When Lee Rhodes dropped a candle into a handblown glass votive candleholder back in 1998, she was mesmerized by the chromatic light and was inspired to start her company, glassybaby.
Daniel Lubetzky's food company took off when he solidified his winning health bar recipe in 2003. The idea behind KIND Healthy Snacks is simple: Use ingredients people can recognize.
Rick Alden launched Skullcandy in 2003, following a snowboarding trip that inspired him to design headphones appealing to the iPod-toting action-sports crowd.
Since founding The Great American Hanger Company, Devon Rifkin has revolutionized the industry, bringing high-quality hangers to the public.
Rhodes first began selling glassybaby votive candleholders from her garage, and since then has opened four retail stores and built a thriving online presence. As her business continues to grow, Rhodes remains dedicated to donating a percentage of glassybaby's revenue to programs that help cancer patients with needs not covered by health insurance. She is focused on creating quality glass votive candleholders in more than 400 rich colors and takes pride in each one as a handmade American craft.
KIND Healthy Snacks' minimally processed snack bars are a hit among health nuts and stand out from the abundant competition in grocery stores. In 2010, KIND Healthy Snacks sales surpassed $30 million, and the KIND Movement allows people to support multiple causes that are important to them.
The demand for Skullcandy's designer headgear was immediate, but the factories weren't willing to take risks on a newcomer, forcing the company to pay 100 percent of their costs upfront in the first year. Things got easier as revenues soared. Alden got Skullcandy in all AT&T stores and launched a line of high-end headphones, among other ventures.
Rifkin began his company with telephone market research and a global trip to learn about the hanger business. His multimillion-dollar business now boasts a celebrity clientele list and a community environment with his associates that he's passionate about.