Nguyen Hoan Le Vy, a sophomore at Greenwich University Vietnam, and her older sister, Nguyen Hoan Trieu Vy, a former student at the HCM City University of Technology, became known when attending ‘Shark Tank’, a TV show, two years ago. 

Though they were very young at that moment, they still secured investments from three "sharks" of the “Shark Tank’ TV show for their scented candle product.

"When we first started, we were quite inexperienced and primarily driven by enthusiasm. Now, I feel I've matured with a strategic outlook. I can analyze the market, manage finances, and build a brand methodically," the 20-year-old said.

Vy began making money when she was at primary school. Vy then saw her older sister learning how to edit photos on blogs, designing posters and stickers to sell to friends.

Inspired by her sister, Vy bought and sold small tortoises for just VND5,000 and then sold to friends in the same school at VND10,000. She also sold guava and clothes.

In 2021, when students had to study online because of Covid-19, Vy thought they might need relaxation products, so decided to make scented candles for sale.

Her idea was applauded by her sister, who was a chemical engineering student. They chose soy wax, beeswax, and palm wax as materials instead of paraffin.

Driven by her passion for communications, Le Vy drew up a media campaign, weaving stories for every product to inspire customers.

With great efforts, their Jaros Candle brand became better known in the market. In the first two months, their candle sales reached VND250 million, while revenue increased by three times in following months.

In September 2022, they decided to call for capital by participating in 'Shark Tank,' gaining the nod from three 'sharks'.

In 2024, after several years,  Vy and her older sister bought a house in Vinh Long as a gift for their mother, which was their goal when they started doing business.

Four years have elapsed since their startup. Vy and her sister are continuing their business with 10 workers. Vy’s sister is in charge of production management, while she is in charge of marketing and sale. They are planning to scale up the production and spend money to buy advanced technology to improve product quality. 

Thuy Nga