Most eleven-year-olds can hardly figure out what they want to be or what they want to eat for lunch, nevertheless start their own business and score a $60,000 investment deal on reality television. Mikaila Ulmer, however, has managed to prove herself an exception before her preteen years.
Featured on the television show Shark Tank last year, Ulmer won over the judges (and America) when she pitched the idea of her very own lemonade brand, BeeSweet Lemonade, (made from her grandmother’s secret recipe) and the idea that she could make an impact on the dwindling bee population.
Ulmer’s love-hate relationship with bees began when she was stung consecutively when she was four, driving her to learn more about the insects. It would be only six years later that Ulmer would manage to win not only the $60,000 investment from Shark Tank but a contract with Whole Foods in four states.
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Her lemonade is now popping up on shelves in 55 different states, and Ulmer has acted as a testimony to how you can turn your fear into something great. Her recipe is one that dates back to her grandmother in the 1940s that supports local bees by requiring their honey. With a touch of flaxseed added in, BeeSweet Lemonade is a product that’s both good for the human body and for protecting the environment.
BeeSweet Lemonade isn’t just saying that the plan focuses only on helping the bees either, as a percentage of the profits will be donated back to local and international organizations that help bees.
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Even though she’s already met President Barack Obama and was featured among the honorees at the South by Southwest Festival, Mikaila’s parents have assured everyone that their daughter also has plenty of time to be a kid when she’s not hard at work turning her dreams into a reality.
She has such an entrepreneurial determination and an innovative mind that it’s hard to imagine Mikaila Ulmer won’t be seen again in the media for one thing or another. All of that aside, she’s a wonderful testament to the fact that any kid with something as simple as a lemonade stand and a goal are capable of making a difference.
Don’t forget to check out her website to see the different lemonade flavors and the cute mason jars that come along with them.