Do you remember that first business you opened as a kid? Maybe it was a lemonade stand. With busy parents and neighborhood crime, children today don’t always have the opportunities we had to develop those entrepreneurial instincts. Here’s an opportunity for us all to make a mega-impact on the lives of thousands of future entrepreneurs in Indiana. “Lemonade Day” was the brainchild of former Hoosier, Michael Holthouse, who started Lemonade Day 3 years ago in Houston, enabling 2,600 lemonade stands in the first year. It’s gone completely “viral” and this year, they expect over 50,000 stands. The kids make about $150 per stand. Last year, the children contributed a portion of their profits to yield a collective half a million dollars from this single day event.
Watching just one kid make the transformation in a few hours into a confident, proud, successful entrepreneur will make a believer out of anyone. Check out videos at www.lemonadeday.org.
Lemonade Day is a free, Greater Indianapolis Area initiative (which can be state-wide next year when we have a little more time and several more committed enthusiasts) designed to teach youth how to START, OWN and OPERATE their very own “Lemonade Business”.
Here’s how it works:
Young lemonade stand owners spend a few weeks learning how to set up shop with the help of a “caring adult” (mentor). They borrow $20 that they promise to repay with interest. Then, they set up their businesses on Sunday, May 2 — Lemonade Day – and make as much money as possible (avg is $150 per stand!). When the day is done, and their debt repaid, they keep the profits and
“spend some” (e.g. blue bike in the front window or maybe a video game),
“save some” (in their new bank account)
“share some” with charities.
Lemonade Day has expanded to a dozen other cities already and is now being spearheaded this year in Indianapolis by local entrepreneur, Scott Jones, widely known for voicemail used around the world, Gracenote’s music recognition and discovery software incorporated in thousands of products including Apple iTunes, and for leading ChaCha, now one of the fastest-growing mobile and online digital media properties. Our goal in Indy is an ambitious 5,000 lemonade stands in our first year (even more ambitious than Houston’s first year of 2,600 stands).
We need your help-here’s how:
1) Sponsor/donate: Help underwrite the cost of backpacks and lesson books to keep the program free for kids,
2) Sign up for Lemonade Day: Kids, coupled with a “caring adult” (e.g. parent, grandparent, neighbor, teacher, big brother, big sister), can register online to get started,
3) Volunteer: We need people to give their time so we can reach more kids and keep costs down.
4) Buy lemonade: Look for our young tycoons on your block or in the park on May 2nd and help them turn a profit!
See online videos, learn more, and get involved at www.lemonadeday.org Or call Jami Marsh at 317-575-1706.
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