What does a cocktail-in-a-ball have in common with an MBA thesis? Merrilee Alexander Kick.
Recipient of the 2013 Texas Woman’s University Distinguished Alumni Award, Kick combined her plans for a new business with her graduate education goals, creating an adult beverage sensation that literally started poolside in her own backyard.
Have a ball!
Kick, a former Plano West Senior High School business teacher, was grading papers outside one day when she noted that her glass drink container really shouldn’t be by the pool. It wasn’t safe. Why not plastic instead? Why not sell 18 alcoholic beverages in colorful, fun and unique containers?
That realization sparked a business idea that became the foundation for Kick’s MBA from TWU, where she graduated in 2009. The following year, she began converting her thesis into the founding of multimillion-dollar business BuzzBallz…