In October of 2010, thirteen-year-old Hart Main loved teasing his sister over the “girly” scents of candles she was selling for a school fundraiser. Wanting to buy an expensive Trek bike, Main had the idea of starting a candle company that sold more “manly” scents. He bought the necessary supplies for $100, hoping to sell some candles to raise a meager $1200 to purchase his bike. Not only did Main have the idea of “manly” candles, he also decided to put the candles in “masculine” soup cans instead of the typical glass jars. Within one month, he had sold over 20,000 candles from his garage. Hart recalled the days when his house was covered in cans and candle wax.
Though the idea was very unique, Hart had a dilemma: he had way too much soup. In 2011, he decided to start donating the soup to food banks and homeless shelters in North and Central America. Furthermore, he then decided to donate $0.75 of every candle purchase to homeless shelters in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, and Michigan.
What are some of the manly scents offered by Man Cans? “Fresh-Cut Grass,” “Campfire,” and “Bacon” are just a few of many manly scents sold by Man Cans. Main uses a team of perfumists in New Jersey to scent his candles. They collaborate and share samples with Main until the perfect scent is found.
What started as a means of acquiring some extra cash has morphed into a company that sells manly candles nationwide. Amazon and Barnes & Noble are just two of many major retailers that sell Man Can candles. Just a little joke about “girly” candles sparked (pun intended) an innovative idea to solve a simple problem: the need for the smell of bacon and two-stroke engines filling the air.
It cool to see how just a simple problem can be made into a business like that;especially at his age. I wonder how he made these candles. Its difficult to find new ideas for a new product, maybe its better to try to make something better or more personable. Its also shocking how he sold 20,000 out of his garage! I do not even have that many people in my hometown. It also inspiring that young people are still worrying about problems like homelessness.
It cool to see how just a simple problem can be made into a business like that;especially at his age. I wonder how he made these candles. Its difficult to find new ideas for a new product, maybe its better to try to make something better or more personable. Its also shocking how he sold 20,000 out of his garage! I do not even have that many people in my hometown. It also inspiring that young people are still worrying about problems like homelessness.
I was impressed that Main decided to act on a silly idea he had. So many times an idea pops into my head, but I never act to make it happen. It was awesome to see him give it a shot, and he was clearly rewarded for his attempt. I think this goes to show you that no matter how small a problem sounds, we should try to find a solution because chances are it is something people want, but they do not have the focus to give it a try. I also loved how he turned it into a charity in order to solve another problem he stumbled across.