Harli Jordean, 8-Year-Old Entrepreneur, Builds His Fortune Selling Marbles Online

Sleeping with marbles under your pillow sounds like an average 8-year-old thing to do. Selling marbles for 500 bucks a pop? Not so much.

Harli Jordean isn't your average 8-year-old apparently. The London-based entrepreneur has turned his love for the game of marbles into a bonafide business, selling the colored glass orbs on his website, marbleking.co.uk, and fetching as much as 500 pounds per item (such as this limited edition Duke of York table). Harli's business is said to be bringing in thousands of pounds per year, with orders rolling in from as far as the U.S.

Before earning the title of the world's youngest CEO, Harli's parents had long been referring to him by another name -- The Marble King.

"Harli has been obsessed with marbles ever since he was six," his mother, Tina, told the Daily Mail. "He used to sleep with them under his pillow. The last thing he talks about before going to bed is marbles and they are the first things he mentions in the morning...His obsession became so big we started calling him the Marble King," she says.

Harli's marble mania led him to the web, where he found only a limited selection of his beloved toy, sparking the idea to start a site of his own.

Now, with his mother and brother serving as "behind the scenes co-partners," as his site reads, Harli's on his way toward dominating the marble market, eventually becoming co-owner and even creating a branded collection of "Marble King" marbles...once he's old enough.

Got a budding business owner on your hands? Check out these tips on what it takes to raise an entrepreneur.

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Comments

[maxfax]

06:48 PM on 11/27/2011

Kids always need marbles. Once he decides he doesn't need school any longer, he'll be behind the screen in his P.J.s.

[MsG7]

12:20 PM on 11/26/2011

If this boy was not Black, would there be so many negative comments?...hmmmm..

[Jamal Dash Burgess]

09:01 PM on 04/24/2012

nope.

[doc362]

03:36 PM on 11/23/2011

So now what do people think about the OCCUPY movement?

[Mr Hoodoo]

05:59 PM on 11/22/2011

I didn't know kids played marbles still. I'm just amazed these days to see kids outside playing.

Well, cool for him, man.

[Teejay42]

04:32 PM on 11/20/2011

Wow, look at all the embittered haters here! Obviously he is not the one running the business..but it could have been his idea and his passion that got the business started. What in the world are you people talking about when you say it's a scam? Are you not ordering marbles and receiving marbles? Give me a break...If you can't be happy for someone who found a way to make it then you will probably never find happiness yourself.

[Jay Jay Deng]

05:02 PM on 11/20/2011

Those haters are just Occupy protestors disgruntled that they don't have the smarts this kid has.

[Jay Jay Deng]

02:50 PM on 11/20/2011

If only those silly Occupy prostestors were as smart and entrepreneurial as this kid, maybe they wouldn't be protesting to begin with.

[whoknew222]

06:57 AM on 11/20/2011

I watched the show How It's Made and marbles are all hand made by glass artists and each and every one is unique and one of a kind. No two are alike. They are art as well as toys and I find them fascinating.

[whoknew222]

10:17 AM on 11/20/2011

I stand corrected. The generic marbles are manufactured and mass produced, mostly in third world countries now. The first manufacturing plant in Ohio burned in the early 1900s but actual mass manufacturing of glass marbles began in the late 1800s. Some are even made of real marble and other such types of stone that is milled and then tumbled to make them shiny. Regardless, the price of marbles has gone up and the unique ones are very difficultt to find. The unique collectables are still hand made and designed by artists and are quite beautiful. :).

[Q Boy]

09:25 AM on 11/19/2011

One would have to have marbles for a brains to believe that Junior is running this business.The kid may loves marbles doubt if he's more than the promotional face.Things are difficult everywhere if it's working for them good luck.

[twinpossible]

07:48 AM on 11/19/2011

I don't get it. What is so special about them? They'd be a choking hazard in my house, but if I wanted marbles, I'd hit Target or something. Nothing that could fit on a marble would impress me that much. He's cute though. I don't see why this is news, but..

[clearthinker2008]

08:28 AM on 11/19/2011

You really don't see how a 8 year making really good money is news? I love it when kids have passions for things when you have folks in their 40's who haven't found anything to be passionate about. Maybe you need to spark your imagination.

[whoknew222]

06:45 AM on 11/20/2011

I am 55 and love marbles. I have used them in many different decorative ways and they are durable, washable, pleasing to the eye, and can actually be useful. I take vases and fill them with marles and use them to start roots on plant cuttings and have made some really beautiful fish tank themes with them, to name a few uses. I actually had a fish that learned to move the marbles to protect the opening of his cave and about once a week he would remove them from the entry, use his fins and tail to "sweep" the debris out of the cave, and then would move them back. It was truely spectacular to watch this fish at work.
I no longer invest in them as prices have sky rocketed and, as the article states, the nice ones are hard to find. I think this kid is onto something here.

[montanamountainman]

07:48 AM on 11/19/2011

What an inspiring story. I'll bet his parents really supported him & encouraged him.

[joeljoey5160]

07:43 AM on 11/19/2011

I lost my marbles.

[sis14slf]

01:37 PM on 11/19/2011

so have I. LOL

[holidaybike]

06:58 AM on 11/19/2011

well since he lives in the uk he will be paying up to 60% of his income to the tax man that is if he is paying taxes they have to pay for their health care and education you know. Also i wonder what kind of child labor laws their are in the UK if that was here in the USA i am suree he would be shut down by one of the man laws presenting this type of success

[necromancer]

07:52 PM on 11/20/2011

your so right, you live in a repressive society.

[Tara Thomas]

06:03 PM on 11/26/2011

Up to 60% tax....? Where did you get that figure? It is 50% at the very maximum.

And 'they' do not pay for health care and education directly as you've implied. Health care and education is free - paid for by taxpayers - and though not perfect, it's better than what's on offer in the US.

[DoberDaneGirl]

06:46 AM on 11/19/2011

Nice idea...but $500 for a handful of marbles?!?!? See ya at Wal Mart!

[whoknew222]

08:30 AM on 11/20/2011

You won't find anything near what he's selling at Walmart. These are unique marbles and not so easy to come by and all marbles are hand made by artists. Imagine that...

[Topps]

05:26 AM on 11/19/2011

He's simply the face for the family business .

[Tara Thomas]

06:04 PM on 11/26/2011

And that's a problem why?????

[ibanezx123]

04:21 AM on 11/19/2011

hrm our world is so plagued by advertisements and "plugs", i hate to think like this but a lot of these news stories almost sound like rogue advertisements. I mean it's great this kid likes marbles(marbles > turtles apparently), but they don't really say how he makes them, or does he have another company make them? how does he get them?! I will tell you how much advertisements and plugs have really ruined television and most forms of entertainment and even in some stores that are mostly commission based, it's just really bad...not going to point to many fingers but, just take my word for it and analyze your shopping experience the next time you shop at Guitar Center(not as bad but, i'd rather support a local shop than a big time commercial mega-machine), or Best Buy(Not going to point to many fingers here, just 1 finger on each hand). it's gotten so bad now that i try my hardest not to support those companies, i will drive 20-30 miles out of my way to the nearest Fry's electronics just so i don't support Best Buy. These sales people think that they can talk you into buying more stuff that you don't need, and when i went last; i knew exactly what i wanted and i'm not going to get anything else. Yes this might be off on a tangent but it definitely relates somewhere in here i just know it.

[kelleynbuck]

05:05 PM on 11/19/2011

Best Buy sucks anyway.

[whoknew222]

07:15 AM on 11/20/2011

All marbles are hand made by glass artists. Similar to glass blown items, they are twirled on the end of a rod one at a time using different colors creating unique and different designs. Their prices have sky rocketed and nongeneric ones are very hard to find. I used to buy them but their prices are out of my league anymore and the stores you list only have generic ones that aren't cheap anymore either. Now I know where to get that limited edition Duke of York Table one I was so wanting. Just kidding. He's definitlely onto something here and I agree it's a marketing plug but the nice ones are really hard to find.