Mikaila Ulmer, founder of Me and the Bees Lemonade. Unlike a lot of other entrepreneurs, Mikaila started her business at the very mature age of eleven years old. Her entire company started when she got stung twice by a bee. Instead of becoming scared of bees, she became very interested in them. She did research about them and learned about all they do for the ecosystem. As she was researching, she thought about making a lemonade that incorporated her Great Granny Helen’s lemonade recipe and bee’s honey. From this simple idea, she created her business, Me and the Bees Lemonade. She was eleven when she appeared on Shark Tank, and from that experience, she walked away with a $60,000 deal in exchange for 25% of her company from Daymon John. Along with selling lemonade, she also aims to help educate others about bees and their honey, and she donates money from her company to local and international organizations fighting hard to save the honeybees.
Mikaila, now 14, has an incredible business. She recently signed an $11 million deal with Whole Foods where “Bee Sweet Lemonade” will be sold in 55 different stores across four different states! Mikaila is a huge inspiration to entrepreneurs and business people everywhere, but most importantly she has inspired the next generation of young entrepreneurs to make a difference and to stand up for what the believe in. Mikaila not only started a million-dollar company, but she gives back to organizations that she believes in, and she didn’t let age or anything else stand in her way.
I watched her pitch this on Shark Tank! What an incredible story, Daymond John made an incredible investment, not just into her brand, but into young Mikaila. That’s a great lemonade stand shes got herself! 🙂
I don’t know many 11 year olds, or people of any age, that would get stung by a bee twice and then research the things they do for the ecosystem. I was stung by a bee once around the same age and I just tried avoiding them. She turned her situation into a multi-million dollar company by the age of 14. I love how her story not only proves that age doesn’t matter in entrepreneurship, but it should inspire everyone that something good can be hidden behind every situation. If an 11 year old can turn being stung by a bee into starting a business, what is stopping anyone else from following their dreams and starting their own company about something they are passionate about.
This is such a good story! So great to hear that an unfortunate situation of being stung by a bee sparked the idea of creating her own company. I will be looking out for her lemonade at Whole Foods stores. I definitely want to try it!
Wow, I found this story to be extremely interesting and inspiring. It is so impressive to hear stories about kids who took an idea and made it into a reality… and then had it become a huge success. This story just goes to show that age really does not matter and everyone should try and bring their ideas to life.