My first million: Giles Henschel of Olives et al

Profile of entrepeneur Giles Henschel of Olives et al, a business inspired by a trip to the Mediterranean which now has a turnover of £3m.

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"I was 30 years of age, and me and my wife had never taken a gap year," he says. "It was while driving along the Mediterranean basin that we saw that no matter what the language, culture or politics of the country olives were everywhere, and in all different types and varieties. So simply for the fun of it, we began collecting recipes." It wasn't until returning home to Southampton, bored and broke, that they ever thought they could make a business out of olives. Simply to remind them of their Mediterranean journey, they began eating some from their trip that they had lying in some "manky buckets", improving them with the recipes they had gathered.

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Jody Clarke

Jody studied at the University of Limerick and was a senior writer for MoneyWeek. Jody is experienced in interviewing, for example digging into the lives of an ex-M15 agent and quirky business owners who have made millions. Jody’s other areas of expertise include advice on funds, stocks and house prices.