BY STEVEN GORDON, LEMONADE DAY NATIONAL PRESIDENT

I introduced you to Saanvi Vinod back in September. She was named Lemonade Day’s National Youth Entrepreneur of the Year. Since then, Saanvi’s life has accelerated at an even faster pace. We know that Lemonade Day works and we know that our Youth Entrepreneurs of the Year go on to achieve even bigger entrepreneurial dreams. I asked Saanvi to give us an update in the few short months since she received the award at our City Directors Conference in Houston. In her own words, here is what she told me.

“Winning the Lemonade Day Youth Entrepreneur of the Year title has made a big impact on me. I already loved mentoring kids in homeschool communities and schools and one thing Lemonade Day showed me is that I could also share my experiences and teach other kids about entrepreneurship.

I felt so excited and proud to win the award. Just the process of participating in Lemonade Day was very rewarding. The key lessons I learned from Lemonade Day were helping me understand how to create a business plan, finding a location that is effective, creating a quality product, and communicating with customers.

I was thrilled that I got the opportunity to go to Houston to share my story with others. My family joined me, and it was a fun experience.  I met Lemonade Day’s leaders and the amazing staff, along with City Directors from around North America. Each of them encouraged me and shared their wisdom. I also met kids who have been part of Lemonade Day and running successful businesses now using those learned skills.

Winning Lemonade Day has opened up many opportunities for me. I was invited to run my lemonade stand at local events and organizations such as Blessings in a Backpack, a PreK fundraising event that provides food on the weekend for schoolchildren, and the Louisville, Kentucky Mall St. Matthews Solar Panel Installation press conference which both Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer and St. Matthews Mayor Rick Tonini attended. My lemonades were well received. I was able to make a profit and donate to some wonderful causes. The experience also helped me improve my product and taught me how to be better at what I am doing.

I really enjoy being an entrepreneur, so I have been thinking about a few ideas for the future. Some of the goals that I have set for myself include putting together a session to educate kids about my experience with Lemonade Day. This could be a video / written format. I have also been thinking about designing a website for my future business idea. For now, I am interested in creating home decor and handmade art to sell online. I must focus more on the next steps.

Lemonade Day has taught me to believe in my dreams and be confident and creative. The advice I would like to give to other kids is to never give up and to never stop believing in themselves. Use Lemonade Day as an opportunity to create and refine your business. You will learn everything there is to run a successful business just like I did through Lemonade Day. Please participate and get the most out of this program.”

Saanvi also helped Lemonade Day in early December with this video for our #GivingTuesday fundraising campaign. She talks about why she loves Lemonade Day and how the step-by-step program helped her create a successful business. Thank you, Saanvi. We cannot wait to hear about all your future successes.

Please share this blog with your friends, family members, and co-workers. All of us at Lemonade Day National Headquarters appreciate your support!

I welcome your comments and suggestions at any time. Please email me at Steven@LemonadeDay.org.

For more information about Lemonade Day, please visit lemonadeday.org.