Fifteen year old, Mikaila Ulmer has had an entrepreneur mind since the early age of four when a bee sting sparked the idea for a business. Mikaila was not a fan of bees after multiple bee stings but she soon became fascinated by them after studying all that they do for the ecosystem. She came up with the genius idea to combine her grandmother’s special lemonade recipe and honey from bees. Mikaila started to sell her lemonade at children entrepreneurial events and outside of her home. She even donated a percentage of her profits to organizations that helped save bees. After a successful launch, Mikaila named her company Me & the Bees Lemonade and pitched it on Shark Tank. Mikaila walked away with a $60,000 investment deal from one of the sharks. Today, Me & the Bees Lemonade has grown immensely and is now sold in stores like Whole Foods, Kroger, and World Market. Mikaila is not only a young entrepreneur but a speaker; sharing her unique story to millions around the country. She also runs workshops to help further save the bees all while being a high school student. She even launched a book all about her story as a young entrepreneur. Mikaila’s story is unique and impressive. She quickly turned an idea into a successful business in about a year at the age of five. I think it’s fascinating that her dislike for bees quickly became her passion; so much so that she still donates to organizations that help save bees. Mikaila inspires me because she took such a simple product and made it into a story. Mikaila demonstrates passion, confidence, and tenacity through her inspiring and unique story.

Click on this link to learn more about Mikaila’s company https://www.meandthebees.com/pages/about-us

Cory Nieves, a six year-old from New Jersey, started a hot chocolate business in hopes to make enough money to buy his mom a car. He says, “I was tired of taking the bus and I wanted to help my mom.” He began selling hot chocolate for $1 and soon recognized the potential to grow his business with more treats. He researched for the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe and after a few months of researching, he found one that people loved and took seriously. He took advantage of every opportunity to sell, going to festivals and fairs, pitching his cookie to potential customers. He quickly became known as “Mr. Cory” hence his company name, Mr. Cory’s Cookies. He attracted recognition fast and he appeared on shows and news networks such as The Ellen DeGeneres Show and CNBC’s The Profit. After these appearances, his company took off and he soon launched his own e-commerce site so that he could sell cookies to anyone across the country. Mr. Cory’s Cookies has expanded since. They offer over 14 flavors and they even have flavors for health conscious customers. Cory has also had the chance to work with many large customers such as Macy’s, J Crew, Ralph Lauren, TOMS, and more. Cory’s company also works with non-profits around his local area. Cory entrepreneurial spirit is evident and inspiring. He inspires my thinking because he started off with such a big goal that might’ve seemed impossible, yet he chased after it with determination and today he has exceeded his goal.

https://mrcoryscookies.com/

Eli Zied was just 17 years old when he became the CEO of his company, Habits 365. Eli’s entrepreneurial flair started from a young age of 12 when he bought and sold sneakers. He continued to develop a business mindset through the classes he took which eventually helped spark the idea of his own company, Habits 365. Habits 365 is a clothing brand that encourages the daily practice of positive habits to ultimately create success. Eli created an Instagram presence to market his product and to get feedback from potential customers on his products. He said that one of his biggest challenges he faced was the risk of purchasing his product in large quantities so to better understand the wants of his customers, he did market research. Eli reached out to athletes and influences to be ambassadors for his brand and he surprisingly received positive responses. With the help of influences wearing his brand, they have reached over 80,000 Instagram followers. Since launching Habits, big names like Dwayne Wade and Lil Baby have worn his brand. This is very inspiring to me because Eli initially had challenges with brand exposure but the more he reached out to influencers to wear his product, the more responses he received. Eli has big hopes and goals for his company. He believes his company presents a strong message to everybody who wants to improve and better themselves. Eli’s high aspirations and drive to grow his company is inspiring to me as a young entrepreneur. His brand has a unique mission that is relatable and attractive to young people especially. Eli demonstrates a great entrepreneur through his passion, risk-taking, and ambition.

https://habits365.com/

Garrett Gee’s entrepreneurial mind sparked into action soon after receiving a smartphone in 2009. He downloaded a barcode scanning app that didn’t suffice his needs and after recognizing this gap, he innovated and created a better scanning app called “Scan”. During the designing process of the app, he was a college student and worked alongside his college friends to eventually form the company, Scan Inc. Just two years into business, Garrett and his two partners, produced $8 million in sales, and in the next year, their app was downloaded over 25 million times. Throughout this time, they continued to innovate and upgrade their app to tailor to customer needs. Garrett even pitched his idea on the TV show “Shark Tank” but did not get a deal. In December of 2014, Garrett sold “Scan” to Snapchat for $54 million. Garrett’s story is inspiring to me simply because he had the desire and drive to produce his unique idea. I think it’s very interesting how none of the ‘sharks’ offered him a deal but his company still became very successful. His story inspires me because he still pursued investment in his business even after he got rejected on a TV show like “Shark Tank”. Garrett’s entrepreneurial venture teaches me to be a confident entrepreneur and to not limit myself.

Varun Agarwal was a quiet introverted kid who discovered his passion for filmmaking at the age of eleven. Unfortunately, he was forced to disregard his passions and go to school to become an engineer. Throughout his time in engineer school, he struggled and failed, but his failures taught him valuable lessons to strive after his true passions – filmmaking. His talents eventually became discovered on YouTube and he was soon offered jobs to become a music video director. Along with being a filmmaker, Varun Agarwal is a exceptional entrepreneur. In 2009, he started a merchandise business for students across India. His business was so successful that he reached a million dollars in revenue just two years later. He also wrote a best-seller book about the obstacles he faced in his life and his journey that led him to entrepreneurship. Today, he is a co-founder of three companies, a nation’s best-seller author, and is a famous speaker. Varun’s story inspires me because despite his circumstances, he learned that it is important to follow your passions and work towards them. I admire that he admitted he failed for the first time, but he pivoted and found his true passions and ultimately chased them. Varun demonstrates drive, determination, and motivation throughout his story and these traits have made him become a successful entrepreneur from a young age.

Calloway Cook is a young entrepreneur that saw a gap in the dietary supplements market. As a consumer of dietary supplements, he had frustrations on the lack of transparency of the ingredients used in what he consumed. He noticed this concern in other people as well and it led him to create his own company, Illuminate Labs.  Calloway Cook inspires me because he found a solution for something that he is genuinely passionate about and as a consumer of his product, this would be very assuring to know that he puts his best foot forward to create the best solution. Calloway experienced this problem for himself, this shows that since he takes dietary supplements, he will make sure the product that he formulates will be of high quality. Calloway demonstrates entrepreneurial traits in the way that he works. He is constantly taking steps to innovate and then acts on his ideas to continue to make his business better. As an entrepreneur, he is always doing something new everyday, attending to the most dire needs of that day. While reading Calloway’s story I took away a very important principle in the business world, to communicate business professionally until the other party establishes a casual tone. Although this is a simple concept, it is majorly important and it is something that I will keep at the front of my mind for the future. I thought it was unique that Calloway makes it a priority to meditate daily and to take a full day off of work a week. He believes that these are essential as they prepare him daily and weekly to work efficiently and to stay sharp.

Calloway Cook (ideamensch.com)