He failed twice in business, then sold his successful caramel company to go all-in on milk chocolate — a product almost no American had tasted.
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Who Milton Hershey was
Milton Hershey founded the Hershey Chocolate Company and built the town of Hershey, Pennsylvania. He also created a school for orphaned children that still operates today.
The struggle
Hershey was born in 1857 in rural Pennsylvania. He had little formal schooling. His mother wanted him off the farm, so she apprenticed him to a printer and then a confectioner. He hated printing and loved candy.
In 1876 he opened his own candy shop in Philadelphia. It failed. He tried again in New York City. It also failed. He went bankrupt twice. At thirty he was broke and humiliated.
He returned to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and started a caramel company. This time it worked. He built a thriving business selling caramels to Britain.
The turning point
At the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Hershey saw German chocolate-making equipment. He became obsessed with milk chocolate — at the time a luxury product mostly made in Switzerland.
He sold his caramel company for $1 million and bet everything on milk chocolate. After years of trial and error, he developed a formula that was affordable and delicious. In 1900 he launched the Hershey bar. In 1907 he introduced the Hershey’s Kiss.
He built a model town for his workers, complete with schools, parks, and a trolley system. In 1909 he and his wife founded the Milton Hershey School for orphaned boys, funded with the company’s profits.
“One is only happy in proportion as he makes others happy.”
The principle
Long-term vision can survive short-term failure. Hershey lost twice before he won, and when he won, he used the money to build something for others. Success becomes meaningful when it is shared.
Apply it today
If you have had early failures, do not assume you are cursed. You may simply be learning what does not work before you find what does. And when success comes, build something that outlasts you.
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