Gen Z Founders Building Businesses Before Graduation — Featuring Zolli Candy’s Alina Morse
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Teen entrepreneurship is growing in a big way. A recent Junior Achievement study found that 3 in 5 teens would rather start their own business than have a traditional job. Armed with digital tools, creativity, and purpose, young founders are proving you don’t need to wait until graduation to make a big impact.
Alina Morse, founder and CEO of Zolli Candy is a prime example of this. At just nine years old, Alina set out to create candy that’s fun, delicious, and better for your teeth. What started as kitchen experiments turned into a growing candy empire — with products like Zollipops, Zolli Drops, and Zaffi Taffy now sold in major retailers nationwide and around the world.
By her teens, Alina had scaled her business to millions in retail sales, appeared on the cover of Entrepreneur Magazine, and even shared her story at the White House! Her brand’s mission to make smiles sweeter through the Million Smiles Initiative continues to bring better-for-you treats and oral health education to kids across the country.
As Alina puts it:
“Doing good, giving back, and making people smile can also be good business.”
Her journey reminds us that purpose and profit can go hand in hand — and that it’s never too early to start building something that matters.
👉 Read the full Forbes article: “Meet 3 Gen Z Founders Building Before Graduation.”