BY STEVEN GORDON, LEMONADE DAY NATIONAL PRESIDENT

Just like baseball has its “boys of summer”, Lemonade Day has its “business dreamers” and both seasons are in full swing. You’ve probably already seen several lemonade stands popping up in your neighborhoods with fresh-face entrepreneurs hoping to encourage thirsty patrons with their cool lemonade and sweet treats. These kids come ready to play after weeks or months of working on their business plan and testing their products. Lemonade Day is their business launch day and I couldn’t be more excited for every Lemonade Day participant – kids, parents, mentors, and leaders at our host cities and military bases. We have countless stories of kids whose lives have changed from the Lemonade Day experience.

In April, eight cities hosted Lemonade Day. In May, the following cities are putting the final touches on their opening day: Albuquerque, NM; Amarillo, Bryan/College Station, Fairfield, Galveston, Greater Dallas, Houston, Lubbock, McAllen, Mount Pleasant, San Antonio, Waco, Beaumont, Boerne, Austin, Ft, Hood, and Coastal Bend, TX; Coastal Alabama; Corvallis, Yamhill-Carlton, and McMinnville, OR; Fond du Lac, Fort Atkinson, WI; Louisiana, Northwest Arkansas, Puerto Rico; Southcoast, MA;  Stillwater, OK; West Virginia; Giles County, TN; Northeast Indiana, Elkhart, and Indianapolis, IN; Bermuda; Louisville, KY; Hawaii; Spokane Valley, WA, Sacramento, CA; Northeast Ohio; and Davis-Monthan Air Force Base – Tucson, AZ. For specifics and to see other cities hosting Lemonade Day, please visit Find Your Lemonade Day City.

The buildup to Lemonade Day is part of a lifecycle that starts with Registration. Young entrepreneurs receive their workbooks filled with lessons on business ownership. Many participate in Build-a-Stand events, Tasting contests and Pitch events prior to their designated Lemonade Day. And then, on “opening day” and maybe with a few butterflies in their stomachs, thousands of young business owners host their lemonade stands and learn lessons on customer service, branding, and product development. In the final piece of the lifecycle, our young tycoons report their results. Just like all the statistics baseball is well known for, Lemonade Day encourages our young entrepreneurs to share the outcome of their hard work and evaluate their success against their business plan. We even want kids to win big when they submit their results. Click on our Contests link and scroll down to “Some REAL BIG Prizes” for more information on how your child can be eligible for a bike and considered for Lemonade Day’s National Entrepreneur of the Year.

I encourage supporters to stop by a lemonade stand and talk to the kids. Ask them why they wanted to start a business and what they’ll do with their profits. I promise you the conversation will be enjoyable and inspiring.

I want to thank all the mentors and volunteers who are helping Lemonade Day participants gain valuable life skills. You are a very important component to sharing your business knowledge and providing kids with the support and coaching to make the experience enjoyable and in giving today’s youth as many advantages as possible to be successful in life.

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

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