E-Paper
Woman who slept in her car after immigrating to US now runs a $9 million candy business
Gia Huynh recalled there was a time when she used to live in her car with her five-month-old baby.
Gia Huynh, the founder of a candy company, opened up about her journey from being a homeless immigrant to running a $9 million candy business in America in an interview with CNBC. She shared about the abuse and hardship she faced in her childhood and after relocating to the US.
When did she relocate to America?
She came to the country in her 20s, recalling her past, Huynh told the outlet, “I was working at a nail salon pretty much seven days a week, from morning to night, 14 hours a day.”
Also Read: Founder who once worked as Zomato delivery partner backs Deepinder Goyal: 'I earned ₹40,000 a month consistently'
She continued, “I was facing homelessness, and with a baby in my arm. I had nothing.”
Abusive childhood and relationship
Recalling her childhood, Huynh said, “My dad used to just go in the jungle to chop bamboo and wood and things like that to sell. He’s never home, really. He’s always working. And my mom just, you know, worked [however] she [could] to put food on the table.”
She added, “It was a rough childhood,” said Huynh. “I [became a] domestic and sexual harassment victim [at age] four... That was my first childhood memories, basically. It was under the man I call uncle.”
She immigrated to the US with her now-ex-husband from Vietnam in 2016. Soon after, she faced financial difficulties. “In Vietnam ... even if I make a little money, it’s still plenty for us to take care of our lives there. But [when] we moved [to Florida], it was a lot of struggle, because I was the main [source of] income for the family, and we were living out of my mother in law’s house.”
After divorcing her husband, she had a son with her then-boyfriend. She recalled how it was an abusive relationship, and she finally decided to leave with her toddler.
“I had my son in 2019 with my ex-boyfriend and that was a very abusive relationship,” said Huynh. “I ended up losing everything on that relationship. I lost my job, I maxed out all [my] credit cards. I took my son out of [my ex-boyfriend’s] house when he was only five weeks old and lived out of my car.” It was at that time she used to live in her car.
Soon after, she took up a job in her sister’s nail salon. However, she was determined to create a better life.
How did she start her company?
Between managing her job at the nail salon and caring for her son, Huynh continued to experiment with various business ideas. Though she faced initial failures, her crystal candy business idea took off. According to documents viewed by the outlet, her business generated over $9 million in revenue in 2024.
She got the idea of making crystal candies and selling them online after watching a few content creators’ videos. “I recognized the candy because we used to make it back home with my great grandma,” Huynh said. “I asked my mom, and she said ... we had the recipe for it. So that’s when I started practicing.”
She spent $500 to bring the ingredients and started making the candies late at night, after putting her kid to sleep. “After I come back from the nail salon, I play with my son, put him to bed and pretty much [make candy] from midnight to three, four in the morning,” she told the outlet.
Also Read: Indian-origin founder, 16, accuses customer of trying to 'destroy' his startup: ‘He continued threats even after refund’
“The first three months was hardest... we were making like I would say, $600 to $1,000 a month, [but] I was so happy. That’s enough for my son’s diaper and milk,” she recalled. Huynh explained that soon after her business started taking off, bringing in more money.
“It has just been amazing ... It really changed what I view about myself,” she said. “My whole life, I believed that I’m worthless, useless. I don’t have the skills, I don’t have the education for any of this.” However, she succeeded when she realised her own potential. “You are your own enemy. You are the reason that you would fail in life.”
She told the outlet, “You can do it if you put your mind [to it]. I didn’t go to language school. I didn’t graduate fifth grade, but because I put my mind to this, I make it work.”
