I remember spending many Saturdays in the late spring and early summer waking up early and dragging a card table down to the sidewalk in front of my house. I would knock on my neighbor’s door and ask them to join me. Together we would go inside and stir up a batch of ice cold lemonade, make a few signs and set up our lemonade stand. Those are memories I will never forget. It drew my friends and I closer together and laid the foundation to my desire for entrepreneurship. It wasn’t simply the lemonade that fueled my desire, it was someone taking a minute to go out of their way and support my dreams and ambitions.
James, my neighbor from across the street, was our lemonade stand’s number one customer. Every single time we set up a lemonade stand, he would cross the street, ask us how business was treating us and contribute a minimum of $1.00 to our “donations” cup. He would always give more than the asking price just to encourage us. It was people like him that energized my friend and I to keep doing more lemonade stands.
Imagine what $1.00 can do. Imagine what even $0.25 can do! My challenge to you is to stop whenever you see kids standing behind a table selling lemonade. Support the local lemonade stand and encourage them! Get down on their level and tell them they are doing a good job. Don’t just support them financially, support them emotional. There is nothing more encouraging than an adult complimenting and supporting a child’s dream and passion! I can honestly say that people taking a moment to stop at my lemonade stand have fueled my passion for business and entrepreneurship to this day.