Today we’d like to introduce you to Marco Rippy.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’m 13 years old, and I am in the 8th grade. Last year, when I was in 7th grade, my school had a marketing project, and we were tasked to create a product or service. Once we found a product or service that we wanted to sell we had to create a business plan and sell the product at our school’s market day.
I worked with my mom to decide what product I should sell. My mom suggested that I look for a kit on Amazon that would have everything that I needed. When I searched for kits, I found a cool candle kit, and that’s how I decided to make candles. From there, I started doing research on the best wax, scents, and jars to use for candles. With the help of my mom, I ordered all of the supplies and made my first batch of candles. It took a couple of tries to get the formula right, but eventually I got it.
At market day I had the opportunity to showcase and sell my candles to other students and their parents. The adults really liked my candles, and after market day, they continued to ask for more, and that’s how Marco the Candle Guy was born.
Today, I have expanded my offerings from just candles to candles, wax melts, and wax warmers. My dad and I take the candles that I make, and we sell them at vendor events around Atlanta. I also have a website that I use to sell my candles.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
With me being a student, sometimes it’s hard to find time to make my candles. I’ve also found it difficult to determine what scents to sell. There are so many options, and I never know what people will want, so I try to have a variety. It’s hard to compete with big businesses who can mass produce a lot of scents.
Vendor events have been great because it gives customers the opportunity to smell my candles. Sometimes, it’s intimidating to be competing with all of the other adult vendors. Outdoor vending is very unpredictable when it comes to weather and customer flow. In the summer it can be so hot that the candles will melt, so I had to purchase bags to keep them cool. With all of the ups and downs of outdoor vending, I really enjoy it because I learn something new each time. I get to work on my communication skills, meet other vendors, showcase my products, and learn selling techniques from others.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Marco the Candle Guy?
I am very passionate about making candles, and always trying to learn new things. I take pride in my ability to customize candles based on requests and events. As a young entrepreneur, my short-term goal is to build my customer base enough to bring in more online sales. I am always looking for ways to set myself apart from other candle sellers. My long-term goal is to be the name that people think of when they think of candles. I enjoy making specialized products for events like birthday parties, baby showers, graduations and other events because I get to show off my creativity. Selling candles will help me save money to help pay for my international trips that I take with my school.
I am proud of myself for continuing my business even through the slow times.
What matters most to you? Why?
Customer satisfaction is very important to me. I like it when my customers come back and tell me how much they enjoy their candles. I also appreciate the customers who have given me feedback and offered suggestions for improvement. That is what has helped me grow.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.marcothecandleguy.com
- Instagram: @marcothecandleguy
