During an argument with his wife in 2018, Australian soon-to-be entrepreneur Kenny Lee found the inspiration for a $12 million business that would turn things around. That year, the 39-year-old made the decision to quit his job so he could build that business—Light My Bricks.
How a Hobby Became a Business
“The idea came purely off the back of an argument with my wife when she was questioning my excessive Lego spending,” Lee shared. “At the time we had kids, we had a mortgage to pay, a single income, and I was going a bit crazy on my new-found passion. So I figured, ‘how do I win this argument by making these purchases guilt-free?’ Start my own business.”
Taking Advantage of a Popular Market
Like Lee, there are countless adults who enjoy assembling Lego sets, and he knew that there were plenty who would spend even more than he did on the plastic bricks. There had to be a gap in that market, and that would be exactly the place to start a business.
“I figured if I could make these Lego purchases a tax write-off for business purposes, then that’s another win,” Lee said. “Safe to say I won that argument, and if you ask my wife, she’d probably say that’s the only time she was wrong.”
Finding Potential in Specialized LED Lighting
Lee found an angle in specialized LED lighting for Lego sets when he tried putting a light in the barber pole of a detective’s office set. It was small, but he knew this extra bit of decoration had potential.
“I’ll never forget lighting up that little barber pole,” Lee stated. “The moment I put flashing lights into that to bring it to life was a crazy moment for me. I knew right away I was onto something.”
Overcoming the Challenge of COVID-19
Lee began selling these specialized LED lighting kits to clients, and though it started off small, he was making the business work. Two years into operations, though, the COVID-19 pandemic struck. Like so many others during that time, he was afraid that he would lose his business. “For me, it was a scary time,” he said.
Amid pandemic lockdowns, Lee and his team pivoted to digital advertising. In online spaces, he found that plenty of indoor hobbies, especially Lego, were gaining a lot of attention. This threat to his business was becoming the perfect storm.
“Because of all the [Lego] content online” Lee explained, “[customers] naturally saw my bricks, and before I knew it, my business went absolutely bonkers. The uncertainty turned into one of our biggest triumphs which helped us propel to that eight figures.”
Unanticipated Success and Lee’s Advice
The market for Lego, and Light My Bricks in turn, is significant. Whether it’s someone wanting to make a kit feel special for their kid or an adult who loves assembling Lego, Light My Bricks is the perfect niche accessory. It’s an unlikely success story, and one that Lee could never have anticipated coming this far.
“One of the biggest challenges for me was overcoming that way of thinking, ‘How much money can you really make off of this unique passion?’” Lee’s philosophy is to just “create a way,” because there’s always something more. “My advice is, don’t look for validation—lean into what is unique, because the more unique it is, the better it is.”
“I’m very passionate about sharing that message,” Lee continued, “and inspiring people [with] that whole ‘create a way’ message of not limiting yourself. Because, again, if you’d asked me all those years ago how much money you can make selling lights for Lego… it’s been a constant work of improvement and thinking outside of the box.”
