Moorestown Man Who Pursued Dream Set For ABC's Shark Tank

MOORESTOWN, NJ — Over the years, many people have said, “if you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything.” One of them is Moorestown resident Jared Cannon, and when he says it, it’s hard to disagree.

Yes, he’s going for a once-in-a-lifetime experience when he appears on ABC’s Shark Tank at 8 p.m. Friday night. And yes, his Simply Good Jars generated more than $100,000 in the first year of the company’s existence, back in 2017.

But there’s more to the story than an upstart entrepreneur who cast aside a six-figure job to take a chance selling salads in mason jars to the public. And it involves a pandemic.

“This year has been rough for all of us,” Cannon said. “Ninety-eight percent of my business went away in April.”

That was when the shutdowns related to the coronavirus pandemic began to take their toll on the country, and when Simply Good Jars nearly went out of business. Cannon said if it wasn’t for loans from the federal government, there would be no business to present to the world Friday night.

The story of Cannon’s business begins in October 2017, when he decided to leave his comfortable job and take a chance on himself. Taking what he calls a “jump of faith or a leap of stupid,” Cannon obtained a $1,000 loan to start his business.

“I didn’t know what was going to happen,” Cannon said. “If I blew it, I would just say that was great, at least I tried it.”

That’s not what happened, though. Through methodical planning and perseverance, Cannon built his company from a fledgling organization at the Enterprise Center in Philadelphia into an enterprise that encompasses 11 locations in multiple states around the country.

Simply Good Jars are available in natural grocery stores and retailers, and Cannon is on the cusp of deals to make his jars available through Amazon Fresh and 6,000 convenience stores nationally.

If all goes right, Moorestown residents may see their neighbor’s product the next time they visit a Florida theme park.

It’s growing exponentially, and it began when he and his now-wife were engaged and living in Cherry Hill.

“My wife has been my biggest advocate,” Cannon said. “She supported me financially for the first six months. All of this would not be possible without her. She’s been a huge part of my support system, and she’s still part of the company today.”

After making $102,000 in his first year, everything was looking up for Cannon.

“If I went back and tried to repeat everything, I don’t think the same thing would’ve happened,” Cannon said. “It was one of those places where I was in the right place at the right time. There was no science to it.”

Then came 2020, and everything changed.

It’s not just because they became Moorestown residents on March 15, 2020, something he said was the “best thing that’s ever happened to them.”

“We had a one-year-old, and we were looking for a bigger place,” Cannon said. “We looked around and there was just something charming about Moorestown. … We moved into town, and we loved it. Four days later, the whole world shut down.”

The pandemic presented another challenge for a man who says he never backs down from a challenge. It’s a challenge his company has stood up to to this point. Then came the invitation from Shark Tank’s casting team.

“They asked if we ever considered applying for the show, and I said, ‘absolutely,’” Cannon said. “But how do you find enough time when there’s already not enough hours in a day.”

Now that the opportunity was right there, Cannon couldn’t say no. Everything else took a back seat to the unique opportunity. They went through the application process, which included a series of interviews.

Cannon calls the moment they found out they would be on the show, “surreal.”

“I practiced to my phone hundreds of times,” Cannon said of his preparation for the show. “My phone has heard my pitch more than anyone.”

He said “all intentions were on the table” during the actual appearance, meaning he wasn’t just pursuing exposure. He was out to make the most of his opportunity. And he said watching at home and actually doing it are completely different animals.

“When you watch at home as a viewer, you think, ‘what would I say?’ when it comes to my business,” Cannon said. “You realize when you do it, it’s a whole other animal. It’s a very unique experience I’ll never forget.”

The Delaware native who was trained to be a chef at the Culinary Institute of America in New York and has moved all over the country is bracing for what comes after the appearance.

Win, lose or draw, he’s bracing for a whirlwind of messages, questions and requests following his appearance Friday night. He hopes that among that sea of viewers, he reaches someone.

“I hope someone who’s struggling right now can see this and know anything’s possible if you put your mind to it.”