Not Your Average Lemonade Stand: INSIDE

By Kristen Flowers

Acollection of minivans descends on Esther Short Park. Inside the cars, kids of all ages anxiously wait to try their hand at entrepreneurship for the first time. Anticipation and excitement linger in the cold, rainy air as the kids gather their merchandise from the car and quickly make their way over to their very own booths.

It’s Lemonade Day, and the kids are ready.

In 2007, Michael Holthouse, a financial advisor in Texas, created Lemonade Day. It all started because his daughter wanted a turtle. Michael said she could have one . . . if she bought it herself. He loaned her $20, which she used to hold a lemonade stand. She made enough to buy the turtle, but when Holthouse asked for his initial investment back, she didn’t have it. She hadn’t set her prices correctly to turn a profit. It was then that Holthouse realized if his own child didn’t understand the fundamentals of good business, most other kids probably didn’t either. He went on to create a foundation to help kids learn how to operate a business and increase their financial literacy, and Lemonade Day was born.

The Greater Vancouver Chamber brought Lemonade Day to Southwest

Washington in September 2019. Janet Kenefsky, vice president at the Chamber, says they have stayed true to the original message. “It builds the pipeline for businesses, for entrepreneurship, and a foundation of business acumen in youth who will eventually join the workforce,” she says. Kids learn math, financial literacy and business skills, but there are other benefits, too. “We’ve had parents tell us that their kid comes out from being a wallflower, not wanting to participate in anything, to this kid that’s now proud and confident. For us, that’s exactly what this program is meant to do.”

Lemonade Day is a simple process. The kids take classes on running their own businesses through a free app. The class topics cover everything from creating a product out of nothing and making correct change to working with employees. They also learn what to spend their money on, like needing a prize or incentive for their business, how to save their money and create a rainy day fund, and how to share their