Mikaila’s interest in Lemonade
Mikaila Ulmer, at age 4, asked her parents for a toy. Instead of giving her the money or the toy, Mr. and Mrs. Ulmer encouraged her to make her own money to buy it herself. Mikaila entered The Acon Children’s Business Fair and the Austin Lemonade Day. While brainstorming ideas for these competitions, Mikaila was stung by a bee twice in one week. Therefore, her parents encouraged and helped research bees to take the ease out of the unpleasant situation. During her research, she found that bees are dying and saw how beneficial bees are to our ecosystem. Mikaila wanted to know what she could do to save them.
Me & the Bees Lemonade
Her Great Granny Helen sent her a 1940s cookbook, including her special Flaxseed Lemonade recipe. She used the recipe, hoping that it would work. It did! She opened a lemonade stand in front of their Austin, Texas home, and then BeeSweet Lemonade was born, later renamed Me & the Bees Lemonade after a trademark dispute. Mikaila lemonade uses all-natural ingredients with Granny Helen’s flaxseed and local honey instead of sugar.
Mikaila squeezed her lemonade at her stand, but her parents helped design the stickers for the cups. She participated in the Austin Lemonade Day in 2010 and won awards. Even a local pizza business started supplying her lemonade, followed by a pastry shop that offered to sell her product if she bottled and labelled it. “As the business grew, I had to say, ‘I can’t do this alone.’ That’s when I had to start asking, ‘Mom, Dad, how do I get a logo? And into a manufacturer? And more stores, Mikaila stated in one of her interviews.
Her Success
At nine, she pitched her lemonade on Shark Tank, where she received $60,000 from FUBU CEO Daymond John. Now, at 13, her company, Me & the Bees Lemonade, is in demand.
“My goal is to offer a wide range of lemonade products and one day expand beyond lemonade. With a larger audience and the launch of a non-profit organization in the near future, my team and I can make a greater impact on saving the bees,” says Mikaila.
Her worth
In 2016, According to Celebrity Net Worth, Mikaila was worth $11 Million at 11 when she made a deal with Whole Foods. She now has flavors like Mint, Prickly Pear, Ginger, and Half Tea and Lemonade and has formed her own nonprofit, Healthy Hive Foundation, a nonprofit powered by The Giving Back Fund. Therefore, her lemonade is now in more than 380 stores nationwide. According to BevNet.com, in 2017, a group of 12 angel investors comprised of 10 professional football players and two advisors has contributed $810,000 in funding to support the growth of the company’s distribution channels and to increase production.
According to Bevnet.com, her angel investors and their affiliation are as follows:
Omar Bolden “ Safety, Chicago Bears and Denver Broncos
Arian Foster “ former Running Back, Houston Texans and Miami Dolphins
Jonathan Grimes– Running Back, Houston Texans, New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars
Malik B. Jackson “ Defensive Tackle, Denver Broncos, Jacksonville Jaguars
Lameck Humble Lukanga “ Certified Financial Planner for athletes, entertainers, and executives; founder of LifeLine Financial Group
Media Coverage
Mikaila’s lemonade story has led her to be a nationally recognized speaker. She has gained attention even in Washington, where she was invited to The White House to meet President Barack Obama three times. Mikaila was struggling with some of her schoolwork.
“Sometimes I have to miss classes to do an interview or travel for a TV show. Or I’ll miss a big show or presentation because I have a large project or test at school.” She received an “a” in her math class due to her obligations as co-CEO of her company.
According to a BBC news article in 2018
She has also missed TV interviews and panels due to a test or a project at school.
Her Philosophy
“Don’t be discouraged by lifeâ’s little things but get back up and spread your wings. Find your passion or a cause that you can use your company to help save, or to do good as well as make a profit.“
Mikaila Ulmer
