By Karen Axelton
Through one of my favorite websites, Springwise, I recently learned about a very inspiring young entrepreneur. Hart Main, a 13 year old from Ohio, was disgusted by the “girly” scents of the candles his sister was selling—so he started his own line of “manly” candles dubbed, appropriately, Man Cans.
(With scents like Fresh Cut Grass, Bacon and Campfire, these candles sound like they’ll appeal to a wider demographic than just men. . . who wouldn’t love to welcome guests with a bacon scented candle?)
Main makes the candles out of old soup cans which he cleans and fills them with his own blend of all natural wax. All of the soup from the cans Main uses is donated to soup kitchens, churches and other nonprofits.
Currently, Main buys many of his soup cans, but eventually, he plans to work with organizations to use recycled cans in his products, then donate a percentage of each candle sale to a local soup kitchen.
Main started his business with a $100 investment earned in classic style by delivering newspapers and umpiring for the local baseball league. (No lemonade stand.) And, as you’d expect from any young entrepreneur worth his salt, Main has his own Facebook fan page and YouTube video.
Man Cans are sold at select stores in Ohio (where Main lives) and nationwide, as well as online. (Main cautions that purchasers must allow time for delivery…”after all, I’m still in school and I make these in my kitchen.”)
It’s always inspiring to see young entrepreneurs in action—especially when they have such creative ideas.
Image Courtesy: Man Cans
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