Author Archive for krabitzmg21

Lollipops for everyone!

Posted by krabitzmg21 
· Tuesday, December 10th, 2024 
· 3 Comments

At just 9 years old, Alina Morse had the idea to create sugar-free lollipops. As a young kid, her parents always warned her to not eat lollipops because they would rot her teeth. Because of those warnings, she started to wonder why there were no lollipops that were actually good for teeth. Between school and extracurricular activities, Alina started to mess with multiple different recipes that would not damage her teeth. At 9 years old she made the recipe that she stuck with and she began to manufacture her lollipops in Michigan. Her business is called Zollipops, which her little sister came up with. Zollipops became available for purchase in 2014. These lollipops are all-natural, gluten-free, sugar-free, and vegan. Alina wanted to make these lollipops so that everyone could enjoy them without having to worry about the potential of damaging their teeth.

As her business continued to develop and as she did more research, Alina found out that tooth decay is a chronic issue for school-aged children so she decided to do something about it. She created the Million Smiles Initiative and started to bring Zollipops into schools so that these children could still enjoy lollipops. As Zollipops continued to grow, Alina started to create a variety of candy. Zolli Candy now includes taffy, hard-drop candies, caramels, and gummies. All of this candy is safe for teeth and made from natural ingredients. Zolli Candy can be found on multiple social media platforms and are also in numerous stores worldwide. Whole Foods, Walmart, and Rite Aid are just a few of the many places where Zolli Candy is available for purchase. Zollipops have become so popular that even celebrities have been seen enjoying these unique lollipops! Alina has loved being an entrepreneur and helping children enjoy sweets. She is not planning on stopping her business anytime soon!

3 Comments
Categories : Uncategorized

ManiMe

Posted by krabitzmg21 
· Thursday, November 21st, 2024 
· 3 Comments

Jooyeon Song loved getting her nails done but hated how much it cost to get a quality manicure. She also could not afford to sit there for at least two hours each time she went to the salon since she was so busy trying to get her MBA (Master of Business Administration Degree) at the time. Song and a few of her friends came up with the idea to make a business where people could do their own nails rather than spend unnecessary time and money at a salon. This idea quickly became a reality when Song created her company, ManiMe, also known as Manisfest.

ManiMe is a very unique business because it takes an individualized approach to nail kits. Customers have the option to take a photo of their hand and send it to ManiMe where 3D modeling and laser point accuracy are used to create the perfect fit for these stick-on nail colors. People can also do this for pedicures. When the COVID pandemic hit, ManiMe exploded and so many people became interested in this unique way to do their nails. The sets from ManiMe cost around $20 compared to salon prices that can get as high as over $100. Due to the popularity of this company, famous nail artists have signed onto this business and added their own unique designs which has only increased ManiMe’s popularity.

ManiMe has a wide variety of colors and designs for customers to choose from. Once someone finds the color or design that they want, they then have the option to order the standard fit or to do the personalized fit by doing the photo process that was previously mentioned. The custom fit does cost more money than the standard fit but the product that the customer would receive is worth the extra money! In addition to the stick-on sets, nail polish bundles are also available for purchase!

 

Check out ManiMe here

3 Comments
Categories : Nail Art, Nail Art

Down to Earth Coffee Shop

Posted by krabitzmg21 
· Monday, October 28th, 2024 
· No Comments

Alex RoJohn has always had a passion for working. At sixteen, he started volunteering at a local coffee shop. He did this just out of excitement for working. Ironically, when he volunteered, he did not like coffee at all and never imagined he would one day own his own coffee shop. His volunteer work quickly turned into a passion for working face-to-face with customers, and he also developed a new love for coffee. In addition to his love for coffee, he developed an interest in the environment and wanted to learn more about how he could positively impact it. Through this newfound interest, he came up with the name for his coffee shop- “Down to Earth Cafe”. Alex opened his coffee shop, located in Mechanicsburg PA, in November  2022 and it has been a success ever since! The Mission of Down to Earth is to serve “quality food and beverages sourced from valued local businesses while implementing sustainable practices into their daily routine. [They] strive to create a business model that helps the environment and community around [them].” Down to Earth Cafe not only serves a large variety of drinks but they also have sandwiches, pastries, acai bowls,  salads, and much more!

Alex believes that coffee shops are a great place for people to make connections with others. He hopes that Down to Earth can be that type of place for many people. He wants customers to feel a sense of calm in his shop and to also feel welcomed by the employees.  Alex hopes to accomplish this by maintaining personal connections with each customer. He explains how everyone seems to be in a rush these days but he wants to slow down the busyness of life for just a few minutes when the customer walks into the door so that he can check in on them and see how their day is going.

Check out their website here!

Down To Earth Cafe

No Comments
Categories : Coffee

13-Year-Old CEO

Posted by krabitzmg21 
· Tuesday, October 15th, 2024 
· 2 Comments

Rachel Zietz, was a CEO by the time she was 13 years old. Rachel was always interested in business but she knew that she had to make something based on what she knew well. Zietz grew up playing lacrosse and loved the sport but always struggled to find high-quality, long-lasting equipment. She lives in Florida and as she was growing up, lacrosse was not very popular there which is why she had trouble finding equipment. She solved her issue by creating her own company, Gladiator Lacrosse, in 2012. Rachel Zietz took part in the Young Entrepreneurs Academy Program which greatly helped her while she was developing this company.

She created this company while she was a student-athlete so she quickly had to learn good time management skills for the company to prosper in addition to all of her other responsibilities. Some of the first items Gladiator Lacrosse created were goals and bouncebacks.  Once those started to sell, and there was a higher demand, she also made shooting targets to put on the goals and lacrosse balls. Zietz’s next goal is to make goggles and lacrosse sticks. In addition to individual products, Gladiator Lacrosse also offers bundles of products. Now, lacrosse is a much popular sport in Florida which has greatly helped her business.

The mission of Gladiator Lacrosse is to create products that withstand both the wear and tear that lacrosse players put on their equipment and the effects of weather. Gladiator Lacrosse claims that their products are 20% stronger than other competitor’s products. Despite this company growing exponentially, Rachel Zietz continues to be involved in every aspect of the production process. In an attempt to continue to promote this company, there is an option for people to become affiliates with the company which benefits the person who becomes an affiliate because they get a discount and also helps Gladiator Lacrosse prosper.

2 Comments
Categories : Athletics

Terved

Posted by krabitzmg21 
· Monday, September 30th, 2024 
· 2 Comments

Kasia (20) and Diego (21) were inspired to make gluten-free food more accessible after Kasia was put on a strict gluten-free diet. Kasia quickly realized how difficult it was to find tasty, healthy, and filling gluten-free meals without worrying about possibly getting sick due to someone else’s carelessness. Kasia is from Sicily which is known for having delicious food. She did not want to feel like she was missing out on all the Sicilian cuisine so she decided to make gluten-free versions of the food she was missing.

Diego and Kasia created Terved which is a gluten-free bakery. The idea to create this business came easy to Kasia because she has always had a creative mind and she loves to make things. She even had her own lip balm business at 15 years old! Being familiar with making a small business, Kasia and Diego felt well prepared to create Terved, which was demonstrated by how quickly Terved became successful. Kasia and Deigo have been able to place their products in grocery stores around Sicily and they have their items in over 50 bakeries throughout Europe. There was more of a demand for gluten-free food than they might have realized. People in Sicily loved this food!

The main goal of Terved is to provide a stress-free eating experience for those who have to eat gluten-free. Terved has a wide variety of items including donuts, cannolis, breads, muffins, and much more. It is abnormal to have gluten-free baked goods which is what sets Terved apart. People are usually surprised to find gluten-free canollis and pastries so readily available. This was Kasia’s whole point. She did not want normal things like pastries to be a specialty for those who have to eat gluten-free. She wanted people to feel like they had a very similar amount of options despite their diet. Kasia and Diego say that the biggest reward is seeing the smiles on their customers’ faces!!

2 Comments
Categories : Food

From Inmate to Entrepreneur

Posted by krabitzmg21 
· Monday, September 23rd, 2024 
· 3 Comments

Marcus Bullock was a sophomore in high school who just recently celebrated his birthday and was looking forward to Christmas break which was coming up soon when he made a terrible decision to carjack a man with his friend. At 15 years old Bullock was arrested for the carjacking and was sentenced to eight years in jail. His expectations of going to prom, graduating high school, playing basketball, and hopefully getting into the NBA were crushed when he realized he would not get out of jail until he was 23.

During this difficult time, Bullock’s mother would write him letters and send him photos of his family to try to remind him that there was more to life than what was right in front of him and that these next eight years would not last forever. His mother’s kindness is what gave him the idea now known as Flikshop.

Flikshop, created in 2012, is an app and website that creates customizable postcards that can be sent to inmates. Personal photos and messages can be put onto any postcard and it will be sent to the facility the next business day! The goal of Flickshop is for families to stay connected with their loved ones behind bars. On the website, there is an option to be a “Flickshop Angel” which is an opportunity to buy gift cards for families so that they can send postcards to their loved ones for free! These “angels” most likely will not know the families who will benefit from their generosity. Families can submit a request to receive these postcards for free and then the “angels” will donate or pay for the postcards, usually anonymously. The mission of Flikshop is to reduce recidivism rates (the chance of someone getting arrested again once they leave jail) by providing inmates with love and support just like Bullock’s mother did for him.

3 Comments
Categories : App, Criminal Justice