{"id":22,"date":"2018-12-01T09:15:21","date_gmt":"2018-12-01T09:15:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/txmosponsored.wpengine.com\/2020\/02\/11\/headline-for-article-page-goes-right-here-5\/"},"modified":"2020-02-25T03:48:58","modified_gmt":"2020-02-25T03:48:58","slug":"convo-mikaila-ulmer-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paid.texasmonthly.com\/texas-optimism-project\/convo-mikaila-ulmer-business\/","title":{"rendered":"How Mikaila Ulmer Turned a Bee Sting into a Business"},"content":{"rendered":"
Optimism correspondent Ramona Flume and Mikaila Ulmer, 13-year-old founder of the mission-driven <\/span>Me & The Bees<\/span><\/i> lemonade company, share a conversation about optimism + business.<\/span><\/h5>\n

Mikaila Ulmer doesn\u2019t let life\u2019s little stings get her down. At age four, a fateful bout of bee stings inspired this pint-sized mogul to spread her wings and create her own eco-focused company that embodies a true success story of turning lemons into lemonade.<\/span><\/p>\n

RAMONA FLUME<\/b>: Entrepreneurs face an uphill battle. But you hit a particularly painful snag before you even had your first business idea.<\/span><\/p>\n

MIKAILA ULMER: <\/b>I started my company when I was four years old, after getting stung by a bee\u2014twice. Figuring out how to forgive, and then research and understand how important bees are to us, was hard. But I learned that if you take something sour (like a lemon) or negative (like a bee sting) and add the right ingredients, you can turn it into lemonade … or a business.<\/span><\/p>\n

RF: <\/b>You weren\u2019t just young. Your company also grew at a rapid pace. Were there times when the success of <\/span>Me & The Bees<\/span><\/i> made it difficult to adjust within your daily life?<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

MU: <\/b>There was one time I was invited to speak at the United Nations, but had to cut the trip short because I had a presentation for a school project. I wanted to do both, but had to compromise. There was another time I missed a sleepover with all my friends because I was supposed to be on a national TV show. There\u2019s always some sort of compromise, but I really love every aspect of it. It makes it all worthwhile.<\/span><\/p>\n

“My general rule is, there is no rule for being an entrepreneur.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

RF:<\/b> Missing out on time with friends is always tough. Even though a TV spot seems exciting, I bet it\u2019s hard to explain to people who don\u2019t understand those sorts of responsibilities. What\u2019s it like to describe your work schedule to your friends?<\/span><\/p>\n

MU: <\/b>They\u2019re bummed when I\u2019m not able to spend time with them, but also really understanding of why I have to travel. We always try to reschedule things once I\u2019m home. It\u2019s fun because they\u2019ll come to me with questions about entrepreneurship, like, \u2018I have a business idea I used for a school project, but I want to make it into a real thing. What would I do first?\u2019 I\u2019ve been able to help them.<\/span><\/p>\n

RF: <\/b>Are there any particular experiences that helped you hone your ability to juggle your work-school-social life?<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

MU: <\/b>It\u2019s much easier to keep things separate. If I have to explain my company in front of my friends or classmates, I\u2019m careful to stay humble and modest so it doesn\u2019t seem like I\u2019m bragging. Other times, like when I have to travel during the school year, I know my teachers won\u2019t let me slack off just because I have a company. They expect the same amount of work\u2014and sometimes more\u2014because they know I\u2019m capable of running a business. So, why wouldn\u2019t I be able to finish my homework? It\u2019s another challenge that comes with owning your own company, but it also challenges me to do better.<\/span><\/p>\n

RF: <\/b>When you do achieve boast-worthy accomplishments, like when you introduced President Obama at the White House Summit on Women last summer, how does it feel in the moment? Are you able to soak it in, or does the impact not hit until later?<\/span><\/p>\n

MU: <\/b>It\u2019s more of a motivating feeling, like, \u2018Wow, I\u2019ve come this far with the help of my family and everyone who has helped with my company.\u2019 It\u2019s a motivation that reminds me, \u2018We can keep doing this\u2014and why not keep on doing this? We\u2019ve been given these opportunities, so why not take that impact to make even more of an impact?\u2019 Every step, challenge, or big accomplishment motivates us to do more.<\/span><\/p>\n

RF: <\/b>Have you ever had to deal with disappointing setbacks after receiving exciting news about your business?<\/span><\/p>\n

MU:<\/b> Right after I appeared on \u201cShark Tank,\u201d there was another company similar to ours. We suddenly had to deal with changing our name. We tried to fight back and figure out how to potentially keep our name, but eventually, I came to my senses. I decided to look at the company\u2019s future instead of its past, and be optimistic about what the company could be. We started a process, and narrowed about 300 names down to 10, and then five, and eventually one, which was Me & The Bees. Initially, it was hard to let go of \u201cBee Sweet Lemonade,\u201d but it was also a wake-up call\u2014you\u2019re able to do so much more when you listen to other people\u2019s opinions and suggestions. It opens your eyes to new opportunities.<\/span><\/p>\n

“The best entrepreneurs come from diversity\u2014I always tell people to try to use the things that set them back.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

RF: <\/b>As a young African-American female business owner, do you feel like your business experience has been influenced by your individual age, race, or gender?<\/span><\/p>\n

MU:<\/b> My general rule is, there is no rule for being an entrepreneur. It doesn\u2019t matter how young or old you are, what sex or race you are, or how much experience you have. Business ideas come from the strangest places. People think to be an entrepreneur, you have to be this, this, and this. But that\u2019s not true. The best entrepreneurs come from diversity. That\u2019s really what I tell anyone who tells me they have a great idea for a company, but then has doubts or asks, \u2018Should I keep going?\u2019 I always tell people to try to use the things that set them back\u2014put those things at the top of their to-do list.<\/span><\/p>\n

RF: <\/b>In recent years, people who are underrepresented in the mainstream media or corporate success see visibility as an inspiring step toward actually seeing themselves in their dream jobs. (When I was in high school 10 years ago, I can’t remember one example of a female business owner, CEO, or a Hollywood director under 30.) In your unique position, do you think other girls could be empowered by seeing you spread your message around the world, even if their own ambitions are different?<\/span><\/p>\n

MU: <\/b>I hope so. That\u2019s what keeps me going when I get a little tired. I think the world would be a better place if each child created a business to solve a problem. I\u2019m about to start writing a book that teaches kids how to start and grow a business. It will also illustrate my unique experience of starting Me & The Bees.<\/span><\/p>\n

RF: <\/b>Do you have any personal mantras you use to stay calm or focused, or fight nervous jitters?<\/span><\/p>\n

MU:<\/b> Don’t be discouraged by life’s little stings. Get back up and spread your wings. Having jitters is okay\u2014it shows you care and that you\u2019re passionate about what you\u2019re about to do.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ramona Flume and Mikaila Ulmer, pint-sized lemonade mogul, talk about optimism + business.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":499,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-conversations"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paid.texasmonthly.com\/texas-optimism-project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paid.texasmonthly.com\/texas-optimism-project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paid.texasmonthly.com\/texas-optimism-project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paid.texasmonthly.com\/texas-optimism-project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paid.texasmonthly.com\/texas-optimism-project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/paid.texasmonthly.com\/texas-optimism-project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paid.texasmonthly.com\/texas-optimism-project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/499"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paid.texasmonthly.com\/texas-optimism-project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paid.texasmonthly.com\/texas-optimism-project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paid.texasmonthly.com\/texas-optimism-project\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}