An Inside Look at a Young Entrepreneur and Her Lemonade Dispenser

Any day is a great day for a glass of fresh lemonade, and one young entrepreneur has found a way to increase her lemonade sales and her profits. My daughter has seen great success with her lemonade stands this Summer, and has taken steps to stand out from the rest. By adding a lemonade dispenser, some custom signage, and a special ingredient to her lemonade recipe she has welcomed repeat customers and seen her profits soar.

Location is very important when it comes to getting customers to a lemonade stand. Our home sits on one of the main roads that passes through a large neighborhood, so she is able to get lots of customers visiting her stand. After running her first lemonade stand this Spring, she brought in about $20.00 in less than a couple of hours selling 50 cent glasses of lemonade. With a few simple tweaks to her lemonade stand, she has been able to double her profits and now brings in around $40.00 for the same amount of time. This has been a great learning exercise for my daughter. It has helped her to realize the value of money and what it takes to earn it.

Here are her secrets to success that you can use to help your own child's entrepreneurial venture find increased profits.

(Image Credit to InterRev - Personal Photo)

One of the first things that my daughter did was create her own custom lemonade stand sign. Using a large piece of cardboard, she used lots of color to attract attention. I believe that passers-by recognize the effort and creativity put into making a custom sign, and they are compelled to reward her with their business. You can see an example of one of her signs in the photo.

The next thing she did was add a lemonade dispenser to her stand. She is able to easily put a couple of gallons of lemonade in her dispenser. Her ice is kept in a separate cooler, which she adds to the cups with each serving. This allows her to keep her lemonade at full strength in the dispenser, and not be diluted by melting ice. She can quickly serve up a glass from the dispenser's tap, allowing her customers to get back on the road. There have been a number of her patrons that have commented about her dispenser and the 'professional' look that it gives her.

She has been using bulk containers of instant lemonade, but she adds a secret ingredient that always gets her customers talking about how good her lemonade tastes. Her secret ingredient is 100% pure lemon juice from concentrate. This gives her special blend that pleasant tart taste that you would get with fresh squeezed lemonade.

Another way she draws in her customers is by smiling and waving at every passer-by. Sometimes she will even do a cartwheel that turns into a wave, just to grab that attention. She thanks every customer and tells them to have a great day, which results in repeat visitors.

All these things combined have resulted in a big increase in profits, but to he honest with you, she makes most of her money off of tips. I can't tell you how many times people have given her a $5.00 bill for a 50 cent glass of lemonade, and told her to keep the change. Many of these kind neighbors have stated that they love supporting a young entrepreneur, or that her lemonade tasted so good it was worth the extra money!

(Image Credit to InterRev - Personal Photo)

Consider the following accessories when helping your child set up their own lemonade stand. They can have the sharpest lemonade stand on the block, and feel that sense of pride in earning their own revenue.

Listed below are some of the best deals that I could find on a lemonade dispenser, bulk lemonade mix, lemon juice from concentrate, cups in bulk, and even a lemonade stand if you really want to stand out. Keep your expenses low and your profits will be high!

Looking for a way to squeeze even more profits out of your lemonade stand?

Well, how about offering some snacks? You already have people stopping by for a refreshing drink. Why not offer some chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal cookies, or other home made treats to increase your bottom line? Try popping a couple of bags of popcorn, and offering some Ziplock lunch-sized bags of this tasty treat for sale.

My daughter is also very crafty. She likes to make friendship bracelets, is into duct tape crafts, and countless other crafts. She has sold some of these items at her lemonade stand with good success. She can charge more for these type of items, since she has them in limited supply.

Use your imagination and a little creativity and test the waters with other items you can sell. You just never know what might be a hit!

(Image Credit to InterRev - Personal Photo)

You have probably heard of the story of Alex's Lemonade Stand. This foundation was started from the front yard lemonade stand of cancer patient Alexandra “Alex” Scott (1996-2004). In 2000, 4-year-old Alex decided she wanted to start a lemonade stand to raise funds to help find a cure for all children with cancer. The Foundation that bears her name has become a national fundraising movement, with thousands of supporters and participants across the country.

My daughter found inspiration in this, but wanted to help a charity that was near and dear to her heart; The National Humane Society. She love animals, and wanted to do something to support this organization. So she designates days where 50% of her lemonade stand profits are to be donated to the Humane Society to help the health and well-being of the animals that they care for.

So following suit with the direction that my daughter has set, 50% of the profits from this lens are automatically being donated to The National Humane Society of America.

We live in a good neighborhood where crime is seldom a concern. We have good neighbors that watch out for each other, and we feel very safe here.

That said, we still watch our children like hawks when they run their lemonade stands. We talk about Stranger-Danger with our kids. So we do sit outdoors with our children while they operate their lemonade stands, often reading a book or magazine.

Some people may think this is paranoia, but I like to think of it as erring on the side of caution. I think that most parents would agree that it is better be cautious than to be regretful that you weren't should something bad happen. You have probably heard people say that our kids are growing up in a different world than us parents did. Whether you agree with that statement or not, please use discretion.

A benefit of spending time outside while the stand is open for business is that it has allowed us to meet many more nice residents in our neighborhood. We otherwise may not have had the opportunity to meet. New friendships have been created thanks to this.

(Image Credit to Tambako the Jaguar - Licensed via Creative Commons with Attribution)

Do you stop at lemonade stands in your neighborhood and support young entrepreneurs?

So what are your thoughts about young entrepreneurs and lemonade stands?

Do you stop at lemonade stands when you see them?

Have any tips or tricks for success that you can offer a young entrepreneur?