Archive for Strong

Mikaila Ulmer: Founder of “Me & the Bees” Lemonade

Mikaila Ulmer is a 17-year-old girl who started her own lemonade business at a very young age. The business idea started after young Mikaila got stung by a bee and wanted to learn more about bees to overcome her fear of them.  At age 4, she started a business by creating a very small lemonade stand. Very quickly, this turned into the business “Me & the Bees” as a result.

Mikaila is widely successful, at just age 9, she struck an $11 million distribution deal with US supermarket giants Whole Foods Market. Mikaila has also been invited to the White House twice, featured on Good Morning America, NBC News, Forbes Magazine, and Time Magazine for her entrepreneurial success. Mikaila is very busy; she juggles school, her business, and public speaking. The unique thing about her business is that 10% of her brand’s proceeds are donated to bee conservation charities. It is amazing how she used a challenge of hers (getting stung by a bee) to learn more about it and start up a profitable and charitable business.

Mikaila’s lemonade recipe is unique because it comes from her great Grandmother Helen’s flaxseed lemonade. It is fresh-squeezed, and each bottle is made with care. Her family has a huge part in helping her business thrive. As an extension to her business, Mikaila has created a “Bee-to-Z guide” for young entrepreneurs. Here, young entrepreneurs can find inspiration, business tips, and more to make their big ideas come to life. A very inspirational quote from Mikaila reads, “My generation—we’re the future,” Mikaila says. “When we grow up, we’re going to be the people who are the presidents and the leaders of the world. […]  If we start at a young age making a difference, donating back, giving back, when we grow up we can do that on a larger scale.” Mikaila’s business proves that, just like the bees, you are never too small to make a difference.

The 9 Most Successful Teen Entrepreneurs in the World (careeraddict.com)

Mikaila Ulmer of Me & the Bees Lemonade | Microsoft In Culture

Strongest Coffee in the World

In America today, at least 50% of the population drinks some form of coffee. That’s somewhere in the neighborhood of 150 million Americans. Coffee is enjoying a lofty position in the hierarchy of mainstream trends. But coffee, having been consumed in the United States since its conception, is no trend. Coffee popularity is booming and so are the number of people supplying it. However, in a world dominated by Starbucks’ pricey lattes and Dunkin Donuts’ mediocre attempts to follow suit, as well as many others, how could a new coffee company ever stand out? By having the “strongest coffee in the world.” That is the motto of Death Wish Coffee Company. Death Wish coffee started as a small coffee shop in Saratoga Springs, NY, founded by Mike Brown. Mike created his own blend of beans and combined it with his own roasting technique to create his differentiated product. Progress was steady until Mike and his team won Intuit’s “Small Business Big Game” competition, landing them a 30-second commercial spot during Super Bowl 50. Since then their sales and business have grown exponentially. Death Wish Coffee were sponsors of the New York Comic Con, NASCAR, and the special Olympics, they event sent their coffee into orbit with the International Space Station. From their humble beginnings, Mike and his team have adapted and grown their product to disrupt their market through differentiation and will reap the benefits of their hard work, well into the future.

Moving? Need Junk Hauled? Get the Boys

It is such a pain to move someone in or out of their house. It usually requires a team of people who are close with the person that is moving, and sometimes not everybody is available. Sometimes moving companies are hired, yes, but they can consist of some old dudes that move really slow and are not motivated to get the job completed. If only there was a way to help people move in and out a lot quicker. Now, we turn to the people classified as collegiate men. They are full of energy and are usually looking for a chance to make a quick buck here or there, whether it be for textbooks, movies or going out to the bar. There is definitely a connection here.

“On a hot summer’s day in 2003, two college buddies borrowed a beat-up cargo van and dubbed themselves College Hunks Hauling Junk.” Withing a short period of time, College Hunks expanded its franchising efforts and took off across the United States and Canada. College Hunks is a moving service that will also haul junk out of your house if that is what plan you pick. This just goes to show that you can literally start a company off of anything and you really do not need any experience to make a living (for certain jobs, of course). Moving houses is definitely a pain in the butt, and it is awesome to see that a company with smiling faces and dedication to what they do is out there.

I think that this is one of the best company ideas out there, and it was created pretty much out of nowhere and without any experience. They had the concept of thinking about what people struggle with and decided to do the dirty work themselves. On top of earning a bunch of awards since the founding of the company, they have a very good reputation and always leave their customers satisfied. That is a critical part in the business realm; without happy customers, you will not get any business… no business, no revenue. The idea of College Hunks is very inspiring and creative. I would definitely consider using their business one day.

Resource: https://collegehunkshaulingjunk.com/about/