The Startup Squad: You're the Boss

Introduction

When Mikaila Ulmer was four years old, she was stung by a bee. And believe it or not, less than a week later she was stung again! (Not by the same bee, of course.) The stings hurt, and Mikaila became frightened of bees.

But instead of hiding from them, Mikaila started re­searching those flying—­and sometimes stinging—­insects. She became fascinated. Mikaila learned that some bees make honey and that bees are a very important part of our ecosystem. But she also learned that bees are endangered and that without bees, there would be a lot fewer flowers, fruits, and vegetables in the world.

Around the same time, Mikaila’s parents encouraged her to create a product for two children’s business fairs: the Acton Children’s Business Fair and Lemonade Day. What should she make? Mikaila thought and thought. When she received a cookbook from her great-­granny Helen that included a recipe for flaxseed lemonade, she wondered if she should use that recipe. Great-­granny’s lemonade sounded delicious . . . but could she put an original spin on the recipe to make it her own?

Then Mikaila had an idea. What if she created something that brought awareness to the fact that bees are endangeredand used her great-­granny’s recipe at the same time? So Mikaila added some honey to Great-­Granny’s recipe. The lemonade tasted delicious! And that was the very moment her business was born.

Mikaila started selling her lemonade at the business fairs and from a stand outside her home in Austin, Texas. She learned how to save some money from her business and how to create a budget for buying supplies. She donated a portion of her profits to organizations that were working to protect honeybees, and she came up with the business slogan “Buy a Bottle . . . Save a Bee.”

Today, Mikaila runs a successful business that continues to grow and grow. By the time she was fourteen years old, she’d sold more than a million bottles of her award-­winning lemonade, Me & the Bees Lemonade, in supermarkets across the nation. Plus, Mikaila has an entire team working for her, including her mom! And when Mikaila is not busy making lemonade, she is speaking to other kids about being an entrepreneur and how to help the bees (of course!). She even published her own book:Bee Fearless: Dream Like a Kid.

Of course, starting and maintaining a business isn’t always as smooth as honey. Mikaila had several challenges along the way, but by working hard and seeing opportunities instead of problems, she succeeded. And you can, too!

Read on to create your own recipe for success . . .