This article first appeared on the Magnolia Tribune.
- Mississippi’s youngest entrepreneurs get their start in the refreshing beverage business.
There’s something incredibly refreshing about a glass of ice-cold lemonade on a warm day. Chilly, tangy, and sweet, lemonade is excellent as is or with other flavors mixed in, like strawberry or blueberry lemonade. The possibilities are endless.
Kids have been using lemonade stands to make extra money for ages. Cute little decorated stands at the end of a driveway beckon folks to come with their quarters in hand for a drink, but also for the satisfaction of knowing that a kid is earning their money for whatever they may be saving up to buy.
Over time, though, lemonade stands were popping up less and less. That’s where Lemonade Day comes in.
Since 2007, more than 1 million kids nationwide have learned about business ownership by participating in Lemonade Day® and hosting a lemonade stand in their community. The non-profit organization Lemonade Day has driven this movement. According to the organization, it has been proven that cities that rally behind Lemonade Day® benefit as much as the kids and their adult mentors do. Lemonade Day started in Houston, Texas, but is now utilized globally to inspire kids by turning them into entrepreneurs for a day.
Local businesses partner with these little entrepreneurs to give them the advertising and retail space. These lemonade stands are set up outside a business. The stands and their locations are posted on the Lemonade Day website and their local city’s social media, so kids rack in the dough when the day comes.
But kids here aren’t just saving up for a new bike. Lemonade Day is a learning experience in more ways than one:
1) teach financial literacy to kids, which may be lacking in public and private school curricula;
2) promote entrepreneurship, which is crucial to jumpstart economic growth in the state;
3) teach kids to be responsible and self-reliant and to contribute to their community’s development; and
4) foster mentorship and bring families together.
The adolescent entrepreneurs also get mentors to help steer them in the right direction.
Mentors guide participants through the youth entrepreneurship lessons via the My Lemonade Day app or with workbooks and take participants through planning, launching, and operating a business. The valuable lessons of Lemonade Day® include setting a goal, making a plan, working the plan, and achieving their dreams. Once the lemonade sellers pay their investors back, they keep all the money they earn and are encouraged to spend some, save some, and share some of their profit with philanthropic ventures of their choice.
So far, Brandon, Flowood, and The Golden Triangle are holding Lemonade Day events in the state this year.
Brandon Chamber President Lance Stevens said, “Our Chamber is excited to conduct our 2nd Annual Lemonade Day® in our community. We’re extremely thankful for the generous support of our sponsors, including Community Bank, who is also providing micro-loans to the kids to give them a real-world experience of running a business, as well as the City of Brandon and many others. This year we also have the support and sponsorship of our friends at the Flowood Chamber, who will help us to bring Lemonade Day® to kids in the Flowood area as well.”
Seven-year-old Olivia Callicoatte of Brandon is running her Lemonade Day stand for the second time. In 2023, Olivia offered a variety of lemonade flavors, set up shop outside of PetSense, and was very successful in selling lemonade–even though she doesn’t drink it.
Olivia enjoyed her Lemonade Day success so much last year that she immediately started planning for this year.
“She made around $250 profit last year. Half went into an account at the bank to keep the loan. She wanted to save it to invest in Lemonade Day this year,” said Olivia’s mother, Laura Callicoatte. “The other half sat in her room. She has spent a handful of dollars on things at school. But most of it, she just saved.”
For Laura, the best part about Lemonade Day is the challenge presented to Olivia to get outside of her comfort zone.
“As a parent, I enjoyed watching her interact with various people. She’s very shy with adults,” said Laura. “I enjoyed watching her work hard to get past her shyness to ask for leases, permits, and loans. I liked how excited she was about making her own money even if she didn’t spend hardly any of it.”
The shyness did return, though, as Olivia let her mom do the talking for the interview.
Brandon and Flowood will host their Lemonade Day events on May 4th, 2024, while The Golden Triangle Lemonade Day stands will be open for business on June 8th, 2024. Search for a Lemonade Day stand to visit at LemonadeDay.org.
This article first appeared on the Magnolia Tribune and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
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