College student Mikaila Ulmer—who once appeared on “Shark Tank!”—talks about the beverage company she launched. In 2019, Texas native Mikaila Ulmer was selling lemonade in front of her house using her Great Grandmother’s special flaxseed lemonade recipe. But Mikaila added her own special touch to the drink—she decided instead of sugar, to add honey harvested from local bees. The irony was, Mikaila was really scared of bees because she was stung twice as a toddler. 

By Rachel Sokol

After doing some research, she realized bees are really cool—so why not add the honey they make into the lemonade recipe? Her honey lemonade was tasty, and people raved about it. From there—voila!—a business was born. 

Today, Mikaila is enrolled in college—and you can find Me & The Bees beverages and honey-themed items such as lip balm in shops nationwide. The company is based in Austin, Texas and Mikaila’s family helps run the business. Since its inception, Mikaila has donated 10% of the profits to charities that are concerned with saving the bees. 

Mikaila shares more about her life with American Teen readers:

Tell us about your childhood.

Always curious, making things, and entrepreneurial. Before Me & the Bees grew to the scale it is today, I had other businesses too! I sold friendship bracelets, made jewelry with my grandmother's extra materials, had a glitter tattoo business, and even taught older generations how to use their technology. I also have such fond memories in nature with my family, summer camp, or school. I would absolutely engage myself with butterfly gardens, chicken coops, vegetable gardens…Balancing school, my business, and friends made my childhood unique, but I still got to experience a pretty normal childhood.

What's it like being a teen entrepreneur?

I've loved it so far. As a teen, I have different perspectives on climate change, social justice, and technology, so I'm able to use my business to make an impact in these areas. I've built a network of other teenpreneurs -- and I've had the opportunity to do everything from public speaking, to ziplining, to talking about supply chain with them. Knowing that I'm helping that next generation of changemakers by sharing my story is the best part. I hope that by learning about Me & the Bees, other kids or teens can learn that there's no age limit to pursuing a passion, or starting a business. 

You were on Shark Tank! Are you still in touch with Shark Daymond John?

Yes!  Mr. Daymond has been a great mentor over the years and he’s always supportive of my brand and me. 

How are you liking college? 

So far, so great! I’m in my first semester at Emory University in Atlanta studying Computer Science, Economics, and Spanish. I'm honored to be a Woodruff Scholar, the top merit-honor for undergraduates.

What's the best career advice you've ever received?

This one is moreso academic advice. Someone said "We're all smart. Distinguish yourself by being kind." Another one was "Stop letting your potential go to waste because you don't feel confident or ready enough. People with half your talent are making serious waves while you're still waiting to feel ready." The last one is: "You're allowed to get up one day and just decide to change who you are. Dress differently, change your hairstyle, speak up more, listen to different music, make new friends, etc. We don't have to stay the way people see us out of fear that they won't like us the way we want to be."

What's new and exciting from Me + The Bees?

Our latest flavor, Black Cherry is doing SO well. It’s exciting to see this much love for a product I was so excited about launching. It's now in stores nationwide and we are thrilled that Target has picked it up.  Also, something super new is that Me & the Bees will be in all the stores and restaurants in our hometown Austin's airport. What a wonderful tribute to our local Austin brand to be featured so prominently. We hope that when travelers pick up our lemonade, they know they're getting a great product, supporting young entrepreneurs, and doing something to help save the bees. Buy a bottle…save a bee! 

What are your holiday plans?

I’m looking forward to being with my family! Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to host the Norwegian Cruise Line's Giving Joy Awards, so over break, my family will be going on a cruise!

What's the biggest misconception about bees?

That there's only one kind of bee. There are actually over 20,000 species of bees globally and some sting, many don't. Additionally, less than 5% of bee species produce honey. When scientists say, 'save the bees' They mean the native and wild bees being threatened by climate change, habitat loss, or pesticide use.  Check out the non-profit I started, the Healthy Hive Foundation, to learn more!

You wrote a book, which is so cool. Planning to write another book someday?

I'd love to! Especially as a continue to collect more stories to tell, advice that has impacted me, and ideas for the future. There’s still great content from my current book, Bee Fearless: Dream Like a Kid, and I even created a free “Buzziness Guide” for young entrepreneurs to use to help them get started on their own business plans.

Advice you have for today's teens interested in launching a business?

Bee fearless and dream like a kid…meaning, dream of opportunities not obstacles. Believing in yourself and your capacity to succeed is the most powerful tool you can have. My second piece of advice is to combine passion with profits. A social entrepreneur is someone who helps solve a problem in the world through their business. When you put a problem you’re passionate about at the center of your company, you’re even more motivated to grow the company and overcome problems your business may face. 

Me & the Bees can be found in 1,500 stores nationwide, including Whole Foods and Kroger. Me & the Bees has also expanded its product line to include lip balms made from bee’s wax, and Mikaila donates proceeds to many companies.

Learn more at: www.meandthebees.com.