Gia Huynh was born in Don Hai, Vietnam, and grew up in Ho Chi Mihn City, the youngest of four siblings. She immigrated to the United States with her husband in 2016, but they divorced a year later, largely due to financial struggles. For years, Huynh worked 14-hour days at nail salons to stay afloat. At one point, she found herself homeless, living out of her car as a single mother. Determined to create a better life for her and her son, she began to experiment with online business ideas, eventually deciding candy making was the way to go. She spent $500 on ingredients to start experimenting with a recipe her grandmother used when Huynh was a child. By early 2022, she started selling her candy on Etsy. Before long, she was making an average of $3,000 a day. From there, sales quickly grew. Today, she’s the founder of Silky Gem, an online candy company known for their handmade confections. Last year, her business brought in over $9 million. She finally made enough to hire both of her parents, and now they all run the business together. Huynh she quickly learned that you can be your own worst enemy when you believe that you don’t have the talent or education to do anything. “You can do it if you put your mind to it. I didn’t graduate fifth grade, but because I put my mind to this, I make it work.”
