Success is Sweet for Lemonade Day’s Young Entrepreneurs

The sun could not outshine the bright smiles and colorful lemonade stands manned by young entrepreneurs celebrating Lemonade Day in the Houston area on Sunday, May 2. An estimated 50,000 future CEOs set up lemonade stands … with families, neighbors and friends supporting their learning endeavors.

A young lemonade entrepreneur listens to John Sheptor, CEO of Imperial Sugar, discuss the Four P's of Marketing; Product, Price, Place and Promotion. Lemonade Day Founder Michael Holthouse (center) listens.

Lemonade Day has become a nationwide event, offering children an opportunity to experience the benefits of business ownership and to give back in their community. A portion of sales will benefit the young entrepreneurs’ favorite charities.

John Sheptor, chief executive officer of Imperial Sugar – Lemonade Day’s title sponsor – toured several lemonade stands throughout the city with a group that included Astros legend Jeff Bagwell and Michael Holthouse, co-founder of nonprofit Prepare 4 Life and creator of Lemonade Day. Sheptor was impressed to see participants as young as age seven, executing savvy techniques to attract customers and make sales.

“I could tell these children were really prepared. To hear them describe how much fun it was to collaborate with mom, dad or other family members to set goals and plan strategy was phenomenal,” said Sheptor. “It’s the spark that transforms and inspires the young to dream bigger dreams and creates memorable moments for the entire family. “

Youngsters staked an estimated 15,000 lemonade stands in high traffic locations across different parts of Houston and surrounding counties to sell their tasty drink recipes, including Uptown Post Oak, Third Ward and Missouri City. One team of young girls, with a stand in Memorial Park, chanted a ‘lemonade rhyme’ while playing patty-cake that attracted joggers who became buyers. Even Houston Mayor Annise Parker got in on the fun offering encouragement while visiting youth stands inside the Galleria.

Alexis Cross prepared a clever marketing promotion for her lemonade by dressing as an Imperial Sugar bag.

Eleven year-old Alexis Cross’s borrowed her grandmother’s old family recipe, but after checking out previous year’s event, knew she needed a competitive edge. She worked with her mom to design the perfect marketing aide: an Imperial Sugar bag costume that included a bar code on the side, and a family cake recipe on the back. A hat with tentacle-like branches with lemon roots was a unique feature and completed her look.

“I knew there would be a lot of cute kids entering the contest and I wanted to stand out,” said Cross. Cross will use a portion of her drink sales to purchase food items for single military moms.

For 12 year-old Lydia Mendez, two-time winner of the best tasting lemonade competition, her involvement in Lemonade day was personal as well as profitable. Sporting a bright-colored t-shirt, Mendez smiled sweetly as she offered customers choices one of two different flavored lemonades.

“This year I changed up my recipe using a variety of fruits to give it a special taste,” said Lydia. “Ten percent of my profits will go to breast cancer research. My grandmother and aunt were both diagnosed with cancer and this is how I want to help.”

“Lemonade Day is an event that speaks to the community’s desire to help children succeed by introducing them to business,” said Holthouse whose nonprofit organization provides after-school programs in seven inner-city Houston middle schools. “It’s a simple concept that with nurturing, support and collaboration, can have the greatest impact upon our children’s future.”