I noticed everywhere: these businesses had little or no digital presence. So, I became “the digital man”, building websites, optimising them, and opening up new revenue streams. At Albion Wine Shippers, I launched a spirits division, scoured whisky auctions for rare bottles, and built an online following for products you’d never be able to shift in a shop. This digital pivot changed everything for these merchants.

Entrepreneurial Spark: Pull The Cork

After 3½ years at Albion, I hit the same wall, nowhere left to grow. Catching up with a friend running a winery in the south of France, we asked: why not launch our own online wine retail business?

And so, Pull The Cork was born, riding the wave of the UK’s natural wine movement. I didn’t know everything about natural wine, but I knew how to sell and scale. In just two months, we had 200+ wines on the platform, many totally new to the UK market, and on an allocation basis.

I handled logistics, sourcing, relationship-building, tasting, writing and growth. My blog quickly built a cult following, with 30,000 monthly visits within four months, thanks in part to my part-time business; Market Jar.

Scaling Up: The LWS Merger

Eight months in, I found a struggling wholesaler—London Wine Shippers (LWS). It turned out to be the same company I’d worked for at 19, now under new ownership and £30k in debt, but with a prime warehouse and central London presence. We merged Pull The Cork with LWS, and with a lean team, we became a powerhouse, shipping two pallets of e-commerce orders a day at our peak. Covid made us “essential,” and we kept London supplied with wine and spirits through lockdown.

But as the business grew, so did the challenges. Internal politics and questionable decisions from the LWS side made it impossible to build the business I envisioned. After 18 months, I exited, a tough but ultimately right decision.

Market Jar: Building Growth for Others

Fast forward eight years, and I’m still at the helm of Market Jar. I’ve worked with household names, exciting startups, and celebs, and I know what it takes to drive high-ticket growth. 

Having worked with all sides of the agency model, we are now re-starting with a new offer, because I’ve since been on both sides of the agency table, burned by churn, and frustrated by outdated models that don’t serve the client - and at the end of the day, we’re all here for the client!

That’s why we do things differently. Most agencies lock you in at £5/6k a month, but we focus on results, not retainers. Our clients now pay a flat £24k upfront (or £12k at the start, and £12k at month 3) for six months of hands-on growth.

We’re not here to drown you in reports or lock you into endless contracts. We’re here to drive real, measurable growth, so you can focus on running your business while we handle the rest. With a clear, jargon-free approach and relentless focus on ROI, you’ll always know exactly where you stand and how your investment is performing.

You’ll receive a customised plan of attack across six modules, specifically designed for businesses at the growth stage point (proven sales). You’ll emerge with expert guidance and grounded systems to puncture your business through expansion.

And, instead of the usual agency retainer, which will cost you £96,000 over two years, all we ask for is £24,000. No bloated retainers. No endless ‘strategy’ decks. No waiting 6 months to maybe see movement. Just results, fast, without the usual agency baggage.

Looking Back, Moving Forward

Every step, catering, cooking, wine, entrepreneurship—taught me something about grit, growth, and the power of digital. Now, I channel that experience into helping others go further, faster. If you’re ready to unlock real growth, let’s talk.