James Middleton attributes success to his own hard work My friends and family said I should stay there: they said, 'Don't give up.' But I thought I wasn't dropping out but moving on, getting myself ready for the big wide world. After months of experimenting with ingredients at the family home in Bucklebury, Berks, which drove his parents "mad," Mr Middleton set up the Cake Kit Company, whose slogan is "Home made, made even easier!" It was inspired by his favourite pirate cake that his mother made when he was young and because cakes were always the "focal point" of a celebration, even in hard economic times. The business was so successful that he launched three more, Nice Cakes, Nice Wine and Nice Group London, all of which are registered to the family's Berkshire trading headquarters, home of Party Pieces, which made his parents Carole and Michael Middleton multimillionaires. But he insisted that he was not bankrolled by his parents and had found his own way by being "humble and eager to learn." "Of course I was lucky in that my parents were already in business and have always been there for me to ask advice, but I was funded by the bank and other family members," he said. Mr Middleton, who lives with his sister Pippa in a £1 million flat in Chelsea, west London, purchased by their parents, described himself as "a dreamer" who had simply capitalised on an idea. He said that all three siblings had been brought up to understand how fortunate they were and how important it was to give something back. In the future, he disclosed, he wants to help young offenders or provide employment for the disabled and as such, has recently made two visits to a Reading young offender's institution. He said he was "angered by the statistics on reoffending rates" and believed that even if he could help one person, "that is a job well done."