It started with a bee sting and fear of bees, but by age four, Mikaila Ulmer, found her niche.

In 2021, Ulmer is a 15-year-old CEO of a multi-million-dollar social entrepreneurship company, Me and the Bees lemonade, with a mission to educate teens and assist with the dwindling bee population.

Ulmer’s start-up adventure is featured in an ABC news video.  And her account stands out because it gives an insightful overview of how the talented entrepreneur created her product and built her business with help from family and help later from a little-known TV show called Shark Tank.

Previously, Ulmer pursued other ideas but admits they did not work out as well.  And she explains why earlier ideas were not successful.

Meanwhile, there’s an often-overlooked issue underscored in the video. Check out the original name of Ulmer’s lemonade. Why was the name changed?  See the answer at the end of this post.

Source

Abc7 news.com, Localish, July 16, 2020, 3:56 min.
https://abc7news.com/me–the-bees-mikaila-ulmer-honeybees-honey/6315796/

Answer
The original name for the lemonade already belonged to someone else. Not checking the possible history of a name for a start-up before spending money on licensing, sales, business literature, and the product packaging is not an uncommon costly mistake.  Check out the website Me And The Bees/about.

Myths & Lessons  
Popular, competitive industries and related concepts provide inspiration for top TV cable shows. The food industry, for example, has provided a rich source of ideas. Here are a few examples:

Food/Restaurant
Restaurant Impossible
Each week, an episode showcases how a hopeful entrepreneur bought a restaurant, yet failed to learn, beforehand, how to operate it successfully.

It’s not a program for viewers with weak stomachs. Many beginners are using their life savings or retirement funds, mortgaging their homes, or borrowing from family members to start a business they know little or absolutely nothing about managing.

Budding restaurateurs seem to think running an eatery is easy, or they’ll learn the ropes after they open for business.
Two expensive myths that result in a high failure rate in the competitive  industry.

The Great Food Truck Race
The mobile restaurant program illustrates how many things can go wrong while trying to sell food on the street; from a flat tire to faulty gas burners.
It’s a seemingly simple, low-cost way to enter the restaurant business that is anything but simple.

Chopped
Each show features common, odd, and interesting food ingredients from around the world. Chefs compete against each other to dream up and prepare a winning appetizer, main course, or dessert within 20-30 minutes after opening a mystery basket of ingredients.

There is a catch; of course… Each basket contains weird food combinations. For instance, one show featured a dessert round with red jalapenos, cream cheese, Sharonfruit, and short bread.
An environment in which participants have to think, create, and produce results rapidly in order to succeed.

Shark Tank/Money
Struggling business owners and budding entrepreneurs agree to become chum in the venture capital shark tank in return for possible financing, contacts and mentoring. Shark Tank has been on the air for several seasons, yet some hopefuls still appear on the program ill-equipped to present their proposal with financial numbers that will be attractive to the sharks.

Common myth: I don’t need to understand the financial aspects of the business because my idea is great!

The Fashion Industry
Project Runway
For some with a passion for fashion design, the glamour, glitz, and high-level creativity can create a hellish nightmare if one is ill-equipped to handle the stress and strain of the industry.

Despite a high degree of talent, some designers flee the demands of the industry (on and off the show).

Although there is a degree of hype in some of these programs, it’s a useful inside look at situations in specific industries.

Note: If you are  seeking insider information on other industries, such as farming or plumbing, I suspect those shows are not on the fall TV schedule.

References
http://www.foodnetwork.com/restaurant-impossible/index.html
https://nichecreativity.com/?p=384 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/the-great-food-truck-race/index.html

http://www.foodnetwork.com/chopped/index.html

http://www.mylifetime.com/shows/project-runway
https://nichecreativity.com/?p=755

http://abc.go.com/shows/shark-tank
https://nichecreativity.com/?p=478

Just When you Thought it was Safe to Startup
ABC TV’s Shark Tank returned to the airwaves. When this show debuted, I had misgivings about the concept because it seemed as if billionaires were profiting from the work of cash-strapped entrepreneurs, cornered into giving up large portions of their companies for operating capital or face losing their dreams.

The sharks don’t offer help out of the goodness of their hearts. They are predators, after all, looking to make a profit. Historically, very few business owners get venture capital, so in some respects, this show is like a lottery ticket for business owners.

Still, the reality program eventually won me over. Shark Tank is an inside look at some of the mistakes that aspiring entrepreneurs routinely make.

For instance, a business grad and aspiring inventor presented an idea for a bedside alarm clock that doubled as an oven and would awaken its owner to the aroma of cooked bacon.

The entrepreneur was firmly convinced that he had the best idea since, well, sliced bacon. However, he did not fully research the cost to manufacture the clock, nor could he answer important questions about financial issues for his company.

The sharks declined the idea.

Lesson: Some entrepreneurs believe that their product is so fantastic that its merits alone will overcome all obstacles. Practical business details, which are necessary for success, are ignored.

Lesson:  Some entrepreneurs believe that their product is so fantastic that its merits alone will overcome all obstacles. Practical business details, which are necessary for success, are ignored.

Reference
http://abc.go.com/shows/shark-tank