MY HOW I PERSUADED MOM AND DAD TO LET ME RUN OUR HOME-GROWN BEVERAGE BRAND

In 2012, to help her mother through chemotherapy, Jesslyn Rollins's father began developing a hydration drink meant to work like an over-the-counter IV.

- 

BIOLYTE CEO: JESSLYN ROLLINS

CATEGORY: FOOD & BEVERAGES

THREE-YEAR REVENUE GROWTH: 1,052%

Now, 10 years later, Biolyte, of Marietta, Georgia, is booming, having booked nearly $17 million in sales in 2021. It's well poised to keep growing, too: The global electrolyte drinks market is projected to reach $56 billion by 2030, up from $33 billion in 2020, according to Allied Market Research. Here's how Rollins, 30, went from selling out of the back of her car to landing major retail deals across the country. -AS TOLD TO BRIT MORSE

My mom learned she had breast cancer in 2005. As she was going through her chemo treatments, our family tried everything to keep her hydrated-sports drinks, children's hydration products, electrolyte powders and nothing was working well enough. She kept having to get IV bags.