Several successful candle companies were started by kids and siblings who learned how to make and market their products through YouTube, Google University, and local contacts and have grown to become multi-million dollar businesses with aspirations for global expansion.
Frères Branchiaux Candle Company, founded by three kids in 2017, is now valued at $2 million and started as a way to earn money for toys, but has since become a successful business that makes candles, bath bombs, and soaps.
Growing up in Southern Virginia, the speaker’s family struggled with financial issues due to their father’s substance abuse, leading the speaker to work at a young age and eventually become a special ed teacher after obtaining a master’s degree.
Frères Branchiaux started as a way for three brothers to earn money for games and toys but grew into a $2 million candle company founded by a former special ed attorney who wanted to follow her mother’s advice to do what interests her heart.
Brothers Gill started a candle company as kids, learned from friends, sold at sports games, and gained repeat customers due to the quality and sustainability of their products.
Three kids started a $2 million candle company, with each having different duties and learning how to make and market candles through YouTube, Google University, and local contacts.
Siblings started a candle company as kids, sold out at their first vending event, were featured in The Washington Post, and got into Target from a cold email.
The Ground Up candle company started by kids has grown to work with major brands and make millions in revenue, with a target demographic of West Coast customers and a shift to more retail sales due to the pandemic.
The founders of The Ground Up candle company hope to pass it down through the family and aspire to open a brick-and-mortar store, with plans to become a multi-million dollar company with global connections, and even considered being the first to light a candle on Mars.
The speaker sees the candle company as a generational business and hopes to pass it down through the family, while also having aspirations to open a brick-and-mortar store through a program called Partners To Empower and sees the business becoming a multi-million dollar company with stores and connections all around the world in the next decade.
The speaker discusses the idea of being the first company to light a candle on Mars but acknowledges that it may not be possible due to the lack of oxygen in space.
Key insights
Money was never the ultimate goal for the founders of Frères Branchiaux Candle Company, but rather the ability to help and give back to the community.
The founders of Frères Branchiaux started their candle company not for the money, but because they wanted more games and activities for themselves.
Three kids started a $2 million candle company by selling their sustainable and good-smelling products at football and baseball games.
Each kid had a different duty in the business to maximize its potential and avoid overlap.
The Ground Up realized they could be a real business after selling out at their first vending event and being featured in The Washington Post, leading to multiple news agencies contacting them for stories.
The Ground Up Candle Company’s revenue grew from $2,100 in its first year to $1.5 million in its fifth year, despite facing challenges like the recession and shifting to more retail sales.
The candle company is seen as a generational business with hopes of becoming a multi-million dollar company with stores and connections around the world in the next decade.
