Lemonade Day 2017 was the best season yet, and the stories from participants from coast to coast keep pouring in.  Hearing the excitement and lessons learned from the children is truly inspiring and underscores the value of introducing kids at an early age to the fundamentals of running a business.  With improved analytical skills, a better understanding of principles like earnings and profit, and the amazing self-confidence and satisfaction that comes from starting and running a real business, these kids are ready for anything.  Success is sweet, and they’ve had a taste of success.  Here are more of their stories, in their own words:

Practicing the Habit of Spending Some, Sharing Some and Saving Some

“I loved doing Lemonade Day! My stand had a mermaid theme and I sold regular lemonade, Mermonade (a tropical lemonade), and lemon crinkle cookies. I was set up in front of a seafood restaurant. I made enough money to spend some, save some, and share some. I shared $150 with a neighbor who was trying to earn enough money for a service dog to help him with his diabetes and $50 with the local animal shelter.”

A 14 Year Old Entrepreneur with 4 Years of Experience Under His Belt

“Hi my name is Joseph. I'm 14 years old and have been an Entrepreneur for 4 years. I have been selling Lemonade for the last 4 years. It taught me responsibility, business, the value of a dollar and to give to others in need. My charity is Ronald McDonald House. As I help the RMDH and know the families and children really need the help. I don't keep any of the money—I give my part to them, I think they need more then I do.”

Managing the Budget with Smart Cost Savings

“We enjoyed our first lemonade day. We sold pink and yellow lemonade, cupcakes, and chips.  Everything was a hit!  We decided to keep our costs lower by using Styrofoam cups, and stuff we had at home to make signs.  We were out about 3.5 hours and we did pretty well.  We made $104 in profits.  Our costs were around $36 for ingredients.  Thankfully our moms really helped out a lot with advertising and with materials.  And we know some awesome businesses that allowed is to be in front of their stores. It was hard work too—we all took naps when we got home.”

Spreading Peace with Lemonade and a First Class Marketing Campaign

I noticed that lately there seems to be a lot of hatred and violence around the world. Everyone seems to be into what they want and only few think about others. My Lemonade Day story started in 2016 at Lemonade Day Galveston where my lemonade won 2nd place in Best Tasting Contest. In 2017, I came 3rd place at Lemonade Day Houston Best Tasting Contest. I then decided to spread peace one cup at a time through my stand named "Lemonade for Peace".

I also wanted to help the lesser privileged people and so decided to share my proceeds with 'The Lighthouse of Houston' that serves The Blind and the Visually Impaired. These days cell phone is a necessity of life and I want to own one. With those two goals in mind, I profited $74 after selling 80 cups at my first stand.

On National Lemonade Day, I profited $151 and sold about 100 cups of lemonade. I advertised online on Facebook using a short video providing details about the upcoming event. I also handed out fliers in school and to family and friends. On the day of the event, I handed out samples because I was sure people would buy once they taste my award-winning lemonade. My PEACE photo booth was an instant hit and I had people line up to take pictures with the props in front of my cute stand. For next time, I plan to partner with my Girl Scouts troop and come up with more lemonade flavors. I want people around the city talking about my lemonade and realize that we all can spread peace and smile one cup and one sip at a time.”

Do you want to participate in next year’s Lemonade Day? Contact your local city to find out how your child can learn to be an entrepreneur, or learn how you can volunteer in your community.

For more stories check out: IMPACTS OF LEMONADE DAY 2017: ROUNDUP 1.

About Lemonade Day

Lemonade Day is a non-profit dedicated to teaching every child across North America the business and financial skills that are the key ingredients of entrepreneurship. By learning these skills early in life, children will be better prepared to be successful, financially healthy adults. Through our fun, hands-on program Kids K-5 are empowered to start their very own business—a lemonade stand—and experience the feeling of earning real money, using 100% of their profit to spend, save and share based on their own goals.

Lemonade Day is in 62 cities throughout the United States. Over the past 10 years, we have served more than 1 million kids in our kid entrepreneur programs and in 2016 alone, 101,000 kids participated in Lemonade Day.

Visit LemonadeDay.org to learn how to participate in Lemonade Day in your city.