Schoolboy, 14, makes thousands of pounds from eco-friendly candle making business he runs in his spare time, after starting it in his bedroom
- Charlie Griffiths, 14, started his candle company Hood + May when he was just 12
- He started out in his bedroom but has his own small room where he works from
- The candles he sells are made from sustainable materials and are all eco-friendly
A teenage boy has made thousands of pounds from a candle making business he started in his bedroom.
Charlie Griffiths, 14, started his company Hood + May at the age of 12 after spending ‘many hours’ deciding on what to sell.
Charlie says that he opted to sell candles after reading about some of the ‘nasty’ things that go into making them, which made him want to design his own eco-friendly ones.
The Lime, Basil and Manderin candle is teenager Charlie Griffiths’ best-selling product at his successful candle business
He now sells the candles, designing them all himself, and makes sure they are created from sustainable ingredients.
His best selling candle is the Lime, Basil and Manderin one and all are made from ingredients purchased from ethical sources.
It is additive free, packaged in a reusable and recycled glass jar and wasn’t tested on any animals.
He runs the business in his spare time, making sure he completes his homework before turning to candles.
Charlie said: ‘I started off in my bedroom, but now have a small room to work from, as well as a few shelves for storage.
‘A company makes the candles for me, but I do all the design and branding and decide what goes in them.
‘It’s mostly been good fun. There have been a couple of dodgy boxes of candles and the occasional angry customer, but that’s about it.’
Charlie says that he opted to sell candles after reading about some of the ‘nasty’ things that go into making them, which made him want to design his own eco-friendly ones
He says his work takes up a lot of time and he has to deal with customer enquiries, meet suppliers, visit trade shows and also package candles to send out.
His parents help him with the travelling and Charlie wants to expand the range of products he sells and also open up his own pop-up shop.
His parents also help him travelling to trade shows, which can take up a fair bit of time.
Although Charlie has no intention of stopping his candle making business, he admits he could move on if something better comes along.
If you’re interested in being a business owner, he says, you need to start from the very bottom and work hard to build yourself up.
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