Aline Morse- Zolli Candies
At age 7, Alina Morse went on an errand with her father. While at the bank, the teller asked if she would want a lollipop. Her parents, however, had always told her that sugary candy was unhealthy and bad for the teeth and told her no. This led Ali to ask the question “Why don’t they make candy that isn’t sugary, and cleans your teeth?” This simple problem began the process of starting Zolli Candies. With the mentality that she could do anything she put her mind to, Ali got to work making candy in her house, trying to find a way to solve this problem. She continued to work and focus on perfecting the product, and by age nine, she pitched the idea to Whole Foods Market. She worked extremely hard throughout her childhood on this product, including many sixty-hour weeks. She worked on keeping Zolli candies focused on solving the core problem she initially set out to solve. Every candy is sugar-free, vegan-friendly, keto-friendly, gluten-free, and free of artificial dyes.
Running a multimillion-dollar company has certainly led to its challenges. In these cases, however, Aline has always found innovative ways to solve them. One of the challenges was keeping the candy shelf stable and from melting. Through innovation and hard work the team was able to find a way to keep the candy perfectly intact on long journeys. Now their products are being shipped all over the world in hot shipping containers without and concern for damage.
Profits have not always been Aline’s goal. Shortly after founding her company, she started the Million Smiles Initiative. This program focuses on education for oral care and entrepreneurship all over America.
Aline acts as an inspiration to young people all over showing that with an inquisitive mind and an entrepreneurial spirit, anyone can truly make a difference and do great things in the world of business.
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I love the background information that you explained on the problem she saw as a innovator. Then how she acted upon the issue. The lollypop idea was really cool, as a kid my mom would rarely let me have candy that was super sugary. So this is a really great alternative for kids and parents when their kids beg them for sugar. Also, I liked how you mentioned some set back her and the company faced, but also how she overcame them.
The ability to take not only a random idea but an issue without a current solution and turn it into a business is the definition of an entrepreneur. I find it interesting how Morse used the tools around her to make an increased impact. The way she used major companies to promote her brand as well as using the idea of a foundation to further help people with the issues of oral health is a great way to run a business while also helping send some more business your way with a product that truly serves the consumer.
I was really impressed with how she not only created the business at such a young age but also at how hard she worked on that business and thought it was really cool to see how the product ended up working out for her. I also like how she has used her huge business to start funding her businesses and how much growth has seemingly taken place for her.
It was inspiring to see how hard she worked at the start. Seeing someone at such a young age put in the time and effort into a business is really cool, and a reminder that every successful business requires commitment and work.