By Steven Gordon, Lemonade Day National President

The Lemonade Day Eighth Annual City Directors Conference that wrapped up on Sept. 28 in Houston served as an excellent platform for expanding on our theme “Building the Future, Stirring Up Success” for young entrepreneurs and those of us adults who support them. With representation from 37 Lemonade Day locations in Canada and the United States, the 2018 City Directors Conference was one of the best on record.  

As one of the National Lemonade Day leaders hosting this event, I am honored to have had the opportunity to interact with such a passionate, dedicated group of ambassadors for kids and every aspect of their social-emotional wellbeing. Collectively, we are making a positive impact for decades to come using the lemonade stand as a tool for experiential learning. We are committed to strengthening and expanding our Lemonade Day movement by increasing the number of mentors to hundreds of thousands and by increasing the number of kids involved to many millions within the next five to ten years.

Lemonade Day National Board Chair Charlie Hamilton and National Board Member Joe Daly, who is also a partner with The Gallup Organization, joined me in sharing some big ideas at our recent three-day conference: we focused on improving the lives of kids, transforming their thinking, encouraging them to explore potential opportunities, and using our huge knowledge base to influence student achievements that develop characters, careers, and companies.

Charlie Hamilton’s Perspectives

Charlie believes that everything meaningful and important stems from entrepreneurship in America. He encourages those Lemonade Day City Directors who attended our conference to look at the big picture and find ways to share Lemonade Day’s mission and values at networking events, workshops and seminars, sporting events, and everywhere possible, anyway possible.

 “Not every kid wants to be or will be an entrepreneur, but every kid needs to be exposed to the principles related to making a profit; learning the value of spending, saving, and sharing that profit; the importance of setting goals and devising a plan; and ultimately, achieving his or her dream. Lemonade Day is like the Pee Wee League of experiential entrepreneurism and it’s a movement that continues to inspire kids to go beyond the status quo. We need to help kids achieve something, no matter how big or small,” Charlie said.

Joe Daly’s Insights

As keynote speaker for our conference, Joe affirmed the views and recommendations offered by Charlie and me while also sharing highlights from Born to Build! a book written by Jim Clifton, chairman and chief executive officer of The Gallup Organization, and Sangeeta Badal, Ph.D., principal scientist for Gallup's Builder Initiative.

“The intention of this book is to inspire entrepreneurs and ambitious, self-motivated people to build something that will change the world regardless of how large or small one’s ambition is. Lemonade Day is lighting this inspiration in kids who want to start a business and make a difference in their communities. The important life skills gained through the Lemonade Day program make an impact on kids every day of the year,” Joe said.

Gallup’s research indicates that entrepreneurial aspiration is diminishing and that less than .25 percent of approximately four million high school graduates in the U.S.  is contributing to the economic vitality of their local community.

“All hope is not lost; the mindset of our kids today is fixable. Gallup’s research reflects the current state of cultural and entrepreneurial deficits in our kids today, regardless of their parents’ income level. Only a few adults are teaching kids the fundamentals of how to run a business, serve a customer, and price a product. Without these distinctions, how can we expect today’s youth to be, at a minimum, strong and creative leaders who contribute to the economy?”

Joe ended his presentation by challenging Lemonade Day City Directors to envision what kids could accomplish if they had a mission and purpose related to changing the world.

Lemonade Day Think Tank

Feedback from City Directors Conference attendees indicated that our presentations and discussions on the topics of entrepreneurship, leadership, fundraising, and technology were not only transformative and engaging, but also inspirational and enjoyable.

When we Lemonade Day leaders and ambassadors share exemplary insights, knowledge, best practices and success stories as a “think tank” full of action-oriented change agents, we can better capitalize on our aggregated strengths to enable us to deliver powerful entrepreneurial experiences for kids. 

Lemonade Day is much more than a day. 

We are part of a conscious movement to empower youth with the confidence, skillsets and relationships that equip them to make a measurable impact on their communities through their involvement with all types of ventures that will create jobs and fund causes. Young kids now will become teens and adults who have seen and felt the sparks of entrepreneurship and the freedom that it embodies. I am even more motivated to support our Lemonade Day leaders, ambassadors, City Directors, City Champions, mentors, volunteers and sponsors to fulfill our responsibility. We are doing our part to build the future and stir up success for lemonade microbusiness owners today who are destined to be owners of all types of bigger businesses tomorrow.

As always, I thank you for your support and welcome your comments and suggestions. Please contact me at Steven@lemonadeday.org  anytime.

About Lemonade Day

Founded in Houston in 2007, Lemonade Day has expanded to 72 licensed markets in the United States and Canada and to six U.S. military bases and growing. For more information, please visit lemonadeday.org/find-your-city.