William Hartley was born in 1846 in Colne, Lancashire. His father, John, was a tinsmith and his mother, Margaret, ran a grocery. He was their only child to survive infancy. William left school at 14 and started work in his mother’s grocery. When he was 16, he was put in charge of the business and his entrepreneurial talent was immediately obvious. In 1871 William started making his own jam, packaged in his own design earthenware pots. He established a new factory in Bootle and in the early years faced many challenges. This year Hartley’s celebrates its 150th anniversary and has a worldwide reputation.

As a child William attended a Methodist Chapel in Colne with his parents, who were godly people. William’s purpose in life was to “serve the Lord every day to the best of my ability.” His business practice earned him a reputation for integrity, quality and outstanding care for his customers and employees. He said, “Our aim has always been to win the confidence of the public by making the best possible article and selling it at a fair price.”

In the way he treated his employees William always tried “to carry out the teaching of Jesus Christ.” He knew each of them by name and ensured that their working conditions were safe, whatever the cost. He introduced a profit-sharing scheme for his employees and said, “Profit-sharing is over and above a fair and just wage and is given, not because I think it pays commercially, but because it seems to me right and doing as I would be done by.”

William, and his wife Martha, also shared their immense wealth with others. On 1 January 1877 they made a vow to devote 10% of their income for religious and humanitarian work believing it to be the first duty of those who have money to remember generously those who have not. William said, “When we think of the life and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, then nothing we can do is too much.”

During his lifetime William achieved phenomenal success as an entrepreneur and was also recognised as one of the country’s leading philanthropists, but he did not want to be defined by his achievements. Something else mattered far more to him: “I am much exercised as to whether I am such a disciple of Jesus Christ that my employees, business friends, neighbours and family can constantly see the Spirit of my Master in my actions. This is the secret of all true success: the consecration of ourselves to him who loved us and laid down his life for us.”