Lemonade Stands Teach Kids About Innovation & Entrepreneurship

As I read  “The Lesson From Two Lemonade Stands” by Seth Godin, I was reminded of an experience in my not too distant past.

A couple summers ago, Creo Quality hosted a Community Day event in Martinsville, IN. One of the focuses for the events was helping kids get an entrepreneurial experience. We had a lemonade stand contest. We divided the dozen or so kids into three different teams.

It was fascinating to watch each of these teams start their news businesses. One team chose the quick product: instant lemonade. The second: freshly squeezed. And the real innovator was the third team: freshly squeezed, pink lemonade. Team three also got creative with their marketing by having an actual lemon taped to their sign.

As the event unfolded, teams 1 and 2 began to copy some of the things team 3 did. The “idea guy” on team 3 started to get a little upset. The adult mentors / business coaches advised him that this happens in the business world all the time. He and his team decided to take action; they got a wagon and made their lemonade stand mobile, going door to door to the businesses about the Martinsville Square.

The other teams tried some different tactics as well. One team came up with a unique lemonade flavor–not necessarily tasty, but definitely unique.

The whole experience turned out better and much differently than I could have imagined. Whether the kids picked up any lessons of business and entrepreneurship, I’m not sure. However, they had fun, learned a little bit about teamwork, and raised a little money for the local Boys & Girls Club too.