From Lemonade to Business Mogul: Mikaila Ulmer's Inspiring 'Shark Tank' Success Story

Mikaila Ulmer, the teenage social media sensation, returned to Shark Tank in March 2023. Mikaila started her own business at the age of 4, making and selling lemonades under her company name, Me and Bees.

She quickly grew to become one of the most famous teenage CEOs and many were wondering whether the company got endorsed by the TV series Shark Tank.

Her story was featured in a business growth segment where it was mentioned that she has sold more than 2 million bottles of her lemonade product since she started her business.

Mikaila returned to the Shark Tank for Season 14, Episode 17 and she was featured on a segment update where the growth of her business was highlighted.

One of the motives according to the organizers and producers of the show was to motivate young people like Mikaila to venture into sustainable businesses and to enhance the popularity of the show.

Mikaila first appeared on Shark Tank alongside her dad, Theo Ulmer, in 2015 where she shared how her great-grandmother had inspired her to start her lemonade business. She specifically took inspiration from her great granny’s flaxseed lemonade recipe and after a series of tests, she was able to create a completely new product.

She struck a deal with Daymond John on the show, and he remains her mentor till today. The company was originally registered as “Bee Sweet Lemonade” but was later rebranded to a new Me and Bees.

“It’s crazy to think that I’ve known Mr. Daymond for more than half of my life,” Mikaila said during the episode. “He took me in despite me being only nine years old. As a Black woman entrepreneur, being taken seriously is very hard, so it was so important to have someone as influential and established as Mr. Daymond backing the brand.”

As Mikaila grew, she was faced with the challenge of running a multi-million-dollar company and making time for schoolwork.

Today, ​​Mikaila is enrolled at Emory University and is studying business administration, according to Mashed, and she also started a non-profit foundation devoted to the conservation of bees.

Mikaila’s Me & the Bees has five different natural lemonade flavors selling at more than 1,850 distribution centers across the nation. The honey-flavor Me & the Bees lemonade is one of the most popular products sold by the company today.

According to Black Dollar Mag, in 2023, Mikaila’s company hit over $10 million in revenue, which is way more than the $40,000 in sales they had on their first appearance on Shark Tank.

“There were times when we weren’t making a profit, and we were still donating to organizations that were saving the bees,” she explained. “We’ve contributed $250,000 to our cause. Leading up to Shark Tank, Me and the Bees were sold in 40 locations across Texas. Today, Me and the Bees is sold in all 50 states.”

Mikaila has inspired every one of us, not just the kids, to dream and merge our passion with purpose. Mikaila’s company’s continuous growth has been highly impressive and an inspiration to aspiring entrepreneurs out there.

Fans are optimistic that Mikaila will continue to feature on Shark Tank having rediscovered her passion to make a meaningful impact in the lives of young people nationwide.