When Alene Candles arrives in New Albany, they may have some competition in the form of a young central Ohio entrepreneur. Thirteen-year-old Hart Main from Marysville is filling a void in the market by producing candles with a twist. Created for men, his ManCans feature alluring scents like baseball mitt, grandpa’s pipe and bacon.
Starting with a $100 investment made from mowing lawns, the company now receives more than 300 orders on its website each week. The candles (retailing for $9.50) are made out of old soup cans. As business grew, sourcing the large quantity of used cans became difficult so Main created a charitable solution. ManCans now buys and donates soup to local churches, hospitals and soup kitchens and the empty cans are returned, cleaned and ready to be filled.
Even though his mom won’t let him work with the hot wax and oil, Main is a hands-on CEO responsible for quality checking production and packaging, reviewing shipping procedures, negotiating prices and dealing with the media. With the original goal of making enough money to buy a new bicycle, ManCans’ success has now put Main on a path to being a life-long entrepreneur. “I like the fact that I have control over things and can make decisions and see what’s actually happening,” the middle-schooler says.
