Entrepreneurs make the world better because they effectively identify needs within a society and develop cost-effective ways to serve those needs. The answer, Wade concluded, could be found in a single word: entrepreneurship. In the documentary Made in Mékhé, the entrepreneur Magatte Wade discusses a question that she began asking as a small child: why are some nations rich and prosperous and others poor? Mikaila simply has found one way that’s worked for her. To be sure, there are lots of ways to be media savvy. This young lady is confident, bright, and engaging-and that has no doubt made a difference. It doesn’t seem to matter if it’s a quick chat with Megyn Kelly (above) aired for 2.4 million people or a deep dive interview on entrepreneurship at Brain Bar in Budapest (below). She’s done a whole bunch of interviews, and she does them really well. Shark Tank was not lightning in a bottle for Mikaila. This is especially true for young entrepreneurs, I suspect, since they are usually the face of the marketing efforts. She’s Media Savvyĭoes an entrepreneur have to be good at talking on TV? Of course not. And they matter not just for movies and novels but also for entrepreneurs. They are a way of helping humans understand the world. Just as a trip to the bank is for her fellow child entrepreneur Alina Morse, who came up with the idea for the Zollipop, a sugarless sucker, after her dad discouraged her from taking a sucker from a teller. We know that Carlos Slim bought his first stocks at age 13, that Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak started Apple in a garage, and that Bill Gates wrote his first software program when he was 13.įor Mikaila, the bees and her grandmother’s cookbook are an integral part of her story. We know that Warren Buffett had a paper route and sold his first company when he was 17. There’s a reason we know the stories behind great entrepreneurs. The bees became a crucial ingredient not just to her product but also to her entrepreneurial story. On that fateful day, she was stung by two bees, which inspired her fascination with the creatures. And not just because it got her outdoors learning about entrepreneurship. Mikaila’s amazing story may never have been realized if her parents had not encouraged her to sell her grandmother’s lemonade. By donating a portion of all her profits to “ saving the bees”-which some researchers say could be in danger of extinction-Mikaila makes her product more than simple consumption of a drink. They want to consume with a purpose.Ĭonscious consumption is a growing consumer trend, particularly for younger consumers (Gen Z) who see consuming as an opportunity to express their identity. Her Lemonade Isn’t Just a Drink, It’s a CauseĬonsumers increasingly don’t want to simply consume. A look at Mikaila’s success also reveals a business and marketing savvy others can learn from. Her success, however, was not simply the result of luck or hard work (though hard work certainly helps). Today, Me & the Bees Lemonade is sold in hundreds of stores and can be purchased on Amazon for $45 per 12-pack. She parlayed her 2015 Shark Tank appearance into a dinner date with President Obama and, later, an $11-million deal with Whole Foods. Her business savvy and charm (not to mention her adorable smile) won the Sharks over that day, and Mikaila received a $60,000 cash injection from Daymond John. (A percentage of all profits are dedicated to saving honeybees.)Ī look at Mikaila’s success also reveals a business and marketing savvy others can learn from.īy that time, Mikaila had demonstrated enough success to score a break: She was invited on Shark Tank, ABC’s hit show, which features wealthy business people investing in budding entrepreneurs. ![]() Her lemonade was being sold in about 35 stores, and with every purchase, buyers were receiving a message: Buy a Bottle…Save a Bee. Just like that, Me & the Bees Lemonade was born.īy 2015, Mikaila had turned her single stand into a full-fledged operation. After a while-and an additional touch of her own, an infusion of honey, inspired by a newfound fascination with bees (more on that later)-Mikaila was encouraged by a local shop owner to bottle and label the lemonade, which would allow the shop owner to carry it. The Austin, Texas, native decided to sell the concoction at a lemonade stand. “We tried making it, and it tasted really good,” Mikaila recalled in an interview years later. Thumbing through the pages, she stumbled on a mixture for flaxseed lemonade. It was tattered and the covering was falling off, but the recipes were still intact. When Mikaila Ulmer was four years old, she received an old cookbook from her grandmother.
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