There are countless young people in the world of business, but how many children can call themselves entrepreneurs? A truly special story has been unfolding in the heart of Texas, thanks to the bright-eyed, wide-smiled Mikaila Ulmer. She may be just 11 years of age, but she has already landed an $11m deal with 55 Whole Foods stores.
The sting
Austin, Texas. Mikaila was just four years old when she was stung by a bee while playing. It was a painful experience. “It hurt so much – I was terrified of insects,” the youngster later declared, yet the incident did spark her curiosity for the world of bees. Some time later, Mikaila’s grandmother gave her an old recipe book containing the secret to her lemonade, which she’d been making since 1940. The key ingredient? Honey. Soon, Mikaila had taken to selling lemonade to her neighbours, just like we’ve seen countless times in American films.
Mikaila’s ascent
The turning point came when Mikaila took part in the Shark Tank programme in 2015, which saw her awarded a $60,000 prize to invest in her creation: lemonade sweetened with honey produced by local beekeepers.
It was around that time that Mikaila’s idea began to attract the attention of Whole Foods, the well-known US chain of organic supermarkets. The company decided to sign an $11m contract to distribute the beverage in 55 stores across Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Louisiana.
The commitment to nature
Success duly arrived for Me&The Bees (previously BeeSweet), the mint-flavoured lemonade sweetened with honey bearing the slogan “buy a bottle, save the bees!”. Mikaila even donates part of her revenue to organisations working to save the insects. The story is the American Dream in its purest form: proof that a human being – even a little girl – can do anything with the right inspiration. The image of little Mikaila being embraced by Barack Obama is the culmination of her incredible story.
The Me&The Bees case study teaches us that we are never too young to go into business. All we need to do is reflect on things that happen to us and draw lessons from negative experiences – even if these are “simple” bee stings. Age, energy and optimism are powerful vehicles which can help us surpass expectations, using our life experiences to devise real solutions.
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