At just 11 years old, Mikaila Ulmer had already started shaping her own future. What began as a simple lemonade stand outside her house in Austin, Texas, grew into Me & the Bees Lemonade, a nationally recognized business that combines entrepreneurship with purpose.
Mikaila was born in Houston, Texas, to D’Andra and Theo Ulmer, both business graduates. She attended St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Austin, where she balanced school with her growing entrepreneurial ambitions. Her story begins with a family inspiration: her great-grandmother’s 1940s lemonade recipe, which included flaxseed, became the basis for her lemonade. Using honey sourced from local beekeepers, Mikaila started selling her lemonade in front of her home in 2009.
The lemonade sold quickly, and a local pizza shop soon asked her to supply it, marking the start of her journey into bottled lemonade. From the very beginning, Mikaila wanted her business to make a difference. She pledged 10% of her profits to charities dedicated to saving honeybees, a cause she cares deeply about.
Mikaila has shared about her motivation:
“Being my own boss and being able to make my own money was important to me. I realized how fun it was to sit behind the stand and run it. That is why I decided to keep on going.”
Her drive caught national attention in 2015 when she appeared on Shark Tank, securing a $60,000 investment from Daymond John to help expand her lemonade business. Over the years, the support she received helped scale Me & the Bees into stores across the United States, eventually appearing in over 1,500 shops, including Whole Foods, Kroger, and The Fresh Market.
By 2017, her lemonade was being sold in 500 stores, producing 500,000 bottles annually, and her business had attracted $800,000 in investment from a group of professional football players. The brand has also grown its product line to include bee-wax lip balms, keeping sustainability at the heart of the company.
Mikaila’s story demonstrates that entrepreneurship is not just about profit, it’s about passion, purpose, and persistence. She started small, but her consistency and vision allowed her to build something that creates impact, generates income, and inspires others.
Her journey is a reminder to anyone waiting for the “perfect time” to start: success begins with a single step, fueled by curiosity, hard work, and a sense of purpose. Mikaila turned her love for lemonade into a platform that educates, inspires, and gives back, showing that age is never a barrier when you combine determination with a meaningful mission.
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