Hart Main is a 14-year old that came up with the idea of manly scented candles when he was teasing his sister about the girly scented ones she was selling for a school fundraiser. Although she didn’t expect him to fully pursue the manly scented candles idea himself, he did, and the idea has turned into a nationwide success. Main put in an initial investment of $100, his parents put in $200, and they all worked together to develop the candles as a group. The available scents include: Campfire, Bacon, Sawdust, Fresh Cut Grass, Grandpa’s Pipe and more. Today, ManCans candles are in over 60 stores across the country and have sold about 9,000 units. Main will stick with selling ManCans’ inventory until he has to shift his focus back into school in the fall. I mean, he is only 14 after all!
Although the success of this idea is apparent, it began as something much less than what you might think. “It started as a joke,” Main says of the origins of his company. “It really wasn’t meant to turn into anything serious.”
I believe there is a lesson to be learned in Hart’s story. The lesson is that sometimes we may think of our idea as a joke or someone might disapprove of our idea, but that idea just might be worth a lot of money to other people. The only thing you can do is put it into action!
