The lemonades he created Mikaila Ulmer They are sold in thousands of stores across the United States. His business was a success, but it cost him dearly: at school he had difficulty learning math and history. For this 17-year-old girl, having dealt with her company since she was 11 was an extra effort. At least it was worth it: she is now a millionaire.

The story of the company’s CEO “Me and the bees lemonade” It was one of struggle and vision of the future. Many people dream of becoming millionaires, but she has managed to solidify what she started in 2016 and remains at the top of the chart today.

That year the little Texan created her own lemonade brand and got a $ 11,000,000 contract with the Whole Foods chain.

Now 17, he said he first thought of the idea for his company when he was only four and received an old cookbook from his great-grandmother. There, among sepia-colored sheets and almost illegible ink, he found a lemonade and flaxseed recipe of the 40s. He did not hesitate: he worked hard to pursue his dream.

From the beginning he decided to fill his first bottles respecting the original recipe and to sell it a street stall has been set up in which the people of his neighborhood enter every summer houston I bought it to cool off. So he began to accumulate his fortune. Then he added his personal touch to prepared: used flaxseed honeybecause of the memory she had as a child when she was bitten by one of those insects.

Word of mouth among his neighbors reached the owners of a local pizzeria, who asked him to supply his product, here’s how he began to bottle his lemonade.

“I did it all by myself in the beginning”, always remember. “When the business started to grow, I had to admit that I couldn’t do it on my own. That’s when I asked my parents how to get a logo, a manufacturer and distribute in multiple stores.

The fact that her parents have a business degree clearly helped her. D’Andrahis mother, specialized in marketing and sales, while his father, THEIt operates in the operational area.

Already at the age of 15, the name of Mikaila Ulmer was known throughout the United States. But the boom came after her appearance in “Shark Tank” TV Show, where an entrepreneur donated $ 60,000 to power his business. That appearance of her led directly to her being received by the then President of the United States, Barack Obama. Mikaila’s company was already a national brand: today her flaxseed lemonade It is sold in approximately 2,000 stores in more than 40 states.

“I don’t think there is a particular limit or guideline who can become an entrepreneur that I can start a business, “Mikaila told Marketplace.

Nowadays has its foundation for bee careand allocates part of the company’s income to organizations dedicated to the care and support of the life of bees.

In August 2020, Mikaila’s first book has been published“Bee Fearless, Dream Like a Kid” published by Penguin Random House, in it chronicles her adventures as a social entrepreneur and leads a purpose-oriented brand aimed at offer all-natural premium lemonades. in a way that helps save bees.

In this 2022 Mikaila remains firm at the helm of her company and even begins to diversify: her line of tastes already includes peach, iced tea, mint and ginger. And he has also created a new line of lipsticks made with the wax of his bees.

His ambition does not stopbut it is always based on the same vector concept that has distinguished her since she set up her first kiosk to sell her lemonade: “Dream big and don’t forget to dream like a child.”