Alphonse “Fonzi” Coleman-Bubbles and Blaze

At just 14 years old, Alphonse “Fonzi” Coleman created a business for his Eco-friendly candles called Bubbles and Blaze. While it started at as a home school project, it quickly became a successful business, earning over $3,000 in sales. What drives him? Well, he attributes this to his mother for whom he wanted to create healthier, better-smelling, and more affordable candles. What makes them different is their sustainability. All Bubble and Blaze candles are hand-poured in reusable concrete vessels, leading to great success for his company. What makes his idea so great is that he saw a flaw, and made changes to an existing idea and made it better. Specifically, more affordable and Eco-friendly. One entrepreneurial trait that Fonzi shows is his innovation. The concrete vessels mentioned earlier are a key aspect of his success and why people use this product. It is environmentally friendly and costs less. Coleman’s 100% coconut soy wax candles have sold nationwide, helping build his professional connections. With the concrete vessels, they prioritize beauty and sustainability, revealing Coleman’s uniqueness to his product. From this, Fonzi has won an entrepreneurship scholarship, receiving a $750 award. One notable quote from Coleman is, “Don’t wait to be older-just start with what you have and keep going”. Despite being 14 Coleman has created a business off of his innovations that can help the environment and people get what they want. Coleman inspires me by showing that it does not matter your age or what college/high school you attend, anyone can create an innovation that helps people in their daily lives. All it takes is one great idea. It is inspiring that Coleman is driven by his passions and is a great example of someone who builds an idea off of something they truly love.