IU East student starts business

Switch from industrial engineering to business leads to own company

By Brian Zimmerman • Staff Writer • December 30, 2009

With his industrial engineering studies no longer cutting it, Blake Pieratt needed just eight weeks to validate his second choice: business.

That’s how long it took the 20-year-old Eaton, Ohio, man to become fascinated with entrepreneurship, forge a business idea and start earning money.

“I was studying industrial engineering at Sinclair College and I didn’t like it,” Pieratt said. “So I started studying business. It all happened pretty quick. I went from one step to another.”

 Pieratt is now the founder of Wicks of Nature. He sells candles stored in emptied baby-food jars that are placed in a small wooden base.

 ”The company has been official for about two weeks,” he said. “I came up with the candle idea about eight weeks ago and it blossomed. Right now, I don’t have any Web site or anything. It’s just word of mouth.

 ”I believe my candle business is going to be seasonal - right before the holidays and everything - unless it blossoms and takes off,” he said.

 He now attends Indiana University East where his instructor, Tim Scales, has helped him run with the idea and make some high-profile connections, including Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels.

 ”I took him one of my candles,” he said. “I wanted to make sure he got one of the first ones.”

 Pieratt has already sold 200 of his candles, and he’s forged community connections to help make it happen. He buys baby food jars and donates them to Birth-to-Five.
Once they are returned, Pieratt takes them to Warm Glow Candle Co. in Centerville, where candle wax is poured inside the jars.

 The packaging of the candles is done at Achieva Resources in Richmond.

 Pieratt’s early success with just candles has him eager to see what else is out there for him.

 ”I’m just starting to get into entrepreneurship,” Pieratt said. “I’m learning as I go.”

Reporter Brian Zimmerman: (765) 973-4478 or bxzimmer@pal-item.com