Mikaila Ulmer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mikaila Ulmer
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Portrait by Anna Wilding in 2016
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| Born | September 28, 2004 Houston, Texas, U.S.
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| Education | Emory University |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur, student |
| Known for | Teen Social Entrepreneur |
Mikaila Ulmer (born September 28, 2004) is an amazing young American entrepreneur. She started her own lemonade business in Austin, Texas, when she was just a kid! Today, her special lemonade is sold in more than 1,500 stores across the country.
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Mikaila's Early Life and Business Journey
Mikaila Ulmer was born in Houston, Texas. Her parents, D'Andra and Theo Ulmer, both studied business. Mikaila grew up in Austin, Texas, where she went to St. Stephen's Episcopal School.
How the Lemonade Business Started
Back in 2009, when Mikaila was very young, she started selling lemonade from a stand in front of her house. Her recipe was inspired by her great-grandmother's special recipe from the 1940s. Mikaila made her lemonade extra unique by adding honey from local beekeepers and a bit of flaxseed.
People loved her lemonade! A local pizza shop even asked her to supply their store. This is how Mikaila started bottling her lemonade to sell in shops.
Helping the Bees
From the very beginning, Mikaila decided to use her business to help the planet. She donates 10% of all her profits to charities that work to save bees. As her business grew bigger, her parents started helping her manage everything. Mikaila is also a student at Emory University.
Mikaila on Shark Tank and Meeting the President
In 2015, Mikaila and her dad appeared on the TV show Shark Tank. This show is where entrepreneurs present their business ideas to investors, hoping to get money to grow. Mikaila successfully got a $60,000 investment from Daymond John to help her growing lemonade company.
That same year, Mikaila was invited to meet President Barack Obama at the White House! It was a huge honor for such a young business owner.
An Amazing Young Lady
In 2016, Mikaila even introduced Barack Obama at the United State of Women Summit. President Obama called her "an amazing young lady." Her story inspired many people.
In 2017, her business got another big boost. A group of football players invested $800,000 to help her company expand even more.
Me & The Bees Lemonade Today
By 2017, Mikaila's lemonade, called "Me & The Bees Lemonade," was being sold in 500 American shops. They were selling about 500,000 bottles every year!
By February 2020, "Me & The Bees" was available in over 1,500 stores across the country. These stores include popular places like Whole Foods, Cost Plus World Market, Vitamin Cottage Natural Grocers, H-E-B, Kroger, and The Fresh Market.
Mikaila's company has also grown beyond just lemonade. They now make lip balms using bee's wax, continuing their mission to support bees.
