19-Year-Old Saves Her Family’s Candy Shop From Filing For Bankruptcy

Having a family company may be a lot of fun, but it can also be a lot of work when times are rough. After losing the bulk of their in-person clients, David King and his daughter Annabelle from Sydney, Australia, had to learn how to modify their business. Their brilliant idea was to upload movies on TikTok, but neither the father nor the daughter understood how successful their strategy would be.

With their tourist customers gone and public events canceled, Sticky, the candy store, had to find a new way to sell their sweets or risk going out of business. They decided to attempt live broadcasting the candy-making process in order to attract more consumers who could be interested in the theatrical aspect of creating lollipops and other goodies, according to David. Sticky’s live feed attracted only about 20 people at first. It seemed like a tremendous accomplishment when they hit 150.

Annabelle then had the brilliant idea of live-streaming and posting videos on TikTok for foodies all around the globe to enjoy. Sticky’s TikTok account had over two million followers within four months, and the business was flooded with foreign orders. Suddenly, their concern of going bankrupt morphed into a desire to satisfy all of their new consumers.

The business, which has been operating since 2001, continues to broadcast on a daily basis, and fans say they like the process of extracting sugar and producing sweets. Sticky’s fans are vocal about their support, and the firm has developed significantly since establishing an internet presence. In 2021, the business, which only offers handcrafted rock candy, is expected to make a million dollars. Continue reading to find out more about this fantastic business strategy.

David and the Sticky staff began live broadcasting on Facebook and Youtube before shifting to TikTok. They knew that tourists loved watching the candy being prepared, so they thought this would be a good idea. “We simply thought we’d give it a shot and see if there was any way we could transition the theatrical element of what we performed into more of an internet live streaming presence,” David said.

They ultimately surpassed 100,000 views in this manner, but Annabelle realized there was still room for more. “I was like, ‘Dad, you need to build a Tik Tok,’ because everything we do on Tik Tok would work so well,” Annabelle added. “I had to bother him so much, I had to be like dad, dad, make it, make it, make it… he finally gave up and let me do it one day.”

The King’s have entirely modified their marketing plan now that they have over two million TikTok followers and much more views. “I’ve never worked in huge social media before, and now I’m in big social media,” Annabelle added. She went on to say that she spends the most of her day filming videos for TikTok and the rest of her time editing those films.

The human element of the business, according to David, is what attracts customers in. “The reaction I receive is that it’s peaceful,” he added. “Humans can observe us and connect with us as people, not only with the process and witness something that’s kilograms and kilos of molten sugar changed into something little and delicate.”