Eight years ago, 13-year-old Alina Morse sat in Entrepreneur\u2019s New York City office, experiencing what she called \u201ca fairy tale for a girl from a small town in Michigan.\u201d She was, and still is, the youngest founder to make the cover of Entrepreneur Magazine<\/em>.<\/em><\/p>\n But Alina had plenty of experience in the spotlight before then, and has continued to make headlines eight years later with her brand Zolli Candy<\/a> and its complementary 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the Million Smiles Initiative<\/a>.<\/p>\n Now she\u2019s a senior at Michigan State University, choosing college because she says her love for learning and natural curiosity don\u2019t take away from the business \u2014 they enhance it. Plus, she\u2019s never known anything different. That \u201cHannah Montana\u201d life, as she calls it, is the norm.\u00a0<\/p>\n We checked back in with Alina to see how the business and her vision have evolved since 2018.<\/p>\n This interview has been edited for length and clarity.<\/em><\/p>\n What was it like to be on the cover of a magazine at 13?<\/strong> Photo credit: Entrepreneur Media<\/sub><\/em><\/p>\n What changed for you and the company after the cover?<\/strong> What made you choose to go to college?<\/strong> Photo credit: Alina Morse \/ Zolli<\/sup><\/em><\/p>\n What happens after you graduate? What stays the same?<\/strong> How do you balance your life as a student and entrepreneur?<\/strong> Photo credit: Alina Morse \/ Zolli<\/sup><\/em><\/p>\n If we were to check back with you in another eight years, what would you want to say you and Zolli have achieved?\u00a0<\/strong> What advice would you give to your 13-year-old self?<\/strong> Photo credit: Alina Morse \/ Zolli<\/sup><\/em><\/p>\n Do you have any advice for aspiring entrepreneurs who are holding back from taking that first step?<\/strong> Eight years ago, 13-year-old Alina Morse sat in Entrepreneur\u2019s New York City office, experiencing what she called \u201ca fairy tale for a girl from a small town in Michigan.\u201d She was, and still is, the youngest founder to make the cover of Entrepreneur Magazine<\/em>.<\/em><\/p>\n But Alina had plenty of experience in the spotlight before then, and has continued to make headlines eight years later with her brand Zolli Candy<\/a> and its complementary 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the Million Smiles Initiative<\/a>.<\/p>\n Now she\u2019s a senior at Michigan State University, choosing college because she says her love for learning and natural curiosity don\u2019t take away from the business \u2014 they enhance it. Plus, she\u2019s never known anything different. That \u201cHannah Montana\u201d life, as she calls it, is the norm.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Between nine and 13 years old, we had expanded a lot through Whole Foods, Walmart, and Amazon.com. I was finishing up my seventh-grade year. The bell rang. I got my phone out of my locker. I had a missed call from my publicist. I called him back, and he said, \u201cYou\u2019re going to be on the cover of a magazine.\u201d I skipped down the hallway. Then I was like, \u201cOh my gosh, I still have braces. Can I do a closed-mouth shot?\u201d I did not have a lot of confidence by any stretch of the imagination. But something that stayed really consistent is my passion for my business. To say we\u2019re still here and we\u2019re still growing is a testament to that middle schooler\u2019s drive.<\/p>\n
Those were really formative years in cementing our status as not just a startup but a real company. We use it as a catalyst for meeting with a new retailer. We\u2019ll send them a copy of the magazine with some samples, and it gives validation. That\u2019s something we\u2019ve carried as a badge of honor.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve always been the person who loves to learn, and that\u2019s a big reason why I always stayed in public school while growing Zolli. After and before school, I worked my butt off on Zolli. The weekends were work and media and travel and meeting with retailers and making sacrifices. I\u2019ve always just been used to balancing being a student in some capacity while being an entrepreneur. I\u2019ve experienced such an outpouring of support from my university and my peers. And I\u2019ve had a lot of opportunities that have come from being an entrepreneur in college that I don\u2019t think I would have gotten. And on top of that, the social and emotional aspect and the growth that I\u2019ve experienced as a person being here is unmatched.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/IMG_20230309_092215-1-edited.jpg\")
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The two constants in my life have been school and Zolli for as long as I can remember. I\u2019m used to being a really busy person, and I don\u2019t think that will change, but I\u2019ve just got to find other avenues to put my energy into. If I can be an entrepreneur full-time and also be a full-time student, what else can I pack in when I lose the student part? And I\u2019m really excited to figure out what that is. Whether it\u2019s on the nonprofit side or on the Zolli product side or in my personal career. The sky\u2019s the limit.<\/p>\n
The idea of entrepreneurial balance is kind of a hoax. There is no balance. You have to live it. And if you don\u2019t want to live it, that\u2019s okay. There is a part of my brain that I cannot switch off. Even when I\u2019m doing things that are on personal time. If I get a call from our 1-800 hotline, I\u2019m picking it up. It doesn\u2019t matter if it\u2019s midnight. That is what being an entrepreneur is. So the whole idea of balance, it\u2019s not the same every day. It\u2019s not a formula that you can quantify.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/IMG_7103.jpeg?w=1024\")
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Looking at our trajectory, I\u2019ve always said that a crazy audacious goal was to be the No. 1 zero-sugar candy company globally, and we\u2019re well on our way. So we\u2019re going to keep chugging away at that. Through the Million Smiles Initiative, I want every kid in America to have a clean mouth, a healthy smile, and a Zollipop in their hand. Every year we\u2019ve been able to grow, we\u2019ve been able to give more. That\u2019s always going to coincide with the larger business goals.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Smile with your teeth. Don\u2019t be so worried about what other people are going to think. No one\u2019s going to judge you. It\u2019s okay to be proud of yourself and to enjoy the moment and to continue to work hard, which she has. I\u2019m so proud of her.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/March-2015-Natural-Products-Expo_TomAlina-close-1.jpg?w=1024\")
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Think like a seven-year-old. They don\u2019t have the fear of failure that adults have. That thought of \u201cmaybe this won\u2019t work\u201d doesn\u2019t even cross their minds. I just encourage people to think like kids. It may seem like it\u2019s a naive perspective, but really it\u2019s a very tenacious and curious perspective that I think adults could use some more of.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n