Hershey's: 8 sweet secrets that turned a broke pushcart vendor to a billionaire chocolate king

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Hey rebel solopreneurs 🦸‍♂️🦸‍♀️

Because you had failed before, maybe you're just not cut out for building a business?

Wrong - your failures are actually proof you have what it takes.

Meet Milton Hershey who failed three times before building the chocolate empire we know today.

But how exactly do you bounce back from three devastating business failures and still build a billion-dollar brand?

🍹 The humble beginnings...

Milton Hershey was born in 1857 to a devoted Mennonite mother and a dreamer father who chased every opportunity.

His dad Henry had big ideas but zero follow-through - always starting things, never finishing them.

When Milton was nine, his sister died from scarlet fever, leaving him devastated.

Because his father moved the family around constantly chasing get-rich-quick schemes, Milton barely got any formal education.

His parents eventually separated when his father's failures became too much to bear.

By the time Milton was in fourth grade, his strict mother Fanny decided school wasn't working - time to learn a trade.

She found him an apprentice job with a newspaper printer, but Milton found the work mind-numbing.

He was setting up letters for printing presses all day, every day - totally boring stuff.

The work felt like prison, and Milton knew deep down this wasn't his path.

He started looking around for something that actually interested him.

At 14, he discovered candy making and convinced his mother to let him apprentice with Joseph Royer in Lancaster.

Finally, something clicked - Milton loved the craft and soaked up everything Royer taught him.

But would this passion be enough to survive on his own?

💸 When printing felt like prison

After four years learning the candy trade under Joseph Royer's guidance, Milton felt ready to strike out on his own.

At 19, he convinced his aunt to lend him $150 and opened his first candy shop in Philadelphia.

He discovered his true passion and learned the fundamentals that would serve him for life.

But passion alone wasn't enough to guarantee success.

Then came his first shot at independence...

🔥 The $150 gamble that crashed

At 19, Milton convinced his aunt to lend him $150 to start his own candy shop in Philadelphia.

Picture this - he worked 15-16 hours a day, making caramels and selling them from a pushcart.

Despite his relentless work ethic, he couldn't figure out how to make the business profitable.

After five exhausting years, he had to close down in 1882, bankrupt and defeated.

But Milton wasn't done fighting...

🥛 The Denver discovery that changed everything

Milton joined his father in Colorado's silver rush and got a job as a confectioner.

There he learned that adding fresh milk to caramel dramatically improved its quality and shelf life.

This simple discovery would become the foundation of his empire.

Here's the thing - he also found that milk made caramels creamier and chewier, and customers went crazy for it.

Two more businesses would fail before this knowledge paid off...

🤝 The friend who believed when family didn't

Back in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, no one would lend Milton money after his string of failures.

Even his own relatives refused to help him - can you imagine?

But here's the crazy part - Henry Lebkicher, an old employee, offered Milton a place to live and money for equipment.

Together they started Lancaster Caramel Co. using Milton's fresh milk discovery from Denver.

Finally, his persistence was about to pay off...

🍫 The German machine that sparked chocolate fever

At the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Milton saw German chocolate-making machinery.

He turned to a friend and declared: "Caramels are a fad, but chocolate is permanent. I'm going to make chocolate."

He immediately bought the equipment and established Hershey Chocolate Company in 1894.

Milton began producing 114 different types of chocolate candies, including the legendary Hershey Bar.

His biggest bet was still ahead...

🏭 The $1 million sale that funded the dream

In 1900, Milton sold his successful caramel company for $1 million - a massive fortune at the time.

He kept only the chocolate-making rights and equipment.

With this windfall, he could finally mass-produce affordable milk chocolate for everyone, not just the rich.

But wait, it gets better - he built both a state-of-the-art factory and an entire town for his workers in Pennsylvania.

But Milton wasn't just building a factory...

🏘️ Building more than a factory

Milton didn't just construct a chocolate factory - he created an entire community.

He built affordable housing with electricity and sewage, paved streets with names like Chocolate Avenue and Cocoa Avenue.

The town included schools, stores, a library, a hospital, even an amusement park and zoo.

Milton understood that happy workers create better products, so he invested in their whole lives.

One more innovation would seal his legacy...

📦 The Kiss that conquered America

In 1907, Milton introduced bite-sized, flat-bottomed chocolate pieces called "Hershey's Kisses."

Initially, each piece was wrapped by hand in aluminum foil - talk about starting simple!

By 1921, he'd mechanized the wrapping process and added the iconic paper ribbon on top.

Today, they produce 80 million Kisses every single day.

💰 The epic win

Milton's chocolate empire transformed an entire region of Pennsylvania.

The Hershey Company grew to generate over $20 million in sales by 1921, introducing iconic products that are still loved today.

His chocolate town became a tourist destination, attracting 3 million visitors annually to this day.

When Milton passed away in 1945, he left behind a $7 billion company that continues to bring joy to millions worldwide.

🥂 Your turn to light it up!

That's it, my fellow rebels!

Milton's transformation proves that your biggest failures often become your greatest teachers.

Milton failed three times before he cracked the code, proving that persistence beats perfection every single time.

I'm pretty sure you're gonna catch everyone off guard with what you build next.

Keep rocking! 🚀🍦

Yours 'anti-stress-enjoy-life-while building a biz' vijay peduru 🦸‍♂️