Aussie entrepreneur Kenny Lee reveals how argument with wife sparked $12m business

An Aussie entrepreneur has revealed the argument that gave him the inspiration for his $12m business, marking the “only time” his wife was wrong.

An Australian entrepreneur has revealed how an argument with his wife sparked a $12m business.

Kenny Lee quit his 9-5 job to pursue his dream business, Light My Bricks, in 2018.

Specialising in LED lighting for Lego sets, the 39-year-old from Ferntree Gully in Melbourne’s east said the idea was sparked by his own Lego obsession.

“The idea came purely off the back of an argument with my wife when she was questioning my excessive Lego spending,” Mr Lee said.

“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.”

Kenny Lee is the founder and chief executive of Light My Bricks. Picture: NewsWire / Aaron Francis

Mr Lee said he knew there was a gap in the market having seen adults spending just as much, if not more, as him on Lego.

“I figured if I could make these Lego purchases a tax write-off for business purposes then that’s another win,” Mr Lee joked.

“Safe to say I won that argument, and if you ask my wife, she’d probably say that’s the only time that she was wrong.”

The very first piece of Lego Mr Lee lit up was a barber pole in a detective’s office set.

“I’ll never forget lighting up the little barber pole – 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,” Mr Lee said.

He said the Covid pandemic was a turning point for his business, describing it as “a scary moment” for him and other businesses.

“For me it was a scary time thinking I’d have to close the business,” he said.

Faced with lockdowns, he and his team focused on digital advertising, with Lego – like many other indoor hobbies – gaining traction.

“Because of all the content (Lego fans) were seeing online, they naturally saw my bricks, and before I knew it my business went absolutely bonkers,” he said.

“The uncertainty turned into one of our biggest triumphs which helped us propel to that eight figures.”

Consumers can install the lights as they build Lego kits or add them to sets they’ve already built.

“It teaches people about electronics and adds a whole new dimension to it – a lot of our customers can’t see Lego the same way anymore,” Mr Lee said.

Mr Lee’s obsession with Lego led him to start his own business. Picture: NewsWire / Aaron Francis

The market for Lego and Light My Bricks among adults is huge, with Matt Nardella from Melbourne’s northeast revealing he’s spent as much as $70,000 on Lego sets complete with Mr Lee’s lighting kits.

The Doncaster man said a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle-themed Lego set caught his eye about 11 years ago while he was shopping for a present for his niece.

“I had always played with Lego as a little kid but hadn’t given it any thought or attention since,” Mr Nardella said, adding he purchased a set “on a whim”.

“I got home, built that one set and from there I was simply hooked.”

However, things changed when he discovered Light My Bricks after seeing pictures online, with all his own sets now lit up.

“Since discovering the light kits I haven’t looked back. It just brings it all to life really!” Mr Nardella said.

“I think the difference between playing with Lego as a kid to collecting it as an adult, you really grow to appreciate the display you’re left with once you’ve built the Lego set – and lights just take the display to that next level.

“I like to have a go at building everything, but whether it’s a Star Wars or Batman scene, or a Lego City, part of the appeal is getting immersed in the world you’re creating and lights are just that magical bridge that makes it all feel so real.”

Reflecting on his business’s climb to success, Mr Lee said he had no idea it would take off as well as it had.

“One of the biggest challenges for me was overcoming that way of thinking … ‘How much money can you really make off this unique passion?’” Mr Lee said.

Light My Bricks has now turned over more than $12m in revenue. Picture: NewsWire / Aaron Francis

He said he’d developed his own philosophy called “Create A Way”, urging aspiring entrepreneurs to think outside the box.

“My advice is don’t look for validation, lean into what is unique, because the more unique it is, the better it is,” Mr Lee said.

“I’m very passionate about sharing that message 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 can you make selling lights for Lego … it’s been a constant work of improvement and thinking outside the box.”

Mr Lee revealed the next step was expanding outside of Lego, telling fans to “stay tuned”.

“This whole time we’ve built our success on lights to do with Lego, but now we’re branching out and looking above and beyond that,” Mr Lee said.

“I’m so grateful for what I’ve been able to build and it’s been able to really give me a life that I love to live. I call it my ultimate life, and it’s just the beginning.”

Originally published as Aussie entrepreneur Kenny Lee reveals how argument with wife sparked $12m business