In our world, entrepreneurship is always related to people with high number of skills sets and experience. Still, MIKAILA ULMER’S passion, curiosity and boldness to dream made her rise above the crowd at a young age.
Born in 2004, this bold, cute little child turned her curiosity about bees into a multi-million-dollar business, ‘ME & THE BEES LEMONADE’. This business of Mikaila is flourishing and contributing positively to the environment.
Mikaila journey from a lemonade stand to attaining a Shark Tank investment and launching her products in retail shops is an inspiring work of creativity and invention.
Early Life of Mikaila Ulmer
Born on September 28, 2004, in Austin, Texas. Mikaila, similar to other children, was full of energy. But at the age of four, an unanticipated accident happened to her: she was stung by a bee twice in one week. This event directed her towards the path of entrepreneurship.
Instead of fearing the bees after such an event, Makalia was passionate to know more about them. Encouraged by her parents to learn and not be afraid of the bees, she started studying their role in the environment. She was later amazed to know the fact that bees are responsible for one-third of the food that we eat and are essential pollinators, she decided to save them because, due to pesticides, habitat loss and climate change, the bee population was declining. She remembered her great-grandmother Helen’s recipe for flaxseed lemonade and decided to create a healthier version of lemonade by using honey instead of processed sugar.
Me & The Bees Lemonade
At the age of four, Mikaila started vending her lemonade outside her home at a lemonade stand. She started presenting her products at local events and community fairs. Her delicious lemonade infused with honey and flaxseed was loved by many. But the backstory behind it of helping the bees by donating a share of her earnings for bee conservation was loved the most.
She has received a good response for lemonade, Mikaila and her family decided to take this to the next level, which led to the creation of Bee Sweet Lemonade, which was later renamed as Me & the Bees Lemonade, with the objective of “Buy a Bottle, Save a Bee.”
Mikaila’s Big Break
In 2015, she appeared on ABC’s Shark Tank, the popular reality TV show where investors are pitched by investors. At the age of 10, she, with her passion, knowledge and vision, awed the sharks. Doors with new opportunities opened for Mikaila and her Brand Me & the Bees Lemonade when Investor Daymond John, a mentor for young entrepreneurs, often known for his success with FUBU, decided to invest $60,000 in her company. After this key event, her brand received national attention.
From then to today, Me & the Bees Lemonade continues to grow with Mikaila’s passion and increasing distribution. She has been expanding the product line, including more bee-friendly products, and encouraging and mentoring young entrepreneurs to build their own businesses.
Read Also: Sania Zehra: Kashmir’s “Bee Queen
Dream, Innovate, Succeed
This extraordinary talent of Mikaila’s is not only about her success, but about the power of dream, innovation, resilience, and goal-oriented entrepreneurship. Some key takeaways of her journey are that Opportunity and Curiosity are tied and come together. Embracing challenges in our lives helps us open new and bigger doors. Love and passion drive success, as her love for bees and the environment gave her small business a purpose and deeper mission, which made it stand out from the crowds.
She, with her hard work, passion and actions, has validated the quote ‘AGE IS JUST A NUMBER’
