Mikaila Ulmer is definitely not your average 12-year-old. Oh sure, she’s done the ole lemonade stand thing that is pretty much a rite of passage for every kid, but unlike others she has turned hers into an actual lemonade business with numerous current and former NFL players investing hundreds of thousands of dollars into it.
You see, Ulmer’s lemonade, which is her grandmother’s recipe and is called Me & The Bees, is now being sold at Whole Foods, Wegman’s and other grocery stores. Sales from her lemonade also helps raise money to save honeybee colonies.
It was that mission that caught the attention of investors when she appeared on Shark Tank in 2015.
Since then Ulmer has raised over $800,000 from 10 NFL players including Arian Foster, Glover Quin, Duane Brown, Jonathan Grimes, Omar Bolden, Bobby Wagner, Darius Slay, Sherrick McManis, EJ Manuel and Malik Jackson.
She even got to meet President Obama…
Foster is has been the catalyst behind all of the investments from NFL players and he explained to the Houston Chronicle why he chose to back Mikaila’s venture…
“Of course, anytime you invest in anything you look at if it’s going to be profitable,” Foster said. “We look for companies that match our main focus of developing a good product, but are also good people and do it for the right reasons. It’s more than about money to us. We believe that investing in small black businesses is extremely important.”
Ulmer signed up for two youth entrepreneur events when she was four and has continued to educate herself about the business world.
“She’s super smart,” [Glover] Quin said. “She’s very special. Obviously, she has a bright future. Hopefully, I can be a part of it and nourish it and watch her grow. The sky is the limit. I’m very impressed with her.”
Who wouldn’t be?
So what were you doing when you were 12?
H/T SB Nation