News
Op-Eds
Lifestyle
Video
BlavityU
Creators 100
Events
Submit a Story
Blavity News is a community and platform for Black Voices, Stories, Creators and thought.

Sign up for our newsletter to get the freshest stories in your inbox, every day!

I agree to the terms and privacy policies.

News

Politics

Culture

Lifestyle

Social Justice

Blavity x HP

Blavity x Mastercard

Op-Eds

Write a Story

My Account

Privacy Policies

Terms & Conditions

Partner With Us

Careers

Shop

Blavity is a community of the most exceptional multi-cultural creators and influencers in the world. We partner with diverse content creators and influencers to help them reach a wider audience, amplify their message, and fund their hustles. We believe that the world shifts according to the way people see it— and if you change the way people view the world, you can transform it. A subsidiary of Blavity, Inc.

© Blavity, Inc., 2022
Sign Up

Blavity News is a community and platform for Black Voices, Stories, Creators and thought.
© Blavity, Inc., 2022

Blavity-U

17-Year-Old Founder Of Me & The Bees Lemonade Offers Profound Advice To Aspiring Entrepreneurs

"If you have a business idea that you've wanted to start, this is your time to do so," Ulmer told young aspiring businesspeople, instructing them to take advantage of their summer break.

by Nick Fenley

July 06, 2022 at 5:29 pm

At only 17 years old, Mikaila Ulmer is leading a lemonade empire, and she has no plans of slowing down anytime soon.

Girl becomes millionaire after starting her business at 4 years old.

Mikaila Ulmer, 17 year American entrepreneur started her business at 4 by creating her own lemonade, which is now sold in 1500+ stores. Her net worth is $1.5 million. #fearwomen #Trending #business pic.twitter.com/gOtRRb3IgP
— Negotium (@teamnegotium) June 21, 2022

Shark Tank fans may recall seeing Ulmer and her product on the series, as she starred in an episode alongside her father back in 2016.

Through her appearance, she secured a $60,000 investment from Daymond Green and gained additional publicity for her lemonade company, Me & the Bees Lemonade.

Now, Ulmer studies at Emory University as a Woodfruff Scholar, and her business is continuing to boom (or buzz).

During her appearance on Fox & Friends, Ulmer shared some background on her company.

“I was four-and-a-half, [during summer break, and I was stung by two bees in one week, “she said. “After doing some research, I learned that bees are incredibly important to our economy. Without them, our entire food supply would collapse, and [I learned] that bees are dying at an alarming rate.”

This ultimately inspired Ulmer to add honey to her Great-Granny Helen’s beloved flaxseed lemonade recipe, sell her product and donate a portion of proceeds to bee-saving organizations.

“That started over 12 years ago in Austin, Texas, and we’ve been going strong ever since,” she added.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Me & The Bees Lemonade (@mikailasbees)

Regarding any advice she can give other young entrepreneurs, Ulmer shared some reflective notes that are sure to be useful to some.

“As an African American woman, as a kid, I always had to prove myself,” she began. “The first piece of advice that I would give is, no matter who you are, use the things that people say you can’t do as milestones. Use those as motivation.”

“The second piece of advice I would give, especially to kids, is that this is summer break. This is your time. If you have a business idea that you’ve wanted to start, this is your time to do so,” Ulmer, who is also the author of Bee Fearless: Dream Like a Kid, added.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Me & The Bees Lemonade (@mikailasbees)

You can grab yourself a refreshing bottle of Me & the Bees Lemonade at a variety of popular retailers, including select Target, Costco, Publix and Whole Foods Market storefronts. You can also shop online here.