Smart Women Smart Solutions

With Joy Chudacoff, Leading Expert on Business Success and Lifestyle Design For Women

Mikaila Ulmer – CEO of Me & The Bees Lemonade – Turning a Bee Sting Into a Business (Oh, and by the way, she’s 13 years old!)

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Mikaila Ulmer on She's Got Moxie with Joy Chudacoff

My guest today, Mikaila Ulmer, is probably one of the youngest entrepreneurs you’ve ever heard of. When she was just four years old, she was stung not once, but twice, in one week. What happened after the bee sting is nothing short of miraculous.

Mikaila’s parents were determined to take this bee sting experience and turn it into a positive, so they encouraged Mikaila to do some research on bees. And rest, as they say, is history.

Armed with her Great Granny Helen’s lemonade recipe, this 13 year-old CEO (yes, she’s 13) has taken the lemonade world by storm.

This year alone, Me & The Bees Lemonade, has sold over 360,000 bottles of their four flavors of lemonade in 28 states.

She’s been on Shark Tank and is a regular texting friend of Daymond John. Her advice is powerful and timely and I promise, you will forget that you’re listening to a 13 year-old. Her words of advice are simple, yet spot on for what it takes to succeed in today’s market.

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And be sure to leave me a Rating and Review!

You should start small. And that is really important so you know that your customers want the product and that they’re going to go out there and purchase it.” – Mikaila Ulmer

Show Notes:

  • What happened after she got stung twice by two bees in a week – this was the beginning of Me & The Bees Lemonade
  • The importance of just getting out there and doing it – start small
  • How she snagged a spot on SHARK TANK
  • How she navigates school, homework, hanging with friends and running a company
  • Her incredible Superpower – this was pure gold and you will see the simple but powerful message in this
  • How Mikaila has used her business to help SAVE THE BEES
  • And much, much more

I kind of initially started to get this toy that I wanted, but I decided to keep on going, and that’s how I got to where I am now.” – Mikaila Ulmer

Connect with Mikaila Ulmer:

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Me & the Bees Lemonade

Find your passion or a cause that you can use your company to help save, or to do good as well as make a profit.” – Mikaila Ulmer

Koel Thomae – How Cold-Calling a Dairy Farmer Turned Into a $170 Million Yoghurt Company

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Koel Thomae on She's Got Moxie with Joy Chudacoff

On a trip home to Australia, Koel Thomae discovered a homemade yoghurt in a beach town corner shop, and she knew this was an entrepreneurial moment.

Inspired to bring the best-tasting yoghurt to the United States, Koel couldn’t stop thinking about the velvet tasting yoghurt that would one day become Noosa Yoghurt.

After cold-calling a fourth-generation dairy farmer in Colorado, Koel partnered with ‘Farmer’ Graves and brought Noosa Yoghurt to life.

What started in small farmers markets and local Whole Foods stores has led Noosa to be sold in 25,000 stores nationwide.

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And be sure to leave me a Rating and Review!

It is certainly ok to evolve things, but don’t ever get too far away from that core fundamental reason why you started the brand.” – Koel Thomae

Show Notes:

  • How a visit to Noosa, Australia led Koel to go on an entrepreneurial adventure
  • How her obsession with this yoghurt led her to a three-hour lunch that ultimately got her a “loose license” for the yoghurt
  • What it was like to QUIT her day JOB and jump right into her entrepreneurial idea
  • Why Koel took her life savings and put them into her business
  • WHY you should never over-think an idea
  • HOW she diverted Whole Foods attention when they initially didn’t like her packaging
  • Why she decided to pull out of a market that Noosa wasn’t ready for
  • A Deep Conversation on Cash Flow – pure gold
  • How Koel stayed PRODUCTIVE while building a business and raising a newborn
  • The ONE question Koel asks herself to stay on track every day
  • And much much more

I would say that if finance is not your strong suit, then get some really smart people who do know that and learn it really quickly.” – Koel Thomae

Connect with Koel Thomae:

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn| noosa

Very simple productivity – tasks lists and really understanding what is the priority from what will most impact your business.” – Koel Thomae

Ashley Merrill – How Her Husband’s Oversized T-Shirt Led Her to Start Her Own Sleepwear Brand

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Ashley Merrill on She's Got Moxie with Joy Chudacoff

Ashley Merrill is revolutionizing women’s sleep. She is the founder and CEO of Lunya, a sleepwear company that uses the latest designs and technology to create functional, comfortable, and fashionable sleepwear for women.

On today’s show, Ashley gives some amazing tips on hiring and how to build a great team. She also gives some incredible insights for women who are pitching to mostly male investors.

I’m so excited for you to hear her gold nuggets.

Enjoy the show!

You can Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts. And be sure to leave me a Rating and Review!

You can look at problems as problems, or you can look at them as opportunities.” – Ashley Merrill

Show Notes:

  • How Ashley’s EYE OF CURIOSITY influenced her business
  • What’s it like to BIRTH a child and a business at the same time
  • Why she’s NOT a risk-taker
  • Her BEST Productivity Tips – Ashley drills down into the REAL Issue for Women in Business Today
  • Ashley’s HIRING TIPS – pure Gold!
  • The real, raw truth about owning a business
  • Her personal insights on women making pitches for funding
  • The advice she wished someone would have shared with her in the early days
  • And so much more!

I hire a lot around attitude. I find that it is the one thing that is very hard to change.” – Ashley Merrill

Facebook | LinkedIn | Instagram | Website

When we design, it goes a lot further than just a pretty piece of clothing.” – Ashley Merrill

I’ve Created a Special Video For You…

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www.MoxieRetreat.com

When I think back to ALL the BIG leaps in success & income I’ve had over the years, I realize that a combination of two important things were present:

  1. After experiencing the effects of some very expensive and very bad advice, I stopped asking and listening to people who could not possibly give me the support and sound advice I needed because they just did not have the skill set, or the experience to know the right answers. Instead, I sought out and received guidance, direction and solid business advice from people who were leaders in their industry – people who were more experienced and ahead of me in their entrepreneurial journey – they were where I wanted to be . Their advice to me was based on experience and results, instead of theory or guesswork.
  2. I was never in my office, deep in my work, when significant breakthroughs emerged. When I think about leaps that increased my income by 20-50%, they were always when I removed myself from the daily business tasks and responsibilities of my life. I was in an environment where I had a clear head and could reflect, refocus, re-energize, reclaim and reinvent my vision for my life and business.

That’s why I created the perfect space, forum and program for you to reclaim and refresh your vision and create the strategies necessary for you to get free from overwhelm while growing your business at the same time…

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Do You Have a Trusted Mentor?

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Do You Have a Trusted Mentor?Remember Lucy Van Pelt in the comic strip Charlie Brown? I woke this morning thinking about one of her famous lines, “I told you so, you blockhead!” Lucy was known for setting up a psychiatric booth in the neighborhood offering advice to her friends for five cents per person. Clearly she caught the entrepreneurial bug early but I’m not sure I’d want to get my business direction from her. : -) This got me thinking about how women entrepreneurs need to be cautious when seeking advice, coaching and mentoring on their road to success.

When I first had the idea to birth Smart Women Smart Solutions®, something happened that nearly convinced me to hang up my coaching hat before I got started. I was attending a party with my husband and shortly after we arrived, I ran into an old acquaintance. I could hardly contain my excitement about my new business idea. After our initial conversation, I blurted out my new big idea and guess what happened? I’ll never forget it. She had this loud, high-pitched laugh that carried across the room and with a flip of the hand, she said as loudly as she could, “Ha! That will never work! Women will never pay for that. That’s why we have coffee meetings and girls night out!” She turned on her heel and waltzed away leaving me there with my glass of red wine and a broken spirit. : -(

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