Burn, Baby, Burn: Diamond Candles
Genius is in simplicity. Every now and then, a business model comes along that seems so obvious that everyone who hears about it comes to a full stop, thinks for a moment, and starts kicking themselves for not thinking of it first. Diamond Candles operates under just such a business model. A line of high-quality soy candles featuring all-natural, eco-friendly construction with a generous amount of scent, this philosophy makes it so the candles alone have the capacity to be a modestly successful product line. The kicker is that each pillar candle sold under the Diamond Candles name contains a prize at the bottom. We’re not talking the cheap tin whistle in a Cracker Jack box here. At the bottom of each candle is a ring.
Most of the rings hidden inside Diamond Candles’ candles are simply costume jewelry worth about $10, cute little things that are pleasing to the eye, but not precious by any stretch of the imagination. The true genius is in the combination of a prize with an element of chance. Some Diamond Candles contain a ring worth $100, $1,000, or even $5,000! This element of chance motivates the buyer to light up a candle as quickly as possible to get to the foil ring pouch just under the surface of the candle sooner rather than later. This impulse makes the Diamond Candles brand unique in its design as less of a showpiece and more of a consumable among high-end candles.
Diamond Candles actively cultivates this portion of their business model. Those who find rings they absolutely adore share their big reveals on the Diamond Candles Community, an official Diamond Candles corporate Facebook page. There appears to be some confusion as to the value of each individual ring, which brings up what really is the one weakness of the business model. For those who love the rings, it takes a jeweler to know if you’ve hit it big.
According to the origin story put out by Diamond Candles, this business model originated in the love story of founders David and Brenda. Coming from a lower middle class background, anniversary gifts were something that required significant scrimping and saving. Finally able to afford a ring for his wife’s anniversary, David was unable to find a gift bag that could properly hold his new purchase. Then he saw the candles.