lemonade stand business proposal

Lemonade Stand Business Plan [Sample Template]

By: Author Tony Martins Ajaero

Home » Business ideas » Food Industry » Lemonade Stand

Are you about starting a lemonade stand? If YES, here is a complete sample lemonade stand business plan template & feasibility report you can use for FREE .

Okay, so we have considered all the requirements for starting a lemonade stand business . We also took it further by analyzing and drafting a sample lemonade stand marketing plan template backed up by actionable guerrilla marketing ideas for lemonade stand businesses. So let’s proceed to the business planning section.

Why Start a Lemonade Stand Business?

Lemonade stands is a very lucrative business that can be started by even kids and college students to make some money for themselves during the holidays and summers. This business is also a good business idea for stay-at-home parents or unemployed people.

With less than $100, you can start your lemonade business for yourself. But if you have enough funds to invest, you can try starting up a mobile lemonade stand.

You can also consider selling snacks and other types of fruit juice to boost your business income. It is very important that you pen down your business plan and obtain all the necessary licenses and permits for your business before you start.

You may also want to understudy one who is already versed in the industry. This is so that you will be put through the various processes involved in starting a lemonade stand business . Here is an already prepared business plan to help you navigate your way through the business;

A Sample Lemonade Stand Business Plan Template

1. industry overview.

Domestic lemon production in the United has recently started up while the previous year ended in July. In the united states, California is the biggest lemon producing state with 47,000 acres in production, and the 8,300 acres remaining in the United States are grown in Arizona.

Within the 2014 – 2015 season, lemon production in California grew by 9 percent, while Arizona’s lemon production increased by 11 percent during the same reason. Lemon production in California is believed will remain stable while Arizona production will probably reduce by 15 and 20 percent.

Just at the exact point when oranges, grapefruit and tangelos are all showing a slight reduction in acreage, lemons and tangerines/mandarins were the only citrus varieties to show an increase. Just in 2015 alone, US lemon acreage amounted to 55,300, up 1,000 acres compared to the year before.

During the year 2015, Lemon prices remained strong throughout the same. The start of the same year, prices of lemon started very strong due to a smaller harvest during the previous year.

It also ended on a strong note with the season-average price being 14 percent above the season-average price in 2014. Becauseof this strong lemon prices, the industry experienced an increase in production value, up from $641 million in 2014 to $694 million in 2015.

Lemon importation in the United States increased last year to a record 169.6 million pounds. It is believed that this increase was triggered by lower fresh production and higher prices. Mexico provided 54 percent (equivalent to 92.1 million pounds) of all lemons imported into the US and the country has been increasing its lemon shipments to the US year over year.

Chile is the number two sourcing country for lemons and exported 62.2 million pounds during last season, more than doubling the volume shipped the year before. Shipments from Spain almost tripled compared to the previous year and amounted to 10.3 million pounds.

Lemon exports exceeded imports and amounted to 247.9 million pounds last year. Japan was the largest destination for US fresh lemons, buying 67.9 million pounds.

Canada received about the same amount as Japan. South Korea ranks third, receiving 30.2 million pounds. Despite the strong export number, domestic per capita consumption increased 5 percent from the previous season. Since 2010, US per capita consumption of lemons has consistently been above 3 pounds per person.

2. Executive Summary

Peoples Cafe is a new and big specialty beverage retailer. We plan to make use of a system that is entirely new to the industry to provide astounding hot and cold beverages in a convenient and time-efficient way. We at Peoples Cafe hope to provide our customers with the opportunity to drive up and place their order of well-prepared lemonade, espresso drink, freshly brewed coffee, or other beverage.

We also hope to give our patrons the best hot and cold beverages, specializing in well blended lemonade, coffees, blended teas, and other custom drinks. We will also offer soft drinks, fresh-baked pastries and other confections.

at Peoples Cafe hope to get at our targeted markets by deploying Drive-through facilities and Mobile Cafes to satisfy the various urge of the people of San Diego, California. These facilities we believe will be designed to manage the two-sided traffic and dispense customer-designed, specially ordered cups of premium lemonade in less time than need to visit other businesses.

We at Peoples Cafe hope to offer quality products and an extensive menu of delicious items, to make sure we get our customer awareness and loyalty, as well as good publicity coverage and media support. The financial picture we have for this venture looks promising.

We at Peoples Café chose to become the Drive-through cafe between the mountains, gaining several million dollars through an initial public or private offering that would allow the People’s Cafe to open twenty to thirty facilities per year in all metropolitan communities in the North, Midwest, and South with a population of over 150,000.

It is very important to note that Peoples Cafe is a Limited Liability Corporation. We believe that all membership shares are all currently owned by Nick and Sandra Martins, and we also plan or hope to use a portion of the shares to raise capital. Our plan calls for the sale of 100 membership units in Peoples Café to family members, friends, and angel investors .

We also believe that it is crucial to say that each membership unit in the business is priced at $2,328 with a minimum of five units per membership certificate, or a minimum investment of $21,954 per investor. We also understand that if all funds are raised, Nick and Sandra Martins will maintain ownership of no less than 51% of the People’s Cafe.

3. Our Products and Services

We at Peoples Cafe hope to provide our patrons the finest hot and cold beverages, specializing in well blended Lemonade and custom blended teas. In addition, we also hope to select sell coffees, soft drinks, Italian sodas, fresh-baked pastries, and other confections.

\We at Peoples Cafe hope to offer our customers the ability to custom order a lemonade beverage that will be made and produced to their exact specifications. All of our staffs will be well trained in the art of making, blending, and serving the highest quality hot and cold beverages, with exceptional attention to detail.

Through our website and certain locations, we will market premium items such as Lemonade, coffee mugs, T-shirts and sweatshirts, ball caps, and more. We hope to create multiple sources of income in line with our core business concept, which is why we will run an in – house and community based consultancy service and trainings as it relates to lemonade and all other drinks.

Our Objective is to produce the best products – freshest lemon, coffee beans, cleanest equipment, premium serving containers, consistent flavour.

4. Our Mission and Vision Statement

• Our Vision at Peoples Cafe is to build a stand that will provide astonishing services to the people of San Diego and also grow to become a venture that will occupy every major city in the United States.
• Our mission at Peoples Cafe is to provide our customers with the finest quality beverage in the most efficient time, provide community support through customer involvement, and build and grow our business at a profitable rate through sound economic decisions.

Our Business Structure

Our Business Structure at Peoples Cafe will be a relatively flat one, since most of our personnel will be involved in production and there will be a relatively low headcount in management. We plan to create three functioning groups within Peoples Cafe: Production, Sales and Marketing, and General and Administrative.

Our Production group will involve our Customer Service Specialists, who will be manning our Drive-through and Mobile Cafes and blending the juices and beverages for the customers. Our Sales and Marketing will take care of the promotion and scheduling of the Mobile Cafes, as well as the promotion of the Drive-through and the Community Contribution program.

General and Administrative manage the facilities, equipment, inventory, payroll, and other basic, operational processes. We have taken our time to map out the various roles of our employees and what we need, and they include;

Chief Executive Officer

• Chief operating officer
• Chief financial officer
• Chief information officer

Director of marketing

District and facilities managers

• Warehouse manager /store manager

Customer Service Specialists

5. Job Roles and Responsibilities

• Develops management’s effectiveness by employing, selecting and training, managers. Passing across information to managers on values, plans, and purposes.
• Generates, interacts, and applies the organization’s vision, mission, and overriding theme.
• In charge of setting prices and validation business deals
• Provides a sense of direction for the business
• Constructs, transfers, and helps to drive the organization’s vision, mission, and overall direction.
• Validates checks and documents.
• Appraises the achievement of the organization

Chief Operating officer

• In charge of overseeing the smooth running of the business
• Leads the producing of all business products
• Part of the team that determines the quantity of products that are to be produced daily
• Make lists and budget for all supplies
• Oversee the entire business process
• In charge of training new staffs
• Makes sure that quality in maintained at all times
• Maps out strategy that will lead to efficiency amongst workers in the venture
• In charge of training, evaluation and assessment of the workforce
• Ensures operation of equipment by completing preventive maintenance requirements; calling for repairs.
• Ensures that the bakery meets the expected safety and health standard at all times.

Chief Financial officer

• In charge of preparing financial reports, budgets, and financial statements for the organization
• Provides managements with financial analyses, development budgets, and accounting reports; analyses financial feasibility for the most complex proposed projects; conducts market research to forecast trends and business conditions.
• In charge of financial forecasting and risks analysis.
• Performs cash management, general ledger accounting, and financial reporting
• In charge of developing and managing financial systems and policies
• In charge of administering payrolls
• Ensures compliance with taxation legislation
• Handles all financial transactions for the organization
• Serves as internal auditor for the organization

Chief Information officer

• Provides technological guidance within an organization.
• Supervises information system and communications network.
• Develops and implements a customer service platform to serve the organization in every aspect.
• Designs and maintain a network infrastructure for local and wide area connectivity and remote access.
• Consults with administration, department managers, and manufacturing representatives to exchange information, present new approaches, and to discuss equipment/system changes.
• Participates in vendor contract negotiations for all new computer equipment and software purchased for the corporation.
• Creates a cost-benefit analysis as well as supporting a detailed definition of data requirements and departmental workflows.
• Manages external research and coordinate all the internal sources of information to retain the organizations’ best customers and attract new ones
• Models demographic information and analyse the volumes of transactional data generated by customer purchases
• Identifies, prioritizes, and reaches out to new partners, and business opportunities et al
• In charge of supervising implementation, advocate for the customer’s needs, and communicate with customers
• Develops, executes and evaluates new plans for expanding increase sales
• Documents all customer contact and information
• Represents the People’s Cafe in strategic meetings
• Helps to develop sales and growth for the People’s Cafe
• In charge of outlining a comprehensive recruiting and training program for warehouse managers to follow
• Monitor the P&L reports for each store and develop effective ways to fill in any gaps between actual performance and People’s Cafe projections
• Prioritize store performance issues to make certain that the issues most directly affecting profitability are addressed first
• Immediately address any lapses in compliance with corporate policies or local, state and federal laws
• Act as a coach to the store managers and as a resource to each store employee to help inspire the success of each store

Warehouse manager / store manager

• Maintains receiving, warehousing, and distribution operations by initiating, coordinating, and enforcing program, operational, and personnel policies and procedures.
• Complies with federal, state, and local warehousing, material handling, and shipping requirements by studying existing and new legislation; enforcing adherence to requirements; advising management on needed actions.
• Safeguards warehouse operations and contents by establishing and monitoring security procedures and protocols.
• Controls inventory levels by conducting physical counts; reconciling with data storage system.
• Maintains physical condition of warehouse by planning and implementing new design layouts; inspecting equipment; issuing work orders for repair and requisitions for replacement.
• Contributes to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed.
• Ensures that all contacts with customer (e-mail, walk-In centre, SMS or phone) provides the client with a personalized customer service experience of the highest level
• Through interaction with customers on the phone, uses every opportunity to build client’s interest in the People’s Cafe ’s products and services
• Manages administrative duties assigned by the store manager in an effective and timely manner
• Consistently stays abreast of any new information on Peoples Cafe, promotional campaigns etc. to makes sure accurate and helpful information is supplied to customers when they make enquiries
• In charge of cleaning the stand at all times
• Makes sure that toiletries and supplies don’t run out of stock
• Cleans both the interior and exterior of the shop
• Any other duty as assigned by the manager.

6. SWOT Analysis

Our Objective at Peoples Cafe is to build a classic business that will capture majority of the local market share. We are putting all things in place and we have taken everything into consideration.

We also decided to get our SWOT Analysis, which will go a long way in helping us establishing a business that will be very successful. We hired a business consultant to do this analysis for us because we believe they will be able to state our issues of we have any.

In view of that, we were able to take stock of our strengths, our weakness, our opportunities and also the threats that we are likely going to be exposed to in the industry and our business location. Scarcely summarized below is the result of our SWOT Analysis;

According to our SWOT Analysis, the strength of Peoples Café rests on the fact that we are set to bring in new products and innovation into the industry. Our workforce and business location was all notes to be one of the strength we have at Peoples Cafe. Our founders who are experienced individuals in the industry will go a long way to push our venture to the top.

Our SWOT Analysis stated that our threat will be the time it will take people to know where we are and what we offer. People go about their daily activities and most times they tend not to discover the new business next to them except the venture comes with a direct marketing Plan.

We at Peoples Cafe plan to start advertising even before we open up our shops, at least to make sure that our brand is known.

• Opportunities

The opportunities available to us are unlimited. Our SWOT Analysis noted that the industry is a recession-proof industry that will always keep booming as long as the world’s population keeps growing. People may not always have the time to cook due to their schedule, and will always decide to grab a cup of lemonade or coffee on his way to the office.

According to our SWOT Analysis, our threat is the fact that we are competing with already established beverage stand in San Diego, California, and also there are other entrepreneurs who are likely going to launch similar business within the location of our business.

We understand that this is an easy business to start and people are currently planning on how to join the trend. But we have plans to make sure that this and other threats won’t stop us from achieving our objectives and mission.

7. MARKET ANALYSIS

• Market Trend

Just as we must have said above, California is the leading agricultural state in the U.S., with $24.5 billion in 1996 farm gate sales, compared to $13.3 in second ranked Texas. Nine of the top 10 agricultural counties in the U.S. are located in California, all of which are billion dollar producers.

Fresno County, where this meeting is being held, is the country’s number one agricultural county, with $3.3 billion in farm gate sales.

The ranking of California as the leading citrus producing state in the United States has been aided by their climatic advantages which enable them to produce a great variety of agricultural products that are not grown extensively elsewhere in the U.S.

The rising demand of their production of vegetables and citrus is a function of domestic demand, export demand, and competition, both domestically and internationally.

These demands are hyped by things like price, population growth rates, income levels and elasticity, household size, age distributions, educational levels, availability and prices of substitutes and complements, exchange rates , and changing consumer attitudes and preferences.

One of the key lifestyle trends that is always affecting food consumption is the on-going entrance of women into the work force, increasing the demand for foods of high and predictable quality that offer convenience and variety.

Also the growth in public knowledge about how diet and health are linked and the importance of maintaining physical fitness throughout life is another trend that have influenced product mix and product form of foods consumed in the United States, as elsewhere.

Other countries are reacting to the U.S. market’s growing demand for imports, and are directly developing their horticultural industries, in alignment with the implementation of broader export-led economic growth and diversification strategies.

Also the U.S. is investing in the long-term establishment of new export markets, in response to maturing demand at home and the growth in year-round demand for produce in other countries.

8. Our Target Market

We at Peoples Café plan to focus on two different market audience: Commuters and Captive Consumers. We have designed our business extensively to be able to access both of these markets. Commuters are defined as any one or more individuals in a motorized vehicle travelling from point “A” to point “B.”

Peoples Café greatest concentration will be on commuters heading to or from work, or those out on their lunch break. Our Captive Consumers market audience would include those who are tethered to a campus environment, or in a restricted entry environment that does not give the right to free movement to and fro.

This will include high school and college campuses, where there is limited time between classes, and corporate campuses where the same time constraints are involved, but regarding meetings and project deadlines and special events–such as carnivals, fairs or festivals–where there is an admission price to enter the gate, but exiting would mean another admission fee, or where refreshments are an integral part of the festivities.

Our target market will also be the mobile individual who has more money than time, and excellent taste in a choice of beverage, but no time to linger in a cafe.

Our competitive advantage

We at Peoples Café hope to build a business that can provide a substantial value proposition where a customer does not have to find a parking place, exit the vehicle, stand in line to order, wait for the beverages ahead of him to be produced, pay a premium price for average product, find a place to sit, clean up the previous customer’s mess, then enjoy their lemonade or coffee.

That’s if they have much time to spend. But our business concept is to build a business where a customer drives up, places the order, receives a high quality product at a competitive price, and drives away, without spending much time and energy.

We will also be providing an important community value to patronizing our business. Because for every purchase a patron makes from us, we plan to donate up to 6% of the sale to the local charity selected by the customer. Our Competitive Advantages are very simple. Our high quality product that will be sold at a competitive price in our stands will be a devastating hit to our competitors.

9. SALES AND MARKETING STRATEGY

• Sources of Income

Peoples Cafe is a standard business established to be very successful, which is why we will be providing our products in the most convenient and efficient way available–either at one of our two-sided Drive-through shops, or at one of our Mobile Cafes.

This we believe will separate Peoples Café from the competition in that its customers won’t need to find a parking place, wait in a long line, jockey for a seat, and clean up the mess left by a previous patron. We hope to provide enough income to be able to run our business and still move on with our charity aspect.

We believe in the uniqueness of our products and we hope to gain income by providing our patrons the finest hot and cold beverages, specializing in well blended Lemonade and custom blended teas. We will sell coffees, soft drinks, Italian sodas, fresh-baked pastries, and other confections.

We hope to offer our customers the ability to custom order a lemonade beverage that will be made and produced to their exact specifications. We will also offer training and consultancy in regards to the beverage industry.

10. Sales Forecast

We at Peoples Café hope to start our business by having two Drive-through locations in operation. Our first location will start in the third month of this plan and be fully operational beginning on the 1st day of November, and our second Drive-through will open six months later.

We also hope to add two more Drive-through in our second year and, and an additional nine Drive-through facilities in our third year. We also hope to deploy one mobile unit in the fourth quarter of the first fiscal year. Deploy a second and a third mobile unit within our second fiscal year.

We also expect to boost revenue from the commerce portion of our website, where it will sell Peoples Café t-shirts, sweatshirts, insulated lemonade mugs, pre-packaged coffee beans, and other premium items. But we are not expecting this to be a significant profit centre, but it is a major part of the marketing plan — as a function of developing our brand and building product awareness.

We estimate that our total first year sales should reach $421,087. Our second year will see sales increase to $1,114,521.The third year, with the addition of such a significant number of outlets, we will see sales increase to $3,004,752.

• Marketing Strategy and Sales strategy

We at Peoples Café understand how important a marketing plan is to the success of our business, which is why we will be placing our Drive-through stands in business locations of very high visibility and great ease of access.

We believe that our stands will be located on high traffic commuter routes and close to shopping facilities so as to attract customers going to or from work, or while they are out for lunch, or on a shopping expedition. Our Drive-through will be very simple, astounding, and eye-catching.

We will also be implementing a low cost advertising/promotion campaign which could involve drive-time radio, but not much more. We will also depend on establishing relationships with schools, charities and corporations to provide significant free publicity because of our community support program.

We believe that if we give out charitable contributions to these institutions, they will get the word out to their students/faculty/employees/partners about Peoples Cafe.

It is no doubt that the use of word of mouth has always proven to be the greatest advertising program any business venture can leverage. The media we believe will be more than willing to promote the charitable parts of Peoples Cafe and give us the opportunity for more exposure each moment Peoples Cafe contributes to charity.

11. Publicity and Advertising Strategy

Our long-range goal At Peoples Café is to gain enough brand awareness to leverage the product line into other regions and gain inquiries from potential inventors. To achieve this goal to expand and grow, we plan to do the following;

• Spend $1,000 per month on Public relations services for the next year intended to build awareness of editors and product information insertions, reviews, etc. We believe that the school fundraising program or our other charity programs will generate a fair amount of publicity on its own and will, perhaps, minimize–or even eliminate–the need for a publicist.
• We will also spend $1,000 per month concentrating on drive time Radio advertising. We plan to experiment with different stations, keeping careful track of results. As with the school fundraising program, we expect the stand and signage to be a substantial portion of our advertising.
• List our business on yellow pages ads (local directories)
• Attend relevant international and local real estate , finance and business expos, seminars, and business fairs et al
• Create different packages for different category of clients (individuals, start – ups and established corporate organizations) in order to work with their budgets
• Leverage on the internet to promote our business
• Engage direct marketing approach
• Encourage word of mouth marketing from loyal and satisfied clients

12. Our Pricing Strategy

We at Peoples Cafe have put plans in place in other to boost our income, which may include posting specials on high-profit items at the drive-up window. We also plan to make sure that we give out free drink coupons to those who have purchased a certain number of cups or something similar.

We also plan to develop window sales techniques such as our sellers asking if the customer would like a fresh-baked item with their lemonade. We believe that our pricing will be comparable to the competition in the market, but with the value-added feature of immediate, Drive-through service and convenience.

• Payment Options

We at Peoples Café plan to make sure that all our payment policy will be all inclusive because we understand greatly that different people prefer different payment options as it suits them. Here are the payment options that we will make available to our clients;

• Cash payment
• Point of Sale (POS) Machine payment
• Online bank transfer (online payment portal) payment
• Payment via Mobile money

It is also important to note that we have chosen banking platforms that will help us achieve our plans with little or no itches. Our bank account numbers will be made available on our website and promotional materials to clients who may want to deposit cash or make online transfer for our service charge.

13. Startup Expenditure (Budget)

It is important to note that a lot of factors will decide the amount we will need to successful launch a beverage stand. These factors may include our location, the size of the business we want to start i.e. the number of outlets / stands et al, and of course the state of the economy as at when we intend starting the business. We have done our research and have decided on the various places we want to spend our start-up capital, and they include;

• The Fee for registering the business in the United States – $750
• The budget for legal fees, insurance, permits and license – $30, 000
• The amount needed to build a two standard shop and renovation of the facility inclusive – $60,000
• The Cost for the purchase of kitchen / production equipment and gadgets (industrial ovens, fridges, smoke detector, TVs, microwave oven, mugs, Foils, Sound System, tables and chairs et al) – $25,000
• The Cost for supply of fruits and other inventories for a month – $120,000
• The Cost of Launching a Website – $600
• The cost opening party – $5,000
• Additional Expenditure (Business cards, Signage, Adverts and Promotions et al) – $100,000

Going by the report from our research and feasibility studies, we will need an average of $350,000 to start Peoples Cafe a standard beverage stand in San Diego, California.

Generating Funding / Start-up Capital for Peoples Cafe

Peoples Cafe just as we must have said is a Limited Liability Company that was established by Nick and Sandra Martins. They hope to build a successful business and have made the business process and way of raising start-up funds open. We hope to raise our start up fund through the following ways;

• Generate part of the start – up capital from personal savings and sell of stocks
• Source for soft loans from family members and friends
• Generate fund from Angel Investors
• Note : We have been able to raise $200,000 from the personal savings of our founders and we are almost at the verge of completing the money needed as capital from a reliable Angel investor with an eye for astounding businesses.

14. Sustainability and Expansion Strategy

We at Peoples Café believe that as time and seasons change, we will be offering products that will enhance sales and satisfy our customers’ desires. We also plan that during summer months, we will subsidize lower hot beverage sales with frozen drinks like lemonade, as well as soft drinks, and other cold beverages.

We all also make special beverages during holiday seasons, such as Egg Nog during the Christmas season and Hot Apple Cider in the Fall.

Our main desire at Peoples Café will be to listen to our patrons to understand what they are looking for most, and provide it. We all also be using our state-of-the-art, two-sided, Drive-through stands to provide convenience and efficiency for our customers.

We have already designed our state-of-the-art Mobile Cafes that will be deployed from time to time on high school and college campuses, corporate campuses, and at special events. We hope to purchase our lemonade and coffee from Citi fries Inc.

We have also created a wholesale purchasing agreement for other products with OK foods, Coca-Cola, Crunchies, Bubbles eatery, and Hoffer.

Our Drive-through stands will be manufactured by Niño palmers and our Mobile Cafes by Ceramic hob. Fulfilment equipment suppliers include Citifries Inc., Nino palmers, B &D foods limited, and Guaranteed Savage. Peoples Café computer equipment and Internet connectivity will be provided by Nicklaus Communications.

Checklist /Milestone

• Business Name Availability Check: Completed
• Business Incorporation: Completed
• Opening of Corporate Bank Accounts various banks in the United States: Completed
• Opening Online Payment Platforms: Completed
• Application and Obtaining Tax Payer’s ID: In Progress
• Application for business license and permit: Completed
• Purchase of All form of Insurance for the Business: Completed
• Conducting Feasibility Studies: Completed
• Leasing, renovating and equipping our facility: Completed
• Generating part of the start – up capital from the founder: Completed
• Applications for Loan from our Bankers: In Progress
• Writing of Business Plan: Completed
• Drafting of Employee’s Handbook: Completed
• Drafting of Contract Documents: In Progress
• Design of The Company’s Logo: Completed
• Graphic Designs and Printing of Packaging Marketing / Promotional Materials: Completed
• Recruitment of employees: In Progress
• Purchase of the Needed software applications, furniture, office equipment, electronic appliances and facility facelift: In progress
• Creating Official Website for the Company: In Progress
• Creating Awareness for the business (Business PR): In Progress
• Health and Safety and Fire Safety Arrangement: In Progress
• Establishing business relationship with banks, financial lending institutions, vendors and key players in the industry: In Progress

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If you’re setting your sights on starting a lemonade business, knowing how to reap profits is key. Our essential guide to starting your lemonade business cuts straight to the chase, giving you actionable strategies to make your stand not just another lemonade vendor, but a profitable local sensation.

Key Takeaways

• Starting a lemonade stand teaches children valuable business and life skills, including financial management , customer service, and marketing strategies, all while fostering a growth mindset .
• Choosing the right location and understanding legal requirements such as permits and health regulations are crucial for the success and safety of a lemonade business.
• Product quality, proper pricing , and experiential branding are key elements for maximizing profits and expanding a lemonade stand business.

Laying the Foundation for Your Lemonade Stand Business

Operating a lemonade stand business serves as an excellent introduction for budding entrepreneurs to the realm of making money and running a venture, all with minimal starting hurdles. More than just combining lemons into a refreshing drink and earning profits, this endeavor instills early lessons in entrepreneurship —grasping essential concepts and implementing optimal strategies from the outset.

Now comes the crucial question: what is the secret to maximizing profit at your lemonade stand? Let’s explore that!

Dreaming Up Your Lemonade Empire

In the world of lemonade stands, a catchy and memorable name is half the battle won. Here are some examples of simple yet distinctive lemonade stand names that infuse personal character into the brand and make your lemonade stand the talk of the town.

• Lucy’s Lemonade
• Tom’s Tangy Twist
• Refreshing Rendezvous

Remember, in the lemonade stand business, it’s not just about selling lemonade. It’s about selling a memory, making your stand a landmark that people look forward to visiting.

Crunching Numbers: Fun with Finances

Operating a lemonade stand involves more than just earning cash. It entails comprehending the revenue you generate. Young entrepreneurs gain practical financial management skills by establishing a budget that takes into account expenses such as fresh lemons, sugar, and cups, while also predicting potential earnings.

It’s surprising how managing a stand for selling fresh lemonade can turn into an enjoyable and practical lesson in mathematics!

The Art of Attraction: Marketing Your Stand

The exciting challenge is attracting patrons to your lemonade stand. To run a successful lemonade stand, it’s essential to offer the most revitalizing drink and also ensure that your booth stands out as irresistible. Employ innovative promotional strategies such as local signage, handing out flyers , harnessing social media platforms, and leveraging word-of-mouth endorsements to capture interest in your setup.

Keep in mind that effective marketing can transform casual onlookers into devoted customers at your lemonade haven.

Quenching Thirst and Learning: Skills Gained from Lemonade Sales

Operating a lemonade stand offers kids a delightful opportunity to gain business acumen and cultivate crucial life competencies. Through this experience, children acquire the ability to:

• Set actionable goals
• Interact socially with customers and initiate conversations
• Acquire leadership skills
• Apply basic math skills in practical situations
• Embrace responsibility
• Develop a growth mindset
• Deliver exemplary customer service
• Understand financial principles
• Develop effective communication abilities

As they serve up their zesty, fresh-squeezed lemonade, children become known not just as lemonade vendors, but as the creators of an extraordinary lemonade experience.

Responsibility on a Refreshing Scale

Operating a lemonade stand goes beyond simply serving lemonade to patrons. It involves overseeing an entire business. Kids acquire skills in:

• Being responsible
• Cultivating a solid work ethic
• Processing financial transactions and providing accurate change
• Decision-making with regards to the operation of their stand
• Tidying up following the day’s activities

Regardless of the size, each duty plays a significant role in advancing the success of the stand, imparting valuable lessons about deriving pleasure from making money via personal effort.

Customer Service with a Smile

The success of a successful lemonade stand hinges on outstanding interaction and service toward customers. When children engage with those who come to their stand, they hone vital social abilities and gain self-assurance. They grasp the significance of staying patient and upbeat when business is slow, as well as recognizing how crucial it is to ensure that each customer feels appreciated.

Setting Up Shop: Choosing the Perfect Spot

The success of your lemonade stand hinges significantly on its location. Sales can be boosted in an area where there’s a substantial amount of people passing by, making it easily accessible to patrons. The chosen spot should provide ample room for prospective buyers, including those in vehicles, to stop with ease and buy your product.

Indeed, just as with hot dog vending stands that often see increased patronage when well-placed, a strategically positioned lemonade stand is likely to satisfy more thirsts and elicit more joyful reactions from customers.

Location Scouting Adventures

Embarking on the quest for an ideal location for your lemonade stand can become an enjoyable activity involving the whole family. Every member of the family has the opportunity to suggest various spots, exploring both their advantages and any challenges they may present when considering where to install your stand.

The selected venue for selling lemonade—be it your home’s front lawn, a neighborhood park, or amidst a communal gathering—has to attract as many customers as possible. Additionally, it's essential to consider the dynamics of the chosen location. For instance, setting up near a playground could attract parents and children looking for a refreshing treat, while a stand near a busy sports field might draw in thirsty players and spectators.

The key is to identify a spot that not only has high foot traffic but also aligns with the target demographic for your lemonade business.

Legal Sips: Understanding Permits and Regulations

Prior to beginning your service at the lemonade stand, it is imperative that you verify its compliance with legal operations. This encompasses consulting state rules to ascertain if any specific licenses or lemonade stand permits are mandated and adhering to local health codes for the safety of the lemonade provided to customers.

Though managing legal considerations might seem intimidating, they constitute a fundamental component in maintaining a successful lemonade stand.

What's a Permit and Why Do I Need One?

Local authorities issue permits as official authorization for a child to legally run a lemonade stand. While not every state mandates permits for juvenile-run lemonade stands, it is crucial to check local regulations to circumvent any potential legal complications.

Securing a permit is not just critical for the lawful management of one’s own business. It also imparts valuable lessons on the governance and compliance aspects within the realm of commerce to budding entrepreneurs.

Health Rules for Yummy Lemonade

Embarking on the venture of selling lemonade is thrilling, yet it’s crucial to prioritize food safety as a fundamental aspect. Adhering to health and safety regulations by maintaining cleanliness with utensils, practicing diligent handwashing, and keeping lemons in a sanitized, cool environment guarantees that the lemonade remains safe for consumption.

The essence lies in safeguarding your customers while upholding a status for both safety and excellence.

Pricing It Right: Making Your Lemonade Worth Every Penny

Determining the right price for your lemonade at the stand is vital to ensure business success. To set a profitable price, you must take into account:

• The expense incurred from procuring ingredients
• Where your stand is situated
• Competitors in the area
• How much your prospective customers are prepared to spend

Indeed, every cent matters when you’re engaged in satisfying thirst through servings of lemonade in plastic cups!

Finding the Sweet Spot: Balancing Cost and Profit

Striking the right balance between cost and profit is a delicate task. It requires precise calculation of your lemonade stand supplies including ingredient expenses, maintaining product quality, and determining the appropriate quantity for your lemonade batch. Bear in mind that it’s not solely about how much profit you can generate, but equally important is providing value to your customers.

The Power of Pocket Change: Small Money Lessons

Operating a lemonade stand goes beyond the simple act of making money. It encompasses lessons in financial management as well. Employing the "Spend-Share-Save" strategy, kids can grasp the fundamentals of allocating funds for expenditures, charitable contributions, and future savings.

By earmarking a fraction of their income from lemonade sales for philanthropic purposes, they learn valuable lessons about benevolence and providing assistance within their community.

From Lemons to Lemonade: The Magic of Production

Achieving success with a lemonade stand hinges on the excellence and flavor of the lemonade offered. By utilizing fresh components, maintaining appropriate storage, and adhering to hygiene protocols, you can provide customers with a delightful and invigorating experience that will make your stand popular.

Fresh Is Best: Squeezing the Perfect Lemon

When it comes to lemonade, freshness is paramount. Here’s why:

• Lemonade made with freshly squeezed lemon juice that includes pulp provides enhanced flavor and a richer texture.
• Utilizing fresh components allows for the creation of premium-quality lemonade which can command a higher price tag.
• Meeting customer expectations for top-tier products aligns perfectly with offering fresh-made lemonade.

Stirring Up Success: Mixing and Serving Tips

Transforming lemons into delightful lemonade recipes is an intricate process that goes beyond mere squeeze. It entails perfecting the craft of blending and presenting. To guarantee the success of your lemonade stand, each phase, from optimizing juice extraction from lemons to adhering to precise mixing techniques, plays a crucial role.

Amplifying Your Stand: Marketing and Branding Basics

To ensure your lemonade stand is successful, it’s crucial to offer not just lemonade but an entire experience. Crafting a unique brand identity and implementing marketing tactics can differentiate your stand, drawing in greater numbers of customers who are eager to buy your product.

Crafting a Brand That Sticks

For a business such as a lemonade stand, establishing an unforgettable brand is essential. This includes devising a name that resonates and is easy to recall, designing a logo that looks professional and appealing, as well as offering something uniquely compelling about the lemonade being sold – all of which can forge a robust brand presence that remains with customers.

Spreading the Word: Marketing on a Shoestring Budget

Advertising does not need to come with a high price tag. Utilize the power of recommendations from people, signs around your local area, and platforms on social media to draw patrons to your lemonade stand while keeping costs low.

Harnessing the art of word-of-mouth can be as simple as asking satisfied customers to tell their friends or offering a small discount for referrals. Additionally, eye-catching signs strategically placed at busy intersections or community bulletin boards can capture the attention of passersby.

And don't underestimate the reach of social media; a well-timed post on local community groups or a fun, engaging Instagram story can attract a crowd without denting your budget.

Keeping the Stand Running: Day-to-Day Operations

Every day at a lemonade stand brings with it fresh responsibilities and chances, from safeguarding the earnings to keeping customers engaged and routinely monitoring supplies for continuity in operations.

Opening Up Shop: A Morning Checklist

To ensure a prosperous day operating your lemonade stand, it’s crucial to be well-prepared. This includes crafting an ample supply of lemonade beforehand, establishing a robust stand and creating eye-catching signs . By following a morning checklist, you can guarantee that everything is set for receiving customers and kicking off the day positively.

End of Day Wrap-Up: Counting Success

Concluding the day’s work is equally vital as getting started in the morning. This includes tallying profits, tidying up, and assessing stock to get ready for the upcoming day of business. It’s an opportunity to contemplate on the triumphs of that day and anticipate another successful day selling lemonade!

Growing Your Business: When Life Gives You More Lemons

When life provides an abundance of lemons, seize the opportunity to grow your lemonade enterprise. Young entrepreneurs can elevate their business by diversifying their product range and utilizing cargo trikes for enhanced mobility, thereby reaching new levels of success.

Flavor Innovations: Experimenting with Recipes

To differentiate oneself in the lemonade industry, embracing innovation is essential. Entrepreneurs can craft distinctive fruit syrups using a variety of fruits such as strawberries, raspberries, peaches, and cherries. This approach allows for the introduction of unique and tantalizing flavors to their lemonade offerings—variety truly adds excitement to everything!

Branching Out: Multiplying Your Stands

Growing a lemonade business often involves extending its reach. Collaborating with siblings or friends allows for shared responsibilities and the ability to operate several stands simultaneously, effectively multiplying promotional activities.

The goal is simple, distribute the invigorating flavor of lemonade across a broader area.

Operating a lemonade stand isn’t solely an enjoyable summertime pursuit. It represents an entrepreneurial voyage imparting crucial skills for life, encompassing managing finances and engaging with customers. This experience is beneficial whether you’re a budding entrepreneur or a parent mentoring your kids. Are you prepared to extract the utmost profit from your stand and launch into this exciting journey of entrepreneurship with lemonade?

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to start a lemonade business?

The expense of initiating a lemonade stand can vary significantly, with potential costs ranging from less than $10 to close to $400. This discrepancy is due to the variety of choices for stands and equipment.

Can you make money from lemonade?

Certainly, it is feasible to generate income through the sale of lemonade. Anticipated daily profits can vary widely from $20 to $100 based on aspects such as geographical setting, time of year, and climatic conditions.

How much should my kid sell lemonade for?

Initiate pricing at $1 for each cup, then tailor the price according to customer demand.

Take into account the expense of ingredients and additional costs to guarantee profitability.

Is a lemonade business profitable?

Certainly, initiating a lemonade enterprise has the potential to yield profits. In fact, certain vendors report net earnings between $2,000 and $10,000 per month. It’s important to ponder this likelihood of prosperity as you embark on establishing your business.

What skills can children learn from running a lemonade stand?

Operating a lemonade stand imparts crucial life skills to children, including the responsibility of managing their own business, providing quality customer service, understanding financial concepts, and developing effective communication abilities. These key competencies are beneficial as they transition into adulthood.

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Lemonade Stand

Back to All Business Ideas

How to Open a Lemonade Stand

Written by: Carolyn Young

Carolyn Young is a business writer who focuses on entrepreneurial concepts and the business formation. She has over 25 years of experience in business roles, and has authored several entrepreneurship textbooks.

Edited by: David Lepeska

David has been writing and learning about business, finance and globalization for a quarter-century, starting with a small New York consulting firm in the 1990s.

Published on May 9, 2023 Updated on May 15, 2024

Investment range

$550 - $6,800

Revenue potential

$5,400 - $108,000 p.a.

Time to build

0 – 3 months

Profit potential

$4,320 - $64,800 p.a

Industry trend

Lemonade stands have long been the go-to entrepreneurial venture for kids. However, lemonade stands don’t have to be just for children. You could start a mobile lemonade stand or cart, or even a lemonade kiosk in a mall. Interestingly, the lemonade industry is a large one, valued at nearly $10 billion and growing. 

But starting a lemonade stand, whether you’re a child or an adult, takes some business savvy. Luckily, this step-by-step guide details all the information you need to pour your way to lemonade stand success. 

Looking to register your business? A limited liability company (LLC) is the best legal structure for new businesses because it is fast and simple.

Form your business immediately using ZenBusiness LLC formation service or hire one of the Best LLC Services .

Step 1: Decide if the Business Is Right for You

Pros and cons.

• Lemonade is a refreshing and popular beverage
• High profit margins
• Low startup costs
• Generally not a high growth business
• Compete with other lemonade stands

Lemonade stand industry trends

Industry size and growth.

• Industry size and past growth – The global lemonade market is worth $9.2 billion in 2023 after growing by 5.7% from the previous year.(( https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/lemonade-market-7520 ))
• Growth forecast – The global lemonade industry is projected to grow 6.24% annually through 2030. 

Trends and challenges

• Lemonades with additional flavors like raspberry are growing in popularity.
• Hybrid lemonade drinks, such as lemonade combined with iced tea or sparkling water are becoming more common.
• Canned lemonade drinks are creating more competition for homemade fresh lemonade stands.
• The rising price of lemonade ingredients is cutting into the profit margins of lemonade stands.

How much does it cost to start a lemonade stand business?

If you’re starting a lemonade stand in your yard and plan to run it on a regular basis, you can start for about $500. If you start a mobile lemonade cart, you’ll spend about $7,000 for the cart and equipment. 

You’ll need a handful of items to successfully launch your lemonade stand business, including: 

• Lemonade cart
• Lemonade making equipment

How much can you earn from a lemonade stand business?

These calculations will include two scenarios. The first is for an at home lemonade stand and the second is for a mobile lemonade cart. In both scenarios lemonade prices will be assumed to b $3 per cup. An at home lemonade stand should have a profit margin of about 80%, while a lemonade cart would have a margin of about 60%.

A home based lemonade stand might have 20 customers a day, 90 days a year, bringing in $5,400 in revenue. This would mean $4,320 in profit, assuming that 80% margin. Not bad if you’re a kid!

A mobile lemonade cart that you set up in prime locations might have 200 customers day, 180 days a year, bringing in $108,000. This would mean a profit of a healthy $64,800. 

What barriers to entry are there?

There are a few barriers to entry for a lemonade stand. Your biggest challenges will be:

• Funding the startup costs
• Competing with other lemonade stands

Related Business Ideas

How to Start a Juice Bar Business

How to Start a Smoothie Business

How to Open a Liquor Store

Step 2: hone your idea.

Now that you know what’s involved in starting a lemonade stand, it’s a good idea to hone your concept in preparation to enter a competitive market. 

Market research could give you the upper hand even if you’ve got the perfect product. Conducting robust market research is crucial, as it will help you better understand your customers, your competitors, and the broader business landscape.

Analyze your competitors 

Research lemonade stands in your area to examine their products, price points, and customer reviews.

• Make a list of lemonade businesses that offer similar products. 
• Review your competitors’ products – their features, pricing, and quality – and marketing strategies
• Check out their online reviews and ratings on Google, Yelp, and Facebook to get an idea of what their customers like and dislike.
• Identify your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses. 

This should identify areas where you can strengthen your business and gain a competitive edge to make better business decisions.

Why? Identify an opportunity

You’re looking for a market gap to fill. For instance, maybe the local market is missing a neighborhood lemonade stand that offers country time lemonade, or a mobile lemonade cart that makes fresh lemonade.  

You might consider targeting a niche, such as fresh lemonade and homemade cookies.

This could jumpstart your word-of-mouth marketing and attract clients right away. 

What? Selecting the perfect lemonade recipes and stand setup

In addition to lemonade, you could offer cookies or other snacks. 

How much should you charge for lemonade?

Your prices will depend on market prices in your area, but also on your costs to make the lemonade. 

Once you know your costs, use this Step By Step profit margin calculator to determine your mark-up and final price points. Remember, the prices you use at launch should be subject to change if warranted by the market.

Who? Identify your target market

Your target market will either be people in your neighborhood, or just thirsty people who like lemonade. You can market your business on TikTok, Instagram, or LinkedIn. Childrens lemonade stands can also distribute flyers in their neighborhood. 

Choosing a good location

Choosing a good location for your lemonade stand is essential for the success of your venture. Here are some steps you should consider:

• High Foot Traffic : Choose a location that has a lot of foot traffic. Parks, popular neighborhoods, shopping centers, or sports fields during a game are typically great options. The more people that walk by your stand, the better your chances of making sales.
• Visibility : Make sure your stand is easily visible to passersby. It should not be obscured by objects or other stands. A corner location can be ideal because it’s visible from two directions.
• Easy Access : The location should be easily accessible. It should not be difficult for potential customers to approach the stand.
• Weather Conditions : Consider the weather. If it’s sunny and hot, a location with some shade would be preferable to keep your lemonade cold and your customers comfortable.
• Nearby Activities/Events : Setting up near a local event like a farmer’s market, a fair, a sports game, or a concert can bring you a lot of customers. However, you should always make sure you have permission to set up in these locations.
• Safety : Choose a location where you, your employees, and your customers will feel safe. Avoid poorly lit or isolated areas.
• Permit and Regulations : Before setting up, check if there are any permits or regulations you need to follow. Some areas may require a vendor’s license or have specific rules about where you can set up.
• Competition : Avoid areas where there are already other lemonade stands, or many food and drink vendors. You want to stand out and not get lost in the crowd.
• Parking : If you expect customers to stop by in their cars, you should choose a location that has adequate parking facilities nearby.

Step 3: Brainstorm a Lemonade Stand Name

Here are some ideas for brainstorming your business name:

• Short, unique, and catchy names tend to stand out
• Names that are easy to say and spell tend to do better 
• Name should be relevant to your product or service offerings
• Ask around — family, friends, colleagues, social media — for suggestions
• Including keywords, such as “lemonade” or “fresh lemonade”, boosts SEO
• Name should allow for expansion, for ex: “Citrus Splash Beverages” over “Sunshine Sippers”
• A location-based name can help establish a strong connection with your local community and help with the SEO but might hinder future expansion

Once you’ve got a list of potential names, visit the website of the US Patent and Trademark Office to make sure they are available for registration and check the availability of related domain names using our Domain Name Search tool. Using “.com” or “.org” sharply increases credibility, so it’s best to focus on these. 

Find a Domain

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Finally, make your choice among the names that pass this screening and go ahead and reserve your business name with your state, start the trademark registration process, and complete your domain registration and social media account creation. 

Your business name is one of the key differentiators that sets your business apart. Once you pick a name, reserve it and start with the branding, it’s hard to switch to a new name. So be sure to carefully consider your choice before moving forward. 

Step 4: Create a Lemonade Stand Business Plan

Here are the key components of a business plan:

• Executive Summary: Provide a brief summary of your business plan, outlining your goals, target market, and financial projections.
• Business Overview: Describe your lemonade stand, including its location, size, and the types of lemonade products you plan to sell (e.g., traditional lemonade, flavored varieties).
• Product and Services: Detail the types of lemonade products you will offer, their pricing, and any additional services like delivery or catering for events.
• Market Analysis: Analyze the market for lemonade in your area, including potential customers, demand during different seasons, and pricing strategies of competitors.
• Competitive Analysis: Identify any competitors in the lemonade market, such as other stands or beverage businesses, and explain how your offerings will stand out.
• Sales and Marketing: Explain how you will attract customers to your lemonade stand, including marketing strategies, promotions, and any partnerships with local businesses or events.
• Management Team: Introduce yourself and any team members who will be involved in running the lemonade stand and their roles.
• Operations Plan: Describe the day-to-day operations of your lemonade stand, including sourcing ingredients, production, staffing, and opening hours.
• Financial Plan: Present financial projections, including startup costs, revenue forecasts, pricing strategies, and operating expenses, to show the financial feasibility of your business.
• Appendix: Include any additional materials, such as recipes, pricing lists, or photographs of your lemonade products, to support your business plan.

If you’ve never created a business plan, it can be an intimidating task. You might consider hiring a business plan specialist to create a top-notch business plan for you.

Step 5: Register Your Business

Registering your business is an absolutely crucial step — it’s the prerequisite to paying taxes, raising capital, opening a bank account, and other guideposts on the road to getting a business up and running.

Plus, registration is exciting because it makes the entire process official. Once it’s complete, you’ll have your own business! 

Choose where to register your company

Your business location is important because it can affect taxes, legal requirements, and revenue. Most people will register their business in the state where they live, but if you are planning to expand, you might consider looking elsewhere, as some states could offer real advantages when it comes to lemonade stands. 

If you’re willing to move, you could really maximize your business! Keep in mind, it’s relatively easy to transfer your business to another state. 

Choose your business structure

Business entities come in several varieties, each with its pros and cons. The legal structure you choose for your lemonade stand will shape your taxes, personal liability, and business registration requirements, so choose wisely. 

Here are the main options:

• Sole Proprietorship – The most common structure for small businesses makes no legal distinction between company and owner. All income goes to the owner, who’s also liable for any debts, losses, or liabilities incurred by the business. The owner pays taxes on business income on his or her personal tax return.
• General Partnership – Similar to a sole proprietorship, but for two or more people. Again, owners keep the profits and are liable for losses. The partners pay taxes on their share of business income on their personal tax returns.
• Limited Liability Company ( LLC ) – Combines the characteristics of corporations with those of sole proprietorships or partnerships. Again, the owners are not personally liable for debts.  Here’s how to form an LLC .
• C Corp – Under this structure, the business is a distinct legal entity and the owner or owners are not personally liable for its debts. Owners take profits through shareholder dividends, rather than directly. The corporation pays taxes, and owners pay taxes on their dividends, which is sometimes referred to as double taxation.  Read how to start a corporation here .
• S Corp – An S-Corporation refers to the tax classification of the business but is not a business entity. An S-Corp can be either a corporation or an LLC , which just need to elect to be an S-Corp for tax status. In an S-Corp, income is passed through directly to shareholders, who pay taxes on their share of business income on their personal tax returns.

We recommend that new business owners choose LLC as it offers liability protection and pass-through taxation while being simpler to form than a corporation. You can form an LLC in as little as five minutes using an online LLC formation service. They will check that your business name is available before filing, submit your articles of organization , and answer any questions you might have. 

Form Your LLC

Choose Your State

We recommend ZenBusiness as the Best LLC Service for 2024

Step 6: Register for Taxes

The final step before you’re able to pay taxes is getting an Employer Identification Number , or EIN. You can file for your EIN online or by mail or fax: visit the IRS website to learn more. Keep in mind, if you’ve chosen to be a sole proprietorship you can simply use your social security number as your EIN. 

Once you have your EIN, you’ll need to choose your tax year. Financially speaking, your business will operate in a calendar year (January–December) or a fiscal year, a 12-month period that can start in any month. This will determine your tax cycle, while your business structure will determine which taxes you’ll pay.

The IRS website also offers a tax-payers checklist , and taxes can be filed online.

It is important to consult an accountant or other professional to help you with your taxes to ensure you are completing them correctly.

Step 7: Fund your Business

Securing financing is your next step and there are plenty of ways to raise capital:

• Bank loans: This is the most common method but getting approved requires a rock-solid business plan and strong credit history.
• SBA-guaranteed loans: The Small Business Administration can act as guarantor, helping gain that elusive bank approval via an SBA-guaranteed loan .
• Government grants: A handful of financial assistance programs help fund entrepreneurs. Visit Grants.gov to learn which might work for you.
• Friends and Family: Reach out to friends and family to provide a business loan or investment in your concept. It’s a good idea to have legal advice when doing so because SEC regulations apply.
• Crowdfunding: Websites like  Kickstarter  and  Indiegogo  offer an increasingly popular low-risk option, in which donors fund your vision. Entrepreneurial crowdfunding sites like  Fundable  and  WeFunder  enable multiple investors to fund your business.
• Personal: Self-fund your business via your savings or the sale of property or other assets.

Bank and SBA loans are probably the best option, other than friends and family, for funding a lemonade stand business. You might also try crowdfunding if you have an innovative concept.  

Step 8: Apply for Business Licenses/Permits

Starting a lemonade stand business requires obtaining a number of licenses and permits from local, state, and federal governments.

Federal regulations, licenses, and permits associated with starting your business include doing business as (DBA), health licenses and permits from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration ( OSHA ), trademarks, copyrights, patents, and other intellectual properties, as well as industry-specific licenses and permits. 

You may also need state-level and local county or city-based licenses and permits. The license requirements and how to obtain them vary, so check the websites of your state, city, and county governments or contact the appropriate person to learn more. Even a neighborhood lemonade stand may need a permit. 

You could also check this SBA guide for your state’s requirements, but we recommend using MyCorporation’s Business License Compliance Package . They will research the exact forms you need for your business and state and provide them to ensure you’re fully compliant.

This is not a step to be taken lightly, as failing to comply with legal requirements can result in hefty penalties.

If you feel overwhelmed by this step or don’t know how to begin, it might be a good idea to hire a professional to help you check all the legal boxes.

Step 9: Open a Business Bank Account

Before you start making money, you’ll need a place to keep it, and that requires opening a bank account .

Keeping your business finances separate from your personal account makes it easy to file taxes and track your company’s income, so it’s worth doing even if you’re running your lemonade stand business as a sole proprietorship. Opening a business bank account is quite simple, and similar to opening a personal one. Most major banks offer accounts tailored for businesses — just inquire at your preferred bank to learn about their rates and features.

Banks vary in terms of offerings, so it’s a good idea to examine your options and select the best plan for you. Once you choose your bank, bring in your EIN (or Social Security Number if you decide on a sole proprietorship), articles of incorporation, and other legal documents and open your new account. 

Step 10: Get Business Insurance

Business insurance is an area that often gets overlooked yet it can be vital to your success as an entrepreneur. Insurance protects you from unexpected events that can have a devastating impact on your business.

Here are some types of insurance to consider:

• General liability: The most comprehensive type of insurance, acting as a catch-all for many business elements that require coverage. If you get just one kind of insurance, this is it. It even protects against bodily injury and property damage.
• Business Property: Provides coverage for your equipment and supplies.
• Equipment Breakdown Insurance: Covers the cost of replacing or repairing equipment that has broken due to mechanical issues.
• Worker’s compensation: Provides compensation to employees injured on the job.
• Property: Covers your physical space, whether it is a cart, storefront, or office.
• Commercial auto: Protection for your company-owned vehicle.
• Professional liability: Protects against claims from a client who says they suffered a loss due to an error or omission in your work.
• Business owner’s policy (BOP): This is an insurance plan that acts as an all-in-one insurance policy, a combination of the above insurance types.

Step 11: Prepare to Launch

As opening day nears, prepare for launch by reviewing and improving some key elements of your business. 

Essential software and tools

Being an entrepreneur often means wearing many hats, from marketing to sales to accounting, which can be overwhelming. Fortunately, many websites and digital tools are available to help simplify many business tasks.  

You may want to use industry-specific software, such as  Vev , or ShipEdge , to manage your inventory, purchases, and sales. 

• Popular web-based accounting programs for smaller businesses include Quickbooks , Freshbooks , and Xero . 
• If you’re unfamiliar with basic accounting, you may want to hire a professional, especially as you begin. The consequences for filing incorrect tax documents can be harsh, so accuracy is crucial.

Create a website

Website development is crucial because your site is your online presence and needs to convince prospective clients of your expertise and professionalism. You can create your own website using services like WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace . This route is very affordable, but figuring out how to build a website can be time-consuming. If you lack tech-savvy, you can hire a web designer or developer to create a custom website for your business.

Your customers are unlikely to find your website, however, unless you follow Search Engine Optimization (SEO) practices. SEO will help your website appear closer to the top in relevant search results, a crucial element for increasing sales. 

Make sure that you optimize calls to action on your website. Experiment with text, color, size, and position of calls to action such as “Order Ahead”. This can sharply increase purchases. 

Here are some powerful marketing strategies for your future business:

• Eye-Catching Signage: Ensure your signage is bright, bold, and easy to read from a distance, attracting passersby with enticing visuals and a clear indication of your offerings.
• Local SEO  — Regularly update your Google My Business and Yelp profiles to strengthen your local search presence.
• Sensory Appeal: Leverage the power of scent by strategically placing a few lemon slices near your stand; the enticing aroma will draw people in and enhance their perception of your lemonade.
• Interactive Sampling: Offer small, free samples to passersby—let them taste the quality of your lemonade, creating a direct experience that can convert them into paying customers.
• Themed Events: Plan themed days or events, such as “Lemonade Happy Hour” or “Thirsty Thursdays,” to create anticipation and attract a regular customer base.
• Community Engagement: Establish partnerships with local businesses or community events to set up your stand, expanding your reach and becoming a familiar presence in the area.
• Loyalty Programs: Introduce loyalty cards or discounts for repeat customers, encouraging them to choose your stand over competitors and fostering customer loyalty.
• Social Media Challenges: Launch social media challenges or contests, encouraging customers to share their lemonade experience online and tagging your stand, boosting online visibility.
• Mobile Lemonade Stand: Explore mobile options like a cart or a pop-up stand, allowing you to reach different parts of your community and cater to various events.
• Bundle Deals: Introduce bundle deals, such as a combo with a snack or a discounted rate for buying multiple cups, enticing customers to spend more.
• Thirst-Quenching Promotions: During hot days, offer promotions like “Beat the Heat Specials” with discounted prices or larger cup sizes to attract more customers during peak times.

Focus on USPs

Unique selling propositions, or USPs, are the characteristics of a product or service that sets it apart from the competition. Customers today are inundated with buying options, so you’ll have a real advantage if they are able to quickly grasp how your lemonade stand meets their needs or wishes. It’s wise to do all you can to ensure your USPs stand out on your website and in your marketing and promotional materials, stimulating buyer desire. 

Global pizza chain Domino’s is renowned for its USP: “Hot pizza in 30 minutes or less, guaranteed.” Signature USPs for your lemonade stand business could be:

• Ice cold fresh lemonade
• Thirsty? We’ve got you covered
• Fresh lemonade with only organic ingredients

You may not like to network or use personal connections for business gain. But your personal and professional networks likely offer considerable untapped business potential. Maybe that Facebook friend you met in college is now running a lemonade business, or a LinkedIn contact of yours is connected to dozens of potential clients. Maybe your cousin or neighbor has been working in lemonade stands for years and can offer invaluable insight and industry connections. 

The possibilities are endless, so it’s a good idea to review your personal and professional networks and reach out to those with possible links to or interest in lemonade stands. You’ll probably generate new customers or find companies with which you could establish a partnership

Step 12: Build Your Team

If you’re starting out small, you may not need any employees. But as your business grows and you open a lemonade shop, you will likely need workers to fill various roles. Potential positions for a lemonade stand business include:

• Store Clerks – make lemonade, customer service
• Marketing Lead – create and implement marketing strategies
• General Manager – accounting, inventory management

At some point, you may need to hire all of these positions or simply a few, depending on the size and needs of your business. You might also hire multiple workers for a single role or a single worker for multiple roles, again depending on need. 

Free-of-charge methods to recruit employees include posting ads on popular platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, or Jobs.com. You might also consider a premium recruitment option, such as advertising on Indeed , Glassdoor , or ZipRecruiter . Further, if you have the resources, you could consider hiring a recruitment agency to help you find talent. 

Step 13: Run a Lemonade Stand – Start Making Money!

Whether you’re an ambitious kid or an adult looking for a new pursuit, a lemonade stand can be a great business. Most people love lemonade, making in a nearly $10 billion industry, so there’s money to be made. It’s also a simple business to start and you can have fun and be creative. 

You’ve got the business know how, so now you’re ready to launch your new money-making lemonade stand!

• Lemonade Stand Business FAQs

A lemonade stand can be profitable, but it depends on various factors such as location, pricing, quality, and demand.

The growth potential of a lemonade stand is limited, as it is typically a small-scale and seasonal business. However, with effective marketing and expansion strategies, it is possible to increase its profitability to some extent.

A lemonade stand is considered a small-scale retail business, focusing on selling a specific product (lemonade) to customers.

Yes, you can start a lemonade stand on the side, as it is often operated on a part-time basis, especially during the summer months or special events.

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• Decide if the Business Is Right for You
• Hone Your Idea
• Brainstorm a Lemonade Stand Name
• Create a Lemonade Stand Business Plan
• Register Your Business
• Register for Taxes
• Fund your Business
• Apply for Business Licenses/Permits
• Open a Business Bank Account
• Get Business Insurance
• Prepare to Launch
• Build Your Team
• Run a Lemonade Stand - Start Making Money!

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How to Start a Lemonade Stand

People have long enjoyed cold, refreshing lemonades on hot summer days. Lemonade stand businesses specialize in selling lemonade to hot and thirsty passersby. Some stands have fixed locations, while others are operated as mobile businesses.

Learn how to start your own Lemonade Stand and whether it is the right fit for you.

Ready to form your LLC? Check out the Top LLC Formation Services .

Start a lemonade stand by following these 10 steps:

• Plan your Lemonade Stand
• Form your Lemonade Stand into a Legal Entity
• Register your Lemonade Stand for Taxes
• Open a Business Bank Account & Credit Card
• Set up Accounting for your Lemonade Stand
• Get the Necessary Permits & Licenses for your Lemonade Stand
• Get Lemonade Stand Insurance
• Define your Lemonade Stand Brand
• Create your Lemonade Stand Website
• Set up your Business Phone System

We have put together this simple guide to starting your lemonade stand. These steps will ensure that your new business is well planned out, registered properly and legally compliant.

Exploring your options? Check out other small business ideas .

STEP 1: Plan your business

A clear plan is essential for success as an entrepreneur. It will help you map out the specifics of your business and discover some unknowns. A few important topics to consider are:

What will you name your business?

• What are the startup and ongoing costs?
• Who is your target market?

How much can you charge customers?

Luckily we have done a lot of this research for you.

Choosing the right name is important and challenging. If you don’t already have a name in mind, visit our How to Name a Business guide or get help brainstorming a name with our Lemonade Stand Name Generator

If you operate a sole proprietorship , you might want to operate under a business name other than your own name. Visit our DBA guide to learn more.

When registering a business name , we recommend researching your business name by checking:

• Your state's business records
• Federal and state trademark records
• Social media platforms
• Web domain availability .

It's very important to secure your domain name before someone else does.

Want some help naming your lemonade stand?

Business name generator, what are the costs involved in opening a lemonade stand.

A lemonade stand is inexpensive to open.  Anabelle , a 10-year-old, opened a licensed lemonade stand for $3,500. Businesses with fixed locations or larger stands may cost more to open, but they’re still affordable to open.

These startup funds go toward:

a stand, cart, or storefront

commercial-grade equipment for making and dispensing lemonade

lemons, sugar, water, and ice

cups, straws, and napkins

licensing and insurance costs

What are the ongoing expenses for a lemonade stand?

The ongoing expenses for a lemonade stand business are low. They include the cost of ingredients (lemons, sugar, water and ice), and facility, licensing and insurance costs.

For Annabelle, non-ingredient costs totaled $500 per year. Businesses that have to pay rent will have higher ongoing expenses. Compared to other businesses, though, these expenses will still be minimal.

Who is the target market?

A lemonade stand business’ ideal customer is a family or group of friends who are hot and thirsty. If someone in such a group suggests getting lemonade, everyone may agree to get one. Thus, a stand might sell several lemonades at once rather than just one to an individual customer.

How does a lemonade stand make money?

A lemonade stand business makes money by selling lemonade. Lemonade is typically sold by the glass or cup.

Most lemonade stand businesses price their lemonades at $5 or less. The exact cost depends on a stand's location. Even in high-demand areas, though, businesses resist going over $5 because. Many customers will think twice before spending more than $5 on an impulse purchase.

How much profit can a lemonade stand make?

In a busy location, a lemonade stand business can bring in a good profit.

One  lemonade stand business’ expenses  place the cost for ingredients of a 16-ounce lemonade below 50 cents. Making a 32-ounce lemonade costs less than 85 cents. At these prices, selling a lemonade for $5.00 provides a profit of over $4.00.

With the right traffic, $4.00 per sale quickly adds up. In a single day, a business that served 100 people would have $400 to cover that day’s expenses and provide a profit.

How can you make your business more profitable?

When looking for ways to increase profitability, a lemonade stand business should be wary of adding more products. Additional products can dilute a business’ brand as a lemonade stand. They also can increase overhead.

Instead, a business should look for ways to make more on the sale of each lemonade. This can be done by offering flavorings for lemonades and charging for the flavorings. Alternatively, a stand can sell a cup that comes with free refills for the day but costs much more than $5.00.

Want a more guided approach? Access TRUiC's free Small Business Startup Guide - a step-by-step course for turning your business idea into reality. Get started today!

STEP 2: Form a legal entity

The most common business structure types are the sole proprietorship , partnership , limited liability company (LLC) , and corporation .

Establishing a legal business entity such as an LLC or corporation protects you from being held personally liable if your lemonade stand is sued.

Form Your LLC

Read our Guide to Form Your Own LLC

Have a Professional Service Form your LLC for You

Two such reliable services:

You can form an LLC yourself and pay only the minimal state LLC costs or hire one of the Best LLC Services for a small, additional fee.

Recommended: You will need to elect a registered agent for your LLC. LLC formation packages usually include a free year of registered agent services . You can choose to hire a registered agent or act as your own.

STEP 3: Register for taxes

You will need to register for a variety of state and federal taxes before you can open for business.

In order to register for taxes you will need to apply for an EIN. It's really easy and free!

You can acquire your EIN through the IRS website . If you would like to learn more about EINs, read our article, What is an EIN?

There are specific state taxes that might apply to your business. Learn more about state sales tax and franchise taxes in our state sales tax guides.

STEP 4: Open a business bank account & credit card

Using dedicated business banking and credit accounts is essential for personal asset protection.

When your personal and business accounts are mixed, your personal assets (your home, car, and other valuables) are at risk in the event your business is sued. In business law, this is referred to as piercing your corporate veil .

Open a business bank account

Besides being a requirement when applying for business loans, opening a business bank account:

• Separates your personal assets from your company's assets, which is necessary for personal asset protection.
• Makes accounting and tax filing easier.

Recommended: Read our Best Banks for Small Business review to find the best national bank or credit union.

Get a business credit card

Getting a business credit card helps you:

• Separate personal and business expenses by putting your business' expenses all in one place.
• Build your company's credit history , which can be useful to raise money later on.

Recommended: Apply for an easy approval business credit card from BILL and build your business credit quickly.

STEP 5: Set up business accounting

Recording your various expenses and sources of income is critical to understanding the financial performance of your business. Keeping accurate and detailed accounts also greatly simplifies your annual tax filing.

Make LLC accounting easy with our LLC Expenses Cheat Sheet.

STEP 6: Obtain necessary permits and licenses

Failure to acquire necessary permits and licenses can result in hefty fines, or even cause your business to be shut down.

State & Local Business Licensing Requirements

Certain state permits and licenses may be needed to operate a lemonade stand business. Learn more about licensing requirements in your state by visiting SBA’s reference to state licenses and permits .

Most businesses are required to collect sales tax on the goods or services they provide. To learn more about how sales tax will affect your business, read our article, Sales Tax for Small Businesses .

Certificate of Occupancy

Businesses operating out of a physical location typically require a Certificate of Occupancy (CO).  A CO confirms that all building codes, zoning laws and government regulations have been met.

• If you plan to lease a lemonade stand location :
• It is generally the landlord’s responsibility to obtain a CO.
• Before leasing, confirm that your landlord has or can obtain a valid CO that is applicable to a lemonade stand business.
• After a major renovation, a new CO often needs to be issued. If your place of business will be renovated before opening, it is recommended to include language in your lease agreement stating that lease payments will not commence until a valid CO is issued.
• If you plan to purchase or build a lemonade stand :
• You will be responsible for obtaining a valid CO from a local government authority.
• Review all building codes and zoning requirements for your business’ location to ensure your lemonade stand business will be in compliance and able to obtain a CO.

STEP 7: Get business insurance

Just as with licenses and permits, your business needs insurance in order to operate safely and lawfully. Business Insurance protects your company’s financial wellbeing in the event of a covered loss.

There are several types of insurance policies created for different types of businesses with different risks. If you’re unsure of the types of risks that your business may face, begin with General Liability Insurance . This is the most common coverage that small businesses need, so it’s a great place to start for your business.

Another notable insurance policy that many businesses need is Workers’ Compensation Insurance . If your business will have employees, it’s a good chance that your state will require you to carry Workers' Compensation Coverage.

FInd out what types of insurance your Lemonade Stand needs and how much it will cost you by reading our guide Business Insurance for Lemonade Stand.

STEP 8: Define your brand

Your brand is what your company stands for, as well as how your business is perceived by the public. A strong brand will help your business stand out from competitors.

If you aren't feeling confident about designing your small business logo, then check out our Design Guides for Beginners , we'll give you helpful tips and advice for creating the best unique logo for your business.

Recommended : Get a logo using Truic's free logo Generator no email or sign up required, or use a Premium Logo Maker .

If you already have a logo, you can also add it to a QR code with our Free QR Code Generator . Choose from 13 QR code types to create a code for your business cards and publications, or to help spread awareness for your new website.

How to promote & market a lemonade stand

Since most lemonade is bought by passersby, all marketing efforts should be focused on getting the attention of people who are going by a lemonade stand. Signs are one of the best ways to attract people’s attention in this manner.

How to keep customers coming back

A lemonade stand business can increase how many returning customers it sees by offering great tasting lemonade. If a stand’s lemonade is subpar,  sales will decrease . If the lemonade is delicious, though, customers will return for another drink the next time they’re in the area and thirsty.

STEP 9: Create your business website

After defining your brand and creating your logo the next step is to create a website for your business .

While creating a website is an essential step, some may fear that it’s out of their reach because they don’t have any website-building experience. While this may have been a reasonable fear back in 2015, web technology has seen huge advancements in the past few years that makes the lives of small business owners much simpler.

Here are the main reasons why you shouldn’t delay building your website:

• All legitimate businesses have websites - full stop. The size or industry of your business does not matter when it comes to getting your business online.
• Social media accounts like Facebook pages or LinkedIn business profiles are not a replacement for a business website that you own.
• Website builder tools like the GoDaddy Website Builder have made creating a basic website extremely simple. You don’t need to hire a web developer or designer to create a website that you can be proud of.

Recommended : Get started today using our recommended website builder or check out our review of the Best Website Builders .

Other popular website builders are: WordPress , WIX , Weebly , Squarespace , and Shopify .

STEP 10: Set up your business phone system

Getting a phone set up for your business is one of the best ways to help keep your personal life and business life separate and private. That’s not the only benefit; it also helps you make your business more automated, gives your business legitimacy, and makes it easier for potential customers to find and contact you.

There are many services available to entrepreneurs who want to set up a business phone system. We’ve reviewed the top companies and rated them based on price, features, and ease of use. Check out our review of the Best Business Phone Systems 2023 to find the best phone service for your small business.

Recommended Business Phone Service: Phone.com

Phone.com is our top choice for small business phone numbers because of all the features it offers for small businesses and it's fair pricing.

Is this Business Right For You?

Anyone who is looking for a business that’s easy to own may be interested in operating a lemonade stand business. Lemonade stands have low costs and are easy to run, yet they can be quite profitable. For these reasons, they appeal to entrepreneurs of all ages -- from kids to retirees.

It helps to enjoy interacting with people. While business owners don’t spend a lot of time talking to any one customer, they will serve and interact with many customers each day.

Want to know if you are cut out to be an entrepreneur?

Take our Entrepreneurship Quiz to find out!

Entrepreneurship Quiz

What happens during a typical day at a lemonade stand?

Business owners spend most of their time service customers lemonade. To provide the freshest possible product and enhance the customer experience, each lemonade is usually made fresh when ordered. Making lemonade involves squeezing lemons, adding sugar water and ice, and mixing the ingredients together. It takes just a minute to make a lemonade.

When not serving customers, business owners order more supplies, clean their stand, and market their business. Business owners who have mobile stands must also spend time researching where to take their stands.

What are some skills and experiences that will help you build a successful lemonade stand?

Business owners should be comfortable with basic business principles, and they need to know how to make good lemonade.

Business owners who don’t know how to run a business may want to take a course on business practices. Local community colleges often offer courses. There are also many courses online.  Coursera  and  OpenCulture  have many free business classes.

To develop a recipe, business owners should consult online recipes.  Allrecipes.com  and  Food Network  have many lemonade recipes. There are also lots of YouTube  videos on making lemonade .

What is the growth potential for a lemonade stand?

Most lemonade stand businesses remain local businesses that have one location. A few businesses might grow to have several locations in an area, but growing beyond this is uncommon.

There are  lemonade stand franchises  that have multiple locations, but growing a lemonade stand business through franchises is difficult. Because stands are easy to run, any training a franchise offers has limited benefit to business owners. Also, lemonade is often an impulse buy made by passersby. Thus, any advertising provided by a franchise is of little use to an individual stand.

TRUiC's YouTube Channel

For fun informative videos about starting a business visit the TRUiC YouTube Channel or subscribe to view later.

Take the Next Step

Find a business mentor.

One of the greatest resources an entrepreneur can have is quality mentorship. As you start planning your business, connect with a free business resource near you to get the help you need.

Having a support network in place to turn to during tough times is a major factor of success for new business owners.

Learn from other business owners

Want to learn more about starting a business from entrepreneurs themselves? Visit Startup Savant’s startup founder series to gain entrepreneurial insights, lessons, and advice from founders themselves.

Resources to Help Women in Business

There are many resources out there specifically for women entrepreneurs. We’ve gathered necessary and useful information to help you succeed both professionally and personally:

If you’re a woman looking for some guidance in entrepreneurship, check out this great new series Women in Business created by the women of our partner Startup Savant.

What are some insider tips for jump starting a lemonade stand?

When starting a lemonade business, choosing a good location is very important. Most customers won’t specifically seek out a lemonade stand. Instead, they’ll decide to get a lemonade while passing by if they’re hot and thirsty.

Therefore, a stand should be in a high-traffic area where it’s hot.  Good potential areas  include:

the boardwalk at a busy beach

an outdoor market in a city

fairs and festivals

Outdoor locations are preferable. Most indoor places are air conditioned, and cool air will decrease how much customers want a cold, refreshing drink.

How and when to build a team

A lemonade stand can be operated by one person. It’s helpful to have an employee, though. With two people, speed of service will increase during rushes. Also, a business owner will have the freedom to go get more ingredients if they run out during the day.

Useful Links

Industry opportunities.

• Lemon Heaven (franchise)

Real World Examples

• Just Squeezed
• Anabelle Lockwood’s Lemonade Stand

Further Reading

• How to start a lemonade concession stand
• 7 business lesson from a lemonade stand
• How to run a lemonade stand
• How to sell lots of lemonade at a lemonade stand

Have a Question? Leave a Comment!

Start a Lemonade Stand

Squeeze out Profits: The Fizzy Economics of a Lemonade Stand

LEMONADE STAND

Related business ideas, discover your perfect domain, lemonade stand mini business plan, lemonade stand business idea, expected percent margin:, earnings expectations:, actions to achieve these numbers:, materials sourcing and product preparation:, stand establishment and marketing:, sales and customer experience:, cost control:, business operations:, not what you had in mind here are more ideas, grab your business website name, step 1: determine if starting a lemonade stand is right for you, breakdown of startup expenses, breakdown of ongoing expenses, examples of ways to make money, step 2: name the business, step 3: obtain permits and licenses, step 4: choose a location, step 5: purchase supplies, step 6: market the business, step 7: set prices, step 8: open the stand, step 9: track and adjust, explore more categories, take the next steps.

Lemonade Stand Business Plan Template

• Written by Dave Lavinsky

If you’re looking to create a lemonade stand business plan, you’ve come to the right place!

Over the past 25 years, the PlanPros team has helped over 1 million entrepreneurs and business owners write business plans….and many of them have started and grown successful lemonade stand businesses.

Lemonade Stand Business Plan Example

Below is our lemonade stand business plan template and sample plan:

I. Executive Summary

Company overview.

At CitrusNoble Lemonade Co., located in the heart of our vibrant community, we are dedicated to redefining the lemonade experience. Our mission is to deliver handcrafted, superior-quality lemonade made from the freshest, locally-sourced ingredients. We offer a delightful array of flavors, from the classic tangy zest to innovative blends that cater to every palate. Our commitment extends beyond the glass; we aim to create memorable moments for our customers through exceptional service, making us a staple in our community and setting us apart in the beverage industry.

Success Factors

Our success is anchored in our commitment to quality, variety, and customer experience. We meticulously source our ingredients locally, ensuring each glass of lemonade is not only refreshing but also supports our community. Our diverse flavor offerings cater to all tastes, making us a go-to destination. To date, our achievements include a loyal customer base and recognition in local food and beverage awards, underscoring our market leadership and the positive impact of our community engagements and sustainability practices.

Industry Analysis

The beverage industry, particularly the niche of handcrafted lemonade, is experiencing a resurgence as consumers increasingly seek out authentic, quality, and artisanal products. Trends indicate a growing demand for healthier, natural alternatives to conventional soft drinks, with a preference for locally-sourced and organic ingredients. Competitive dynamics are influenced by quality, innovation, and brand storytelling, with successful businesses often those that create a strong emotional connection with their customers. CitrusNoble Lemonade Co. is strategically positioned to capitalize on these trends, leveraging our commitment to quality, community engagement, and environmental sustainability to differentiate ourselves in a crowded market.

Customer Analysis

Our target customers are diverse, spanning various age groups with a common appreciation for high-quality, natural beverages. They are health-conscious individuals who prefer products made from organic, locally-sourced ingredients and are willing to pay a premium for artisanal experiences. Our customers also value community and sustainability, aligning with our brand’s ethos. By understanding our customers’ preferences and values, we are able to tailor our offerings and marketing strategies, ensuring we meet their needs and exceed their expectations, fostering loyalty and encouraging word-of-mouth promotion.

Competitive Analysis

Top Competitors:

• Local Lemonade Stands:  Small, community-focused operations offering traditional lemonade.
• Regional Beverage Brands:  Larger companies with a wider reach, offering a variety of flavored beverages, including lemonade.
• National Soft Drink Companies:  Major corporations with extensive product lines, including lemonade options among many other beverages.

Our competitive advantage lies in our commitment to quality, the variety of our offerings, and the exceptional customer service experience we provide. Unlike our competitors, we focus on creating a memorable experience for each customer, supported by our regular introduction of new and innovative flavors.

Marketing Plan

Our product line includes a wide range of lemonade flavors, made from locally-sourced, organic ingredients, catering to a variety of tastes and preferences. We offer these premium beverages at competitive prices, ensuring accessibility while reflecting the quality and craftsmanship that goes into each glass. Our promotions plan is multifaceted, encompassing engaging social media campaigns, community events, and sponsorships to build brand awareness and loyalty. We leverage customer feedback to continually adapt our offerings and marketing strategies, ensuring we remain aligned with our target market’s evolving preferences.

Operations Plan

To ensure operational excellence, CitrusNoble Lemonade Co. focuses on meticulous inventory management, rigorous quality control, exceptional customer service, proactive marketing and promotion, accurate sales tracking and reporting, efficient staff management, and maintaining cleanliness and compliance with regulatory standards. Our operational milestones include optimizing our supply chain to reduce waste, achieving significant sales growth through strategic marketing efforts, and expanding our product line to meet customer demand. By adhering to these operational practices and achieving these milestones, we aim to uphold our reputation for quality and service excellence as we grow.

Management Team

Our management team is composed of seasoned professionals with extensive experience in the beverage industry, business development, marketing, and operations. This diverse skill set ensures comprehensive oversight of CitrusNoble Lemonade Co.’s strategic direction, operational efficiency, and financial management. Our team’s leadership is instrumental in fostering a culture of innovation, quality, and customer-centricity, positioning us for long-term success and growth in the competitive beverage market.

Financial Plan

CitrusNoble Lemonade Co. requires significant funding to achieve our growth goals. This investment will be allocated towards expanding our product line, enhancing our marketing efforts, and improving our operational capacities. By securing the necessary funding, we are confident in our ability to scale our business, increase our market share, and continue to provide high-quality, handcrafted lemonade to our valued customers.

Below is an overview of our expected financial performance over the next five years:

II. Company Overview

CitrusNoble Lemonade Co. is a new and vibrant addition to Walnut Creek, CA. As a local lemonade stand, we have noticed a gap in the market for high-quality, locally-produced lemonade, and we are here to fill that gap. Our dedication to providing refreshing and delicious lemonade options sets us apart in a community eager for quality and variety in their refreshments.

At CitrusNoble Lemonade Co., our menu is designed to cater to a wide range of tastes and preferences. Our product line includes our signature Classic Lemonade, a variety of Flavored Lemonades for those looking for something unique, Lemonade Popsicles perfect for hot days, Iced Tea with Lemon for tea enthusiasts, and Lemon Bars or Cookies for a sweet treat. Each product is carefully crafted using quality ingredients to ensure the best taste experience for our customers in Walnut Creek, CA.

Our stand is strategically located in Walnut Creek, CA, making it convenient for locals and visitors alike to enjoy our offerings. This location not only allows us to serve our community directly but also to become a staple in the local food and beverage scene.

The foundation of CitrusNoble Lemonade Co. rests on several key success factors. Firstly, our founder brings valuable experience from running a successful lemonade stand, providing us with insights and strategies to thrive in this industry. Secondly, our commitment to quality and variety positions us ahead of our competition. We believe that our ability to offer better lemonade and more varieties will make us the go-to choice for lemonade enthusiasts in the area.

CitrusNoble Lemonade Co. was established on 2024-01-06 as a Sole Proprietorship, marking the beginning of our journey to refresh Walnut Creek with our delightful lemonade offerings. Our accomplishments to date include designing an eye-catching logo, developing our unique company name, and securing a prime location for our stand. These achievements are just the beginning, as we continue to strive for excellence and innovation in everything we do.

III. Industry Analysis

Research shows that the Lemonade Stand industry in the United States is thriving, with an estimated market size of $1.2 billion. The industry has seen steady growth over the past few years, driven by the increasing demand for artisanal and natural beverages. With consumers becoming more health-conscious and seeking out fresh, locally-sourced products, Lemonade Stands have become a popular choice for refreshment.

Experts predict that the Lemonade Stand industry will continue to grow at a steady pace, with a projected annual growth rate of 3.5% over the next five years. This growth is attributed to factors such as the rise of food and beverage tourism, the popularity of outdoor events and festivals, and the increasing preference for non-alcoholic beverages. As the industry expands, there will be ample opportunities for new players like CitrusNoble Lemonade Co. to establish a strong presence in the market.

Recent trends in the Lemonade Stand industry, such as the focus on unique flavor combinations, sustainable packaging, and experiential marketing, are aligning well with the offerings of CitrusNoble Lemonade Co. Their commitment to using locally-sourced, organic ingredients and providing a memorable customer experience sets them apart in a crowded market. With the growing emphasis on authenticity and transparency in food and beverage businesses, CitrusNoble Lemonade Co. is well-positioned to capitalize on these trends and carve out a niche for themselves in Walnut Creek, CA.

IV. Customer Analysis

Below is a description of our target customers and their core needs.

Target Customers

We will target the local residents of Walnut Creek, CA, who are constantly on the lookout for refreshing, high-quality beverages, especially during the warm and sunny months. This group includes families seeking a quick, sweet treat during their weekend outings, as well as individuals looking for a refreshing pause in their daily routine. Our lemonade stand is strategically positioned to cater to these local customers, ensuring they always have access to our delicious, handcrafted lemonade.

We will also focus on health-conscious consumers who prefer natural and organic options. Our lemonade, made from freshly squeezed lemons and natural sweeteners, will appeal to this segment. By emphasizing the health benefits of our ingredients, we will attract customers who are particular about the nutritional content of their beverages.

Lastly, we will tailor our offerings for the event and catering market within Walnut Creek. Our mobile lemonade stand can serve as a unique addition to local events, parties, and gatherings, providing a customizable lemonade experience for attendees. This approach will not only expand our reach but also introduce our brand to a wider audience through word-of-mouth and social media shares from these events.

Customer Needs

CitrusNoble Lemonade Co. aims to cater to the growing demand for high-quality lemonade among residents who prioritize taste and authenticity in their beverages. Customers can expect a refreshing experience with every sip, thanks to the meticulous selection of premium ingredients. This commitment to quality ensures that each glass of lemonade not only quenches thirst but also provides a delightful taste sensation.

In addition to offering superior lemonade, CitrusNoble Lemonade Co. recognizes the importance of environmentally conscious practices in today’s market. Customers are increasingly looking for brands that align with their values, including sustainability and eco-friendliness. By adopting sustainable practices in sourcing and packaging, CitrusNoble Lemonade Co. fulfills this need, appealing to environmentally aware consumers.

Moreover, CitrusNoble Lemonade Co. understands the significance of convenience in the fast-paced lives of its customers. The stand is strategically located and designed for easy access, allowing customers to enjoy their favorite lemonade without significant detours or waiting times. This focus on convenience ensures that customers have a smooth and enjoyable experience, making CitrusNoble Lemonade Co. a go-to destination for refreshment in the community.

V. Competitive Analysis

Direct competitors.

CitrusNoble Lemonade Co.’s competitors include the following companies:

Lemonade  is a fast-casual restaurant chain that distinguishes itself by offering a modern cafeteria-style model. This establishment focuses on serving seasonal Southern California comfort food, with a special emphasis on fresh, gourmet lemonades. Their product range also extends to include salads, sandwiches, and hot dishes, catering to a variety of dietary preferences including vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options. Price points at Lemonade vary, with lemonades starting at around $3 and meals ranging from $10 to $15, making it accessible to a wide audience. Lemonade boasts multiple locations across California, including in major cities and suburban areas, thus serving a broad geographic area and a diverse customer segment. Its key strengths lie in its wide variety of offerings and its strong brand identity that emphasizes freshness and sustainability. However, its weaknesses could include a higher price point compared to traditional lemonade stands and the potential for inconsistency across locations due to its size.

Wow Wow Lemonade Livermore stands  out for its commitment to handcrafted, artisanal lemonade made from locally sourced ingredients. This brand focuses exclusively on lemonades and acai bowls, keeping their menu niche but highly specialized. Their lemonades start at around $4, reflecting the premium nature of their handcrafted, small-batch products. With its base in Livermore and considering its artisanal approach, Wow Wow Lemonade targets customers looking for high-quality, sustainable options within a localized setting. The company’s strength lies in its community-focused approach and the uniqueness of its product offerings, which could create a loyal customer base. However, its relatively narrow product line and higher price points might limit its appeal to a broader audience.

Happy Lemon  is a global bubble tea and lemonade franchise known for its innovative beverages, including salted cheese tea, smoothies, and a wide selection of lemonade. Their products are priced competitively, with beverages starting at around $3, making it an attractive option for customers seeking both variety and value. Happy Lemon operates numerous locations worldwide, serving a diverse international customer base and catering to a variety of tastes and preferences. Happy Lemon’s key strengths include its extensive menu, competitive pricing, and strong international presence, which allows it to cater to a wide demographic. Its ability to innovate and introduce new beverage trends sets it apart from traditional lemonade stands and cafes. However, its focus on a broader range of beverages might dilute its brand identity as a specialist in lemonade. Additionally, the franchise model may lead to variability in product quality and customer experience across different locations.

Competitive Advantages

At CitrusNoble Lemonade Co., we take pride in our ability to craft superior lemonade, setting us apart from the competition. Our commitment to quality is evident in every sip, as we use only the freshest, locally-sourced ingredients to create a beverage that is both refreshing and flavorful. We understand that our customers’ tastes are diverse, which is why we offer a wide variety of lemonade options. From our classic, tangy traditional lemonade to innovative flavors that challenge the palate, we ensure that there is something for everyone. This commitment to quality and variety positions us as a leader in the market, catering to the unique preferences of each customer who visits our stand.

Furthermore, our approach to customer service enhances our competitive advantage. We believe that the experience of enjoying lemonade goes beyond the taste; it’s about the memories created with every glass. Our team is trained to engage with customers in a friendly and welcoming manner, ensuring that every visit to our stand is memorable. This focus on creating a positive customer experience complements our product variety and quality, making us a preferred choice for refreshment. Additionally, our dedication to innovation keeps us ahead of trends, allowing us to introduce new and exciting flavors regularly. This adaptability ensures that our customers have something to look forward to with each visit, further solidifying our position in the market.

VI. Marketing Plan

Our marketing plan, included below, details our products/services, pricing and promotions plan.

Products, Services & Pricing

CitrusNoble Lemonade Co. introduces a refreshing twist to the traditional lemonade stand by offering a range of delightful lemon-based treats and drinks to quench the thirst of its customers. At the heart of its menu is the Classic Lemonade, a perfect blend of tangy and sweet, crafted from freshly squeezed lemons and a hint of sugar. Customers can expect to enjoy this quintessential refreshment for an average selling price of $3.50 per glass, making it both an affordable and invigorating choice.

For those seeking a little variety, the Flavored Lemonades present an enticing option. These beverages take the classic lemonade base and infuse it with vibrant flavors such as strawberry, raspberry, peach, and mango, offering a unique twist on the traditional drink. Each glass of Flavored Lemonade is available for an average price of $4.00, providing a flavorful escape for those hot summer days.

Expanding beyond liquid refreshments, CitrusNoble Lemonade Co. also caters to the frozen treat enthusiasts with its Lemonade Popsicles. These icy delights are made from the same high-quality, freshly squeezed lemonade, frozen into a convenient popsicle form. Ideal for on-the-go refreshment, Lemonade Popsicles are sold at $2.50 each, offering a cool respite from the heat.

Not to be overlooked, the Iced Tea with Lemon combines the robust flavors of freshly brewed tea with a generous splash of lemonade, creating a perfectly balanced beverage. This hybrid drink, appealing to both tea and lemonade lovers, comes at an average price of $3.75, offering a sophisticated twist on two classic beverages.

Finally, for those with a sweet tooth, CitrusNoble Lemonade Co. presents its Lemon Bars or Cookies. These baked goods are the perfect blend of tart and sweet, featuring a buttery base and a zesty lemon topping or a soft, lemon-infused cookie. Available for $2.00 each, these treats are the perfect accompaniment to any of the stand’s beverages, rounding off a menu designed to cater to a wide range of tastes and preferences.

In summary, CitrusNoble Lemonade Co. brings a refreshing array of lemon-based products to its customers, combining traditional recipes with innovative twists. From classic beverages to frozen treats and sweet snacks, there is something for everyone to enjoy, all offered at prices that promise both quality and value.

Promotions Plan

At CitrusNoble Lemonade Co., we understand the importance of effective promotional methods to attract our customers. We believe in the power of online marketing to reach our target audience efficiently. Our strategy encompasses a variety of digital channels to ensure we connect with our customers where they spend most of their time. From engaging social media campaigns on platforms like Instagram and Facebook to targeted email marketing efforts, we aim to create a buzz around our lemonade stand.

Additionally, we will leverage search engine optimization (SEO) to increase our visibility in search engine results. This will ensure that when potential customers in Walnut Creek, CA, search for the best lemonade stand around, CitrusNoble Lemonade Co. appears at the top of their search results. Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising will also play a crucial role in our online marketing strategy, allowing us to place ads directly in front of people who are looking for lemonade options in their area.

But our promotional efforts don’t stop online. We understand the value of community engagement and word-of-mouth marketing. To complement our digital efforts, we will participate in local community events, sponsor activities, and partner with other local businesses to increase our visibility. Offering free samples at these events and in high foot traffic areas will allow potential customers to taste the quality of our lemonade, turning them into loyal customers.

Loyalty programs and referral incentives will also be part of our promotional tactics. We believe that rewarding our customers for their loyalty and referrals is a powerful way to build a strong and devoted customer base. Exclusive offers and discounts to our repeat customers will not only enhance customer satisfaction but also encourage them to spread the word about CitrusNoble Lemonade Co.

In all our promotional activities, we will ensure that our messaging highlights the unique selling points of our lemonade, such as its natural ingredients, unique flavors, and our commitment to sustainability. By effectively communicating what makes our lemonade stand out, we expect to attract a wide range of customers looking for a refreshing, high-quality beverage option in Walnut Creek, CA.

Finally, feedback and customer interaction will be a cornerstone of our promotional strategy. We will actively seek out feedback through online surveys and social media engagement to understand our customers’ preferences and improve their experience. This direct line of communication will not only help us refine our offerings but also build strong relationships with our customers, fostering a community around CitrusNoble Lemonade Co.

By implementing these comprehensive promotional methods and tactics, we are confident that CitrusNoble Lemonade Co. will become a beloved destination for lemonade enthusiasts in Walnut Creek, CA, and beyond.

VII. Operations Plan

Our Operations Plan details:

• The key day-to-day processes that our business performs to serve our customers
• The key business milestones that our company expects to accomplish as we grow

Key Operational Processes

To ensure the success of CitrusNoble Lemonade Co., there are several key day-to-day operational processes that we will perform.

• Check stock levels of lemons, sugar, water, and other ingredients first thing every morning.
• Reorder supplies before running critically low, considering lead times for delivery.
• Perform weekly inventory audits to ensure accuracy and minimize waste.
• Inspect all ingredients for freshness and quality upon receipt and before use.
• Taste test lemonade batches periodically throughout the day to ensure consistent taste and quality.
• Train staff on proper preparation techniques and hygiene standards.
• Greet customers promptly and with a smile to create a welcoming environment.
• Take and prepare orders accurately and efficiently.
• Handle customer inquiries and complaints graciously and professionally.
• Update social media platforms daily with engaging content and promotional offers.
• Engage with the local community through events and sponsorships.
• Collect customer feedback to improve services and tailor marketing strategies.
• Record all sales transactions accurately in the point-of-sale system.
• Analyze sales data weekly to identify trends, peak times, and customer preferences.
• Adjust inventory levels and staffing based on sales data analysis.
• Schedule staff based on forecasted customer volume to ensure efficient operation.
• Conduct regular training sessions on customer service, product knowledge, and operational efficiency.
• Hold weekly team meetings to discuss performance, operational challenges, and opportunities for improvement.
• Ensure the stand and surrounding area are clean and inviting at all times.
• Perform daily cleaning of equipment and utensils to maintain hygiene standards.
• Schedule regular maintenance checks for equipment to prevent unexpected breakdowns.
• Stay current with local health and safety regulations to ensure compliance.
• Ensure all permits and licenses are up to date.
• Train staff on health and safety practices to avoid violations.

CitrusNoble Lemonade Co. expects to complete the following milestones in the coming months in order to ensure its success:

• Secure a Prime Location:  Find a high foot-traffic location in Walnut Creek, CA, that is optimal for a lemonade stand. This location should be accessible, visible, and in an area frequented by our target demographic.
• Obtain Necessary Permits and Licenses:  Complete all necessary regulatory requirements, including health department permits, city vending licenses, and any other local permits required to legally operate a lemonade stand in Walnut Creek, CA.
• Launch Our Lemonade Stand:  Officially open CitrusNoble Lemonade Co. to the public. This involves setting up the physical stand, ensuring we have adequate supplies and inventory, and beginning operations.
• Develop a Strong Brand and Online Presence:  Create a recognizable brand identity and establish an online presence via a website and social media platforms. This will be crucial for marketing, customer engagement, and building a loyal customer base.
• Create Strategic Partnerships:  Form partnerships with local businesses and community organizations. This could include sourcing local ingredients, collaborating on local events, or cross-promotional marketing efforts.
• Implement a Customer Loyalty Program:  To encourage repeat business, implement a loyalty program that rewards customers for their continued patronage. This could involve discounts, free products, or other incentives for frequent customers.
• Achieve Operational Efficiency:  Optimize operations to reduce waste, lower costs, and increase the speed of service. This may involve training staff, improving supply chain logistics, or adopting new technologies.
• Expand Product Offerings:  Based on customer feedback and sales data, gradually introduce new products or variations on existing products to meet customer demand and increase sales opportunities.
• Get to $15,000/month in Revenue:  Achieve the milestone of generating $15,000 in monthly revenue. This will require consistent marketing efforts, superior product quality, and excellent customer service to build a strong customer base.
• Evaluate Expansion Opportunities:  Once the stand is profitable and operations are streamlined, evaluate the possibility of expanding to additional locations within Walnut Creek or neighboring areas to increase market reach and revenue.

VIII. Management Team

Our management team has the experience and expertise to successfully execute on our business plan.

Management Team Members

Addison clark, ceo.

Addison Clark, CEO, has demonstrated unparalleled dedication and insight into the dynamics of running a successful business. Through the experience of managing a lemonade stand, Addison has gained invaluable lessons in entrepreneurship, customer service, and product management. These early experiences have honed Addison’s ability to identify market opportunities, develop strategic business models, and lead a team with a shared vision. At the helm of CitrusNoble Lemonade Co., Addison applies a hands-on approach to leadership, ensuring that every aspect of the company is aligned with its mission to deliver premium lemonade products. Addison’s entrepreneurial journey from a lemonade stand to the CEO of CitrusNoble Lemonade Co. is a source of inspiration and a key driver behind the company’s innovative strategies.

IX. Financial Plan

Funding requirements/use of funds.

To accomplish our growth goals, CitrusNoble Lemonade Co. needs $54,000 in funding. Key uses of this funding will be as follows:

Financial Projections

5 Year Annual Income Statement

5 year annual balance sheet, 5 year annual cash flow statement, what is a lemonade stand business plan.

A lemonade stand business plan is a document that outlines the strategies you have developed to start and/or grow your lemonade stand business. Among other things, it details information about your industry, customers and competitors to help ensure your company is positioned properly to succeed. Your lemonade stand business plan also assesses how much funding you will need to grow your business and proves, via your financial forecasts, why the business is viable.  

Why You Need a Business Plan for your Lemonade Stand Business

A business plan is required if you are seeking funding for your lemonade stand business. Investors and lenders will review your plan to ensure it meets their criteria before providing you with capital. In addition, a lemonade stand business plan helps you and your team stay focused. It documents the strategies you must follow and gives you financial projections you should strive to achieve and against which you can judge your performance.  

Lemonade Stand Business Plan Template PDF

Download our Lemonade Stand Business Plan PDF to help guide you as you create your business plan for your own lemonade stand business.  

Let me show you how to start a lemonade business or “ Lemonade Stand “. Have you heard about my sisters?…

My Sister’s First Day = Over $500

My sisters, both adults, both with children – one has 4 daughters, the other has a son and a daughter. They needed some fast cash but also were looking for an immediate reliable income. (*and you’d think more of my family would do this)

Monday I got the call.

Ben, we might be interested in doing a lemonade business. What do we need to do? How to start a lemonade business?

I sent them to a short article I wrote on how to start a lemonade business and what I’ve used to help 100’s of street food vendors (namely: hot dog vendors) get their starts.

Not only is it a great income, it’s inexpensive to start.

Low Barrier Of Entry

Although hot dog vending and mobile catering can be lucrative year round – it’s more expensive to start. The lemonade business has propelled hundreds of future hot dog vendors forward and has become a great cash cow for existing vendors.

Because lemonade vending has a low barrier of entry – meaning that the start up costs – are super low and there is less red tape; a person can go from an idea one day – to a vendor the next, just by setting up a lemonade stand.

Less Than 24 Hours A Lemonade Vendor

No License Needed?

They found they needed no license. To be sure, they called the city offices. They too – said no license required.

*side note – that’s rare as hell. Most cities, as in 99.99999% will require a business license. Usually not much, but all do.

With a couple banners I loaned them and because they didn’t have time to get a hand smisher smasher [read: citrus press] so I loaned them two of those as well.

They sourced their lemons – found the right sizes for the best juicing – and they set up.

I Must Admit

They didn’t get lucky. But they did have me. Because I was here to answer their calls and questions as they tried to source everything they’d need to start within 24 hours.

And although I’d do almost anything for family… I won’t be their magic button.

In other words. I won’t just do it all for them. But I told them if they were serious, they could read my course: Lemonade Cash In 24 Hours – And they did. I never mind helping anyone who is willing to help themselves.

Hence it’s why I’ll give it to you.

How To Start A Lemonade Business – The Crap You Don’t Consider Before Starting

You know how it is. You see the potential, the process but you don’t stop to think about all the details. Like:

• how much sugar should I use
• do I make simple syrup
• which of the 185 simple syrup recipes do I use
• Is sugar better than simple syrup
• shake or stir
• how many lemons
• what size is best (there are many)
• which process will allow me to serve the most lemonades in the least amount of time
• what is the ideal setup
• the best equipment to use
• what signs attract more customers
• which size cups do I use
• how do I insure the lemon peel is clean
• what should I do to prevent bacteria
• how long will simple syrup last on a hot day
• why you shouldn’t use shortcuts like lemon flavorings or mixes
• styrofoam cups or clear plastic
• lemon halves or wedges
• chlorinated water problems (city water)
• and more…

These are the things you don’t even know to ask and could cause immediate or nearly immediate failure . Even if you didn’t fail – wouldn’t it suck to learn  you could have done twice the money in the same amount of time had you known.

The beauty is – you can be a huge success and realistically make $50,000 or more during the warm months. And we have currently in our Vendor groups – over 470 vendors who do just that!

Read More On How To Start A Lemonade Business (Stand) And Grab My FREE COURSE…

Success galore.

Every year I watch more and more vendors adding a lemonade stand to their lineup of services. Even as an add-on, vendors are seeing net profits monthly from $2000 to $10,000.

At the same time, more and more I get asked how to start a lemonade business or stand. The lemonade vending niche is growing.

But – it’s a fact and we have hundreds of vendors in our groups including the Vendors United group who share their videos, their successes and their challenges every day.

Folks that are limited by budget in starting a mobile food cart (hot dog cart) are starting with lemonade stand and then letting that business propel them into mobile foods of all sorts.

843 In Three Days

Last week a brand new vendor in our group called me on WhatsApp . (app I use to help, talk, chat, text inside the VU group) – His voice message was LOUD. He was beside himself.

He’d just made more in 3 days at a little hometown event than he had in a month – at his regular job.

843 lemonades sold. In about 20 hours spread over 3 days. Two smashers running, 3 helpers and 4 on the 3rd day plus him, his wife and sister in law. Now I must be honest.

He didn’t know how many refills he did. Only how many new cups sold: 843

Goose Bumps

While I listened to his audio message, I could feel his excitement and it actually gave me chill-bumps on my arms. My head was trying to do the math at the same time.

He sold lemonades the first day for $4 each. That’s a 32oz. cup.

The second day was a price increase to $6.00 but included any fruit addition you wanted  – like strawberries.

All in all – he did over $4200 gross income on sales plus refill sales of $3.00 a cup.

His line so long, people left. And it’s why he added another helper on the third day.

Back in 2011 I began teaching folks about the power of a lemonade stand, teaching them how to start a lemonade business. Some dismissed me because they thought it was a “kids game”.

Now, I’m getting so many folks asking, that I’ve started writing more and more about the lemonade business and sharing all the tips and tricks of the trade.

Just today – this morning I updated the course again. With more juice.

Lemon juice!

Which equals = cash

Which equals = freedom

Lemonade Stand > UPDATE

I’ll update you soon on my two sisters. They have a gig Friday and Saturday. Wednesday got rained out. Plus with their combined 6 kids – they tend to be pretty dang busy as moms.

FREE! 24 LEMONADE CASH

Want some cash?  Stupid question – I know. But I’ve got something for you. Usually I would sell it – because I’ve found that when you give great information away…  (many folks) don’t appreciate the VALUE.

Which in-turn makes them less likely to act on the information.

But I wanted to remove EVERY SINGLE BARRIER – so you could start right now. So you could become an entrepreneur right now and so you could get the freedom and income you deserve.

I’ve eliminated the excuses.

And I’m giving it to you.

Grab your copy now. (because I might just change my mind in a little bit)

• Motrike Blog

How to Start a Lemonade Stand Business [Updated 2023]

A lemonade business is one of the businesses that do not require a huge amount of capital and it helps to develop business concepts and skills. Likewise, if one gets it right, you will see that this business is fun especially for kids just starting in the entrepreneurial world. 

The steps to take when starting this business are; to conduct market research, legitimacy and safety consideration, purchase equipment, and machines, plan for pricing and business development, and think about the daily operation.

Aside from everything listed above, other things you will also learn from this article are the tips for boosting a lemonade business. This will be very helpful for those who are just starting a lemonade stand business and those who are already into it. Continue reading this article to learn everything you need to know about  how to start a lemonade stand  business.

Why Starting a Lemonade Stand Business is a Good Choice

Have you ever thought of starting a lemonade stand business but wondered if it is a good business to venture into? If you have some amount of money (i.e., capital) for business purposes, you should consider setting up a lemonade stand business because it is profitable and very easy to set up. Take a look at some convincing reasons why setting up a lemonade business is a good choice below:

Develop Business Concepts and Skills 

Setting up a lemonade stand will require developing business concepts and skills that are needed to give life to those ideas in you. First, starting up a lemonade stand business is one of the best ways for a kid to practically understand what entrepreneurial skills entail. Another business skill that one can easily develop while running this business is financial literacy.

Thirdly, communication skills will also be developed while running a lemonade business. Interacting with customers of different ages is a good way to develop one’s communication skills. Other business concepts that will be developed include goal setting and critical thinking. All the business concepts and skills developed here will help you throughout your life.

Low Start-Up Costs

businesses. One of the things you need for a lemonade stand is a little amount of money to set up a beautiful stand. At this point, you don’t need a very big shop and expensive shop.

You can easily start with a custom-made tricycle (or quadricycle) tailored to your business needs. There are various cargo trikes that can be produced to fit your needs, for example, there are ice cream, food carts, coffee, and vendor trikes at Motrike . Other things you need for a lemonade stand are the equipment and ingredients needed to produce the lemonade juice. Finally, you may need disposable cups for delivery services.

Also Read: >> Fuel Your Business With Our E cargo Trike

Flexible Hours and Locations

Since you are not renting a shop that is built with bricks in a particular location, definitely you are not limited to a single location. One of the reasons why you should start a lemonade stand business is that you have the freedom to move your stand from one place to another.

For instance, if you find out that you are not making enough profit in your present location, you can easily migrate to another location that will bring in more profit. Also, you can decide to open your stand anytime and close it anytime you like.

Fun and Enjoyment

Finally, running a lemonade stand business is fun, especially for kids who are just starting in the entrepreneurial world. It is one easy way for them to learn about different business skills and also have fun along the line.

The beauty of it is that the memories and the lessons derived from this business will stay with you for a long period. Likewise, it can also form basic business principles that will help and guide you while you grow in the business world.

Step 1: Conduct Market Research

Conducting thorough market research is an essential step when starting a lemonade business.

Identify the Target Market

Before starting a business, it is very important to make some necessary preparations and one of them is to identify your target market. One advantage of identifying the target market is that it helps to analyze and determine the demand for lemonade juice in a particular location.

The use of surveys is one of the common ways to carry out this kind of research. The information gathered in this research will help you identify your target market, how to satisfy them, and the potential demand in a particular location.

Find the Suitable Position

This may sound simple but choosing an optimal location (suitable location) is key to every successful business. The best location to set up a lemonade stand is a place where lemonade juice is in high demand. For huge sales, it is advisable to set up the stand in a safe but busy area with high foot traffic.

For instance, you may consider visible areas like the local sports event, grocery stores, or beside swimming pool centers. Take note that you may need to get a permit before you are allowed in some of the locations listed above.

Step 2: Legitimacy & Safety Consideration

When starting a lemonade business, it’s crucial to address the legitimacy and safety considerations. These considerations play a significant role in establishing trust with customers and ensuring the business operates within legal and ethical boundaries.

Obtain Necessary Licenses

Whether a lemonade stand business is operated by an adult or a kid, there’s a need to get the necessary licenses. Failure to obtain necessary licenses before starting the business may lead to serious penalties or fines. Some states may require a business license or vendor’s permit.

The kind of licenses or permits that you will need to obtain before starting the business depends on the state you want to set up the business. A good way to know is by asking experienced people or checking your state government’s website.

Discuss Food Safety Guidelines

Since the lemonade business is a food business, it is also important to discuss food safety guidelines with the necessary department. This is important because the government takes food safety matters very seriously.

In some states, the food business is subjected to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) requirements. A discussion with the necessary departments will help to identify the food safety guidelines. Aside from food safety, the health and safety of your customers while at your stand are also important.

Consider Liability Insurance

You should also consider liability insurance because it is required in some areas before you can start a lemonade stand business. In case you need liability insurance to operate safely and lawfully, you don’t need to be afraid because it may not be as expensive as you think.

The main purpose of getting liability insurance is to protect the business or the owner of the business should in case a lawsuit is filed against the business. A common type of insurance you can start with is General Liability Insurance.

Step 3: Purchase Equipment and Machines

Purchasing the right equipment and machines is a critical step in setting up a lemonade business. The quality and functionality of your equipment can directly impact the efficiency of your operations and the quality of your lemonade.

Cargo Trike

Starting a lemonade stand business, you need to ask questions like what do you need for a lemonade stand? First, a custom-made cargo trike is one important machine you need to purchase with your startup funds. This is a very useful bike that includes cycling and cargo carrying, making it easy to move your business from one place to another.

Motrike E cargo trike is an essential bike that is needed to easily build a lemonade stand business. Motrike understands that every business’s needs are different, therefore; they offer full customization offers that enable business owners to build cargo trikes according to their special needs and preferences.

Lemon Squeezer or Juicer

Another important piece of equipment needed in a lemonade stand is the lemon squeezer or juicer. A lemon squeezer is a tool that is used to extract the juice from lemons in an easier way. With the help of this tool, you can easily get the juice from the lemon without the seeds, peel, and pulp.

The lemon squeezer or juicer is available in different forms and sizes, but they all have the same principle. The size of the lemon squeezer you need will depend on the size of your business. Take note that regular maintenance is key to improving the lifespan of your lemon squeezer. The heavy-duty lemonade squeezer is suitable for a lemonade stand business.

Cups and Straws

Some of the supplies you need for your lemonade stand are cups and straws. Cups and straws are very important because you need them to serve your customers. The type of cups you will buy should be determined by the customers you want to serve.

If your target customers are mainly those who will buy and drink the juice at your stand, you may consider using reusable cups. But if you are looking into expanding your business and venturing into home delivery, it will be more convenient to use disposable cups.

A freezer is an essential equipment needed for a successful lemonade stand. Without a freezer to preserve the extracted lemonade juice on a hot day, the lemonade juice may go bad or lead to potential bacteria contamination. But it can stay up to a week if it is stored in a freezer.

If you are looking at how to run a lemonade stand without going through the stress of moving heavy equipment from one location to another, you may consider using Motrike cargo trikes with large storage freezers and other amazing features like a water supply system needed for a lemonade business stand.

Step 4: Plan for Pricing and Business Development

You have heard this popular law of demand before which says: “The demand for a product is inversely proportional to its price”. Therefore, you also need to make a necessary plan to choose the right price for your products. You don’t just sit down and decide the price of a cup of lemonade from your head, you need to plan carefully and do some basic calculations. First, you need to take a look at the demand for your product (i.e., how many people are ready to buy your product).

Also, you need to think about price sensitivity when choosing a price. This helps you to decide the amount of money that people are willing to pay for your product. Thirdly, the temperature of the day can determine the pricing of a lemonade business stand. For instance, customers may be willing to pay more for your products on a sunny day.

Another thing you need to have on the ground when planning for your lemonade stand business is a strategic business development plan. For instance, a marketing plan is one way to make awareness and take your products to the face of your potential customers. Other business development plans that can make your business more profitable include implementing customers feedbacks and creating effective KPIs.

Step 5. Daily Operation

Another important thing you need to put into consideration when planning how to start a lemonade business is the daily operation of the business. You need to think about the skills involved in carrying out a successful day-to-day lemonade business which may include financial literacy, creativity skill, critical and goal-setting skills, and effective and clear communication skills.

First, starting a lemonade stand business will require good financial literacy because you will be dealing with money a lot. You will be doing a lot of calculations that involve money when you buy raw materials and supplies for production and when you are attending to customers. Secondly, your creativity skill will be needed when you need to determine the signs and slogans for your stand.

As a new lemonade seller, you aim to make a profit and grow your business. Therefore, it is expedient to set realistic goals and think deeply about how to achieve those goals. Also, you will need clear communication skills to interact effectively with your customers every day. In conclusion, a good understanding of what the daily operation of a lemonade stand business look like will help you plan and prepare ahead effectively.

Tips for Boosting Your Lemonade Business

Just like every other business, a lemonade stand business has the potential to grow if the necessary effort is put into it. A lemonade business can grow faster if you know the basic tips needed to boost it. A lemonade stand business might grow from a small business in one location to a business having several locations in different areas and employing a larger workforce. To achieve this, carefully consider the following tips explained below on how to set up a lemonade stand business and boost it:

Increased Flavor Options

Don’t just stick to serving one or two flavor options at your lemonade stand, you should be ready to think outside the box. This is one of the areas where you need to use your critical thinking skill. Go online and research new and delicious flavor options that you can offer for customers to buy. Remember that many people love trying new things and this is one good way to keep your old customers and even bring in new ones.

While you are trying to increase your flavor options, you should also make sure you deliver the best product always. After all, no one will waste their money buying a bad lemonade when they can get a better product at time same price or a lesser price. A continuous reminder that you are in a competitive market will help you maintain quality products at all times. 

Get Involved in Local Activities

Businesses that want to grow faster should also consider getting involved in local activities. It allows businesses to meet and interact with their prospective and existing customers outside the four walls of their company. One of the things that getting involved in local activities says about your company is that you are not only focused on getting their money but also care about the community.

Another benefit of getting involved in local activities is that it helps to improve your visibility and brand awareness. In addition, it is an avenue to meet and create good relationships with other business owners which may open doors for new business deals. Businesses that are involved in the community will improve their reputation, improve employee morale, and get more loyal customers.

Offers and Promotions

Most business owners do not joke with offers and promotions because they know that it is the best way to boost a business faster. One secret success of great businesses around the world today is that they invest a huge amount of money in promoting their business. The major goal of offers and promotions is to create awareness and bring your product to the face of your potential customers. One easiest way for a lemonade stand business to market its brand is by using signs and posters.

The use of signs will draw the attention of people to your stand and increase the number of people that know about your brand in the neighborhood. Sings and posters will help to get the attention of those going by your lemonade stand. Other ways to promote a brand are by using social media, print ads, or broadcast media. Also, fantastic offers like price reductions during major festive periods will help to boost your lemonade business.

Continuous Improvement

Another way to boost your lemonade stand business is through continuous improvement. First, you need to understand that the world is moving at a faster pace and things are changing faster. This understanding will help you improve how you carry out your day-to-day business operations which include; improving your lemonade quality, increasing the flavor options, how you attend to your customers, and how you promote your brand.

In addition, you also need to continually study your competitors and see how you can beat them. The only way to keep your existing customers and get new ones is by presenting something better than them. For instance, customers will always stick to a brand that offers more quality and unique products and provides great customer service, standard packaging, and better sales. In conclusion, the only way to keep your customers coming back to your lemonade stand is through continuous improvement.

Motrike Ebike Cargo: Wonderful Choice to Power Up Your Business

For smooth and hassle-free daily activities, you should buy a high-quality and reliable cargo trike. Motrike Ebike Cargo is a wonderful cargo trike that will help to power your lemonade stand business . Here are some of the following benefits you will derive if you purchase Motrike e-bike cargo:

Fast Delivery

Businesses like lemonade stand business will need a bike that can make delivery easy and faster . One of the benefits of the Motrike e-bike cargo is that it will help reduce the cost of delivery and also deliver your products to your customers faster while improving customer service and increasing productivity. Other benefits of the electric cargo trike are environmentally friendly (i.e., they are fuel free) and cost-effective.

Additionally, a lemonade stand business may require moving from one location to another to get more sales. Since it is an electric cargo trike, it will help to make movement easier. Also, the electric cargo trike includes features like a freezer, load cargo, and branding panels that make business easier.

Worry-Free Warranty

People will only buy from companies that will provide value that is equivalent to the amount they want to spend. One of the easiest ways to gain client trust is by offering a worry-free warranty. This will enable them to believe that a business is willing to bear the cost of replacement or repair if their product doesn’t work.

Motrike understands how warranty can help to gain clients’ trust; this is why we provide a worry-free warranty for their electric bike cargo. Motrike provides a 10-year warranty for the frame and a 2-year warranty for the motor. Also, the company has branches in the US and EU which helps to provide convenience services.

Customized Service

Motrike offers professional and flexible customized services because they understand that the needs of every business owner differ. Some of the customizing services for style include the color for the family trike, rain hood, bike cover, and practical seat cushion. You can easily take advantage of this wide range of customization services to build a cargo trike that suits your exact needs and preference.

Furthermore, the customized service will help you in creating an electric bike with an eye-catching poster that will attract passerby’s attention and also create brand awareness. When buying a tricycle, customers can choose to install an engine or use a manual drive. At the same time, customers can customize the power of the engine and other parameters

Every business tends to grow if only you have the needed information to make it work. Though starting a lemonade stand business is profitable and very easy to set up, you also need to understand the basics about the business before venturing into it. 

This guide will help newbies to understand  how to start a lemonade stand  business from scratch and also help those already in the business to improve their business.

If you are looking for a one-stop shop to get the best-suited cargo trikes for a lemonade stand business? Look no further, Motrike ’s cargo trikes are the best choice for a lemonade stand business because they are maneuverable, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly.

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10 Lemonade Stand Worksheets (Math, Business Plan, Budgeting, etc.)

By: Author Amanda L. Grossman

Posted on Last updated: May 8, 2024

Lemonade stand worksheets are the perfect way to help your child set up a real lemonade stand, OR, to teach students business math in a fun way.

Kid starting a lemonade stand?

OR, do you want to teach some serious math and business skills through lemonade stand worksheets?

I’ve got great lemonade stand printables that will help teach:

• Planning your lemonade stand (i.e., create your first kid business plan !)
• Pricing your lemonade
• Attracting customers
• Tracking sales and calculating profit

First up, some seriously cute (and free) lemonade stand business plans.

Lemonade Stand Business Plan PDFs

This is possibly one of my favorite sections because these are super cute and really comprehensive.

You can print one of these lemonade stand business plan PDFs out, and let your child or students work through planning their own stand!

1. Lemonade Stand Business Startup Printables

Not only are the designs of these gorgeous, but they really offer some great guidance for kids.

Included are worksheets that help kids:

• Price your lemonade
• Create a marketing plan
• Tally up their profits (using gross profits, expenses, etc.)
• Reflect on their Lemonade Stand experience

There are also some pricing signs in the back you can just print, cut, and use.

2. Lemonade Stand Planner

Running a good lemonade stand is like running a good business: making a plan is going to put you light years ahead.

Get your kids in on the business-planning mode wayyyyy earlier than me (my first business plan was about 4 years after starting one!) with these printables.

Included are:

• Supplies list
• Sales flyers for advertising
• Expense & sales trackers
• Planning sheet
• Goals sheet

3. Lemonade Stand Business Planner

Here’s a classy-looking business planner for a tween’s lemonade stand.

• Brainstorm section for naming the stand
• Menu brainstorm
• Lemonade recipe + pricing sheet
• Pricing, profit, goals, and tracking worksheet

4. Lemonade Stand Worksheets

This set of lemonade stand business worksheets has the same business plan PDF types as the sets above, but also includes:

• Lemonade stand vocabulary worksheet
• Lemonade stand quiz
• Lemonade stand word search

Psst: starting a real lemonade stand? Here are my best lemonade stand ideas . And want different kid business ideas? Here are 17 boy crafts to sell , and 22 things for kids to make and sell .

Lemonade Stand Math Worksheet

Looking for free math worksheets with lemonade stands as the theme?

I’ve found a few for you!

1. Lemonade Stand More than, Less than Activity

Look at this cute, free printable!

Preschoolers can use it to practice multi-step activities, practice counting, etc. They’ll choose a card and then need to count the number of strawberries in the lemonade glass. They then count out their own objects to place on their mat, then figure out what is one less than that, and one more than that.

2. Lemonade Stand Math Pack

Here’s a set of cute math worksheets that tackle the following money subjects:

• Adding up various coins and coin math
• Coin and bill identification
• Profit, and figuring out how much a lemonade stand would need to sell to “break-even”

There are also handwriting practice worksheets.

3. Lemonade Preschool Math Game

This preschool math game – centered around a lemonade stand – has a great imaginative play/pretend play element to it.

For example, kids can use any objects they can find as lemons, to fill their lemonade pitcher up.

You’ll give them different orders, in the form of an addition problem you make up.

4. Lemonade Math Word Problems

This set of sheets deals with word math problems, money word problems, and time-elapse problems.

You’ll find math word problems for grades 2-4 (answer keys included).

Lemonade Stand Pretend Play Printables

Perhaps you’re not yet ready to tackle a business plan with your child.

There are still some great lemonade stand printables that will help with pretend play (and to spruce things up!).

1. Pretend Play Lemonade Stand Kit

These are cute, simple printables your child can use to either play pretend with a Lemonade stand, or at a real lemonade stand. There's a menu, decorations, and more.

2. Pretend Play Lemonade Stand Printables

Look at these cute coasters your kids can play with in this set of printables! Your kids also get a price list, banners, favor tags, and more.

Really cute printables, right? I love how you can use these lemonade stand worksheets to teach business lessons, math lessons, or even to just have fun playing around the house.

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Lemonade Stand Business Plan Sample

Published May.11, 2015

Updated Apr.23, 2024

By: Brandi Marcene

Average rating 4.7 / 5. Vote count: 3

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Say the word “lemonade,” and thoughts of wooden stands, children, and summer come to mind. However, lemonade can be the foundation of a successful lemonade stand business plan. Unlike the days of corner street stands run by kids, there is an enormous opportunity to startup a lemonade company that generates significant revenues by catering to a target market that likes:

• Original lemonade made with sugar • Flavored lemonade • Lemonade made with non-sugar sweeteners • Lemonade made with organic fruit

How Would You Like Your Lemonade?

A business plan for a lemonade company can describe a company that:

• Operates a fixed stand that sells lemonade and drinks containing lemonade, and also food or snacks, under contract with athletic facilities and parks, or as a standalone business • Manages a mobile lemonade cart that is pulled to and setup in various locations, like parks, festivals, family reunions, downtown food truck areas, etc. • Opens a manufacturing facility that sells canned or bottled lemonade, lemonade mixes, and/or frozen lemonade to supermarkets, convenience stores, businesses, city facilities, etc. • Sells lemonade products online • Sells hard drinks made with lemonade to bars, pubs, restaurants, and other venues where alcohol is sold

The lemonade stand business plan can sell retail, wholesale, or both, depending on the type of lemonade company started. There are franchise restaurant available also for the entrepreneurs that want to join an established business that provides training and operating assistance. When preparing the financial statements, it is important to include any expenses associated with buying the franchise and paying ongoing franchise fees.

Nothing Sour About this Business

Once the lemonade stand business plan owner decides on the business model, the business plan is ready for development . Like any business, the company needs a well-written Mission Statement, Executive Summary, Marketing Plan, Operating Plan, Management Plan, and Financial Plan. The lemonade stand business plan owner needs permits, insurance, and licenses, possibly a crew, suppliers, and a lemonade stand or manufacturing facility. There may also be a need to find investors, depending on the type of lemonade company opened.

Contact OGS Capital to find out how experienced business consultants can deliver tailored lemonade stand business plan ning solutions. Starting on the path to long-term success in the lemonade industry begins with a solid lemonade stand business plan .

Download example lemonade business plan in pdf

OGScapital staff also specialize in compiling such as hot sauce business plan , business plan for frozen yogurt , food truck startup business plan , starting a coffee roasting company , shave ice business plan , business plan of a vending machine and etc.

OGSCapital’s team has assisted thousands of entrepreneurs with top-rate business plan development, consultancy and analysis. They’ve helped thousands of SME owners secure more than $1.5 billion in funding, and they can do the same for you.

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Home » Kids

Lemonade Stand Ideas & Business Plan

Creating a lemonade stand is a great idea to earn some money around the neighborhood. Here are ideas and tips to do it!

My favorite part of this summer has been teaching my 5 and 2-year-old nieces how to start their own lemonade stand and run a business of their own. The youngest is too young to really understand yet, but the cute factor of having her there far outweighs a few spilled glasses of lemonade. Both girls learned how to create signs, advertise, make lemonade, interact with customers, and handle money (kinda… we are still working on teaching them counting and currency). 

Let’s discuss what you need to get started, the keys to success, and how to write a business plan that will help you create a business you can be proud of!

What You Need to Get Started

There are many things to think about when starting your first business or starting a lemonade stand for the first time! If you are crafty and creative, you can start a business with $100 or less and start earning money as soon as you’ve built your stand, made your treats, made up some advertising flyers or social media posts in local groups, and secured the proper permits from your local government. 

• Location, location, location. Choose a location with a lot of traffic, especially pedestrian foot traffic and where adults are likely to carry cash or loose change. My nieces live up the mountain on a highway with no foot traffic, so we set up shop at my house in the city with a lot of foot traffic. Ideal locations would be near a public pool, supermarket, or a local sporting event. Consider whether you need a special license or permit before setting up your stand.
• Marketing and advertising your business. Let your imagination run wild and spread the word about when you will be selling lemonade, and any other fun treats you’ll be adding to your menu! We made fun flyers and hung them on the community boards at local churches and businesses in the area near my house; then we knocked on doors to introduce ourselves and our business to my neighbors. 
• Offer more than lemonade. We chose to create a menu that included sweet treats like cookies, cupcakes, and lollipops, which the girls loved to help me make in the kitchen. I wrote the menu and prices on a dry-erase board so we could change the prices as needed because grocery costs have changed so frequently this summer.
• Strategize the right price. If you develop a great recipe for lemonade and treats that are high quality and taste great, don’t be afraid to charge higher prices than competitors. Part of the strategy of determining your prices should be how much your supplies cost (including your licenses and permits). We decided to price our lemonade at $1 per cup, but the sweet treats are priced higher.
• Give some of your earnings to worthy charities. Learning about giving to charity as a kid is the greatest gift my own parents taught me. It taught me compassion, and we are teaching that gift to my nieces now.
• Learning customer service. This part has been the most fun for us but has also caused a few dropped cookies and cupcakes. The girls are learning to be friendly and polite to customers while taking orders, handling money, handing out treats and drinks, and returning change. For now, the oldest takes orders and returns change, while the youngest gives out treats with a huge smile. 
• Set goals and communicate with your team. Before starting your lemonade stand, you should sit down with your team and set goals. How many cups of lemonade do you want to sell? How often will you sell from your stand? What charity do you want to support, and how will you communicate that to your customers? What do you plan to do with the money that you earn?
• Find ways to have fun! We have had so much fun finding new recipes to try, meeting new friends, making advertising materials, giving gifts to charity, and spending our earnings on some fun toys. One of the blessings of starting a business is having fun in the process. It’s a level of freedom that business owners very much enjoy.  

How to Make It Your Own

Many kids start lemonade stands in the summer as a way of earning some money , so finding creative ways to add your own flair will help you stand out from the crowd. Add curb appeal to your stand by using fun colors, signs, streamers, and nice dispensers for your drinks and treats. We used green, pink, and white for our stand and built it using pallets and leftover stains in the woodshed from home improvement projects we did last summer. 

The girls and I created branded flyers that we passed out to neighbors and hung on community billboards. I added some tasteful photos to local yard sale groups and let the community know that we would be using part of our sales to buy backpacks and school supplies for kids living in the local domestic violence and homeless shelters. 

Writing Out Your Business Plan

Every business should be properly planned out, regardless of the type of business or industry in which you work. Many kids fail to plan out their lemonade stand and are not as successful as they could have been or make many mistakes that could have been avoided. 

Down Redbud Drive has a printable business plan that will allow you to brainstorm and come up with ideas while learning how to plan out your business. If you don’t like the first business plan, that’s ok! This is a printable version that can be downloaded and printed as many times as you’d like. 

Let’s discuss the steps of a business plan :

• Business name and menu: Give your venture a proper name by brainstorming 5-10 possible names that are fun and memorable. We ended up naming our stand “Giggle Girls” because my nieces are the most giggly sweethearts in the entire world. For our menu, we chose items that we could make easily and affordably based on their ages. The cupcakes were challenging for the 2-year-old to pass out effectively, so we made some that were larger than usual so she could hold them easier.
• Recipes and cost breakdown. Why write out your recipes? Consistency of your brand. If you are setting up your lemonade stand for more than one day, your repeat customers will want to taste the same quality of product every time or you risk losing those repeat customers. Writing out your recipes will help you buy your supplies and track how much you’ve used so you can figure out your overall profit after subtracting expenses. To find out the cost breakdown, write down how much supplies like cups, straws, plates, and napkins cost.
• Set your prices for goods. How many glasses of lemonade can you get from each pitcher and what is the cost of making each pitcher? How many cookies or cupcakes are you able to make with each batch and how much does it cost to make them? This may require a trip to the grocery store to figure out how much your goods will cost, but it’s worth the trip!
• Profit and goals. After you research how much it’ll cost to make your treats and what you can price them at to sell, you will be able to figure out how much is “left over” and this is called profit. Your profit will be money you’ve earned and can now spend, save, or give to charity. Use the profit estimate to set goals for how much money you want to earn and what that money will be spent on. My nieces wanted to be able to take a trip to the beach out in Cape Cod because we live in New York, which is a pretty landlocked state, but love visiting the beach. We determined that it would cost about $500 to take a weekend trip to the beach, so that was our goal. 

Now You’re Ready to Go

You have chosen the perfect location, gotten permits, written your business plan, created advertising materials, gathered supplies, made your stand your own, determined how much to charge, and set realistic goals for how much money you want to make from your business. It’s up to you now to get everything set up and start making sales. 

Starting your own business will teach you so much about saving, spending, giving to charity, customer service, setting goals, consistency, creating something that is your own, how to make money, making good decisions, and so many other skills that will help you in every area of your life. Once you’ve set up your stand and started making sales, keep track of your lessons learned so you can refer back to them and improve your business.

Want more ideas to earn money? Check out our guide on business ideas for kids too!

Lemonade Stand Business Plan

$59.00 $39.00 4 reviews

Resources On Lemonade Stand

• Financial Model
• Value Proposition
• One-Page Business Plan
• SWOT Analysis
• Business Model

Marketing Plan

• Bundle Business Plan & Fin Model
• Description

Executive Summary

Products & services, market analysis.

• Management Plan
• Financial Plan

Lemonade Revival offers a unique and refreshing solution to the hot and humid climate during peak seasons. The business provides high-quality, ice-cold lemonade, iced tea, and other refreshing snacks such as popsicles and frozen fruit made fresh on site, served in eco-friendly cups or containers. Our products are tailored to serve consumers seeking a quick and satisfying refreshment when enjoying the outdoors in high foot traffic locations such as beaches, parks, and tourist areas. By providing such a solution, Lemonade Revival aims to generate steady revenue streams, establish long-term partnerships, and expand the business by launching additional booths or carts in other cities and states.

Target Market

The target market for Lemonade Revival is primarily comprised of consumers seeking refreshments during peak seasons in high foot traffic areas such as beaches, parks, and tourist destinations. The business will specifically target families with children, teens, and young adults, who are more likely to purchase refreshing beverages and snacks, and are willing to spend money on such products. Additionally, tourists visiting Miami Beach will be a significant segment, as they typically have disposable income to spend on activities and refreshments. By providing high-quality, refreshing beverages and snacks, Lemonade Revival will create a unique and memorable experience for its customers, resulting in repeat business and word-of-mouth referrals.

Competition

Lemonade Revival will be competing against various alternatives or substitutes in the market, including other lemonade stands, beverage vending machines, and convenience stores. However, the business's focus on freshness, high-quality ingredients, and excellent customer service will set it apart from other competitors. The use of eco-friendly cups and containers will also appeal to environmentally conscious customers. In addition, by strategically locating booths or carts in high foot traffic locations during peak seasons, the Lemonade Revival startup will have a competitive advantage over brick-and-mortar establishments that cannot move locations easily.

Financial Summary:

The following are the key highlights of the financial plan for Lemonade Revival:

• The startup will require an initial investment of $50,000 to cover the costs of inventory, portable booths or carts, marketing and advertising, and human resources for sales and operations.
• The cost structure will focus on low overhead costs for inventory, operations, and marketing to ensure profitability.
• The revenue streams will be from cash sales generated from the sale of beverages and snacks in high foot traffic locations.
• The sales projections for the first season are estimated at $150,000, with an average profit margin of 50%.
• The company plans to expand by opening additional booths or carts in neighboring cities and states in subsequent seasons.
• The financial plan has been reviewed by a professional accountant to ensure accuracy and feasibility.

Funding Requirements

The Lemonade Revival startup requires funding for the following:

• Initial Inventory: $5,000
• Portable Booths or Carts: $10,000
• Marketing and Advertising: $2,500
• Human Resources for Sales and Operations: $2,000
• Total Funding Required: $19,500

The above funding can be raised through investors, bank loans, or personal investments. The startup plans to use the funds to purchase the initial stock for the business's first season, including refreshing beverages and snacks as well as green, eco-friendly cups or containers. The funds will also be used to purchase and equip mobile booths or carts, cover marketing and advertising costs, and hire seasonal staff for sales and operations to support the running of the business. The focus will be on low overhead costs for inventory, operations, and marketing to ensure profitability and long-term growth of the business.

Milestones and Traction

The Lemonade Revival startup will embark on a roadmap of specific milestones to ensure its success. These milestones include:

With a well-defined roadmap of milestones and traction in place, the Lemonade Revival startup is poised for success in the competitive beverage industry. Through our commitment to quality products and exceptional customer service, we are confident of becoming a household name in refreshing, eco-friendly beverages and snacks.

Problem Worth Solving

The problem that Lemonade Revival aims to solve is the lack of refreshing, quality beverages and snacks in high foot traffic locations during peak seasons. Customers often struggle to find affordable and tasty options to quench their thirst and satisfy their cravings while spending time outdoors. With our unique offering of ice-cold lemonade, iced tea, and refreshing snacks such as popsicles and frozen fruit, we aim to provide customers with a unique and satisfying experience that will help them beat the heat and stay energized during their outdoor activities.

We also recognize that customers are increasingly concerned about environmental sustainability, which is why all our products will be served in eco-friendly cups or containers, further demonstrating our commitment to solving a problem in an environmentally responsible manner. By providing a solution for both thirst and hunger during peak seasons, Lemonade Revival aims to become a recognized brand in the beverage industry, while simultaneously providing excellent customer service and fostering long-term partnerships with suppliers and event planners.

Our Solution

Validation of problem and solution.

According to research, hot weather leads to dehydration, which can cause negative health effects such as headaches, dizziness, and fatigue. In addition, high foot traffic locations such as beaches, parks, and tourist areas tend to have limited options for refreshments, leaving people feeling thirsty and dissatisfied with their experience.

Lemonade Revival addresses this problem by providing cold, refreshing beverages and snacks in these high foot traffic locations. Our products are made fresh onsite and served in eco-friendly cups, providing a unique and satisfying experience for customers.

Furthermore, we have conducted market research and run tests to verify our idea. We have received positive feedback from consumers and event planners alike, indicating a clear demand for our products and services. Our goal is to continue to provide excellent customer service while expanding our reach and opening additional booths or carts in neighboring cities and states.

Product Overview

Lemonade Revival specializes in selling ice-cold lemonade, iced tea, and refreshing snacks such as popsicles and frozen fruit to high foot traffic consumers during peak seasons. The products are made fresh on-site and served in eco-friendly cups or containers. Our refreshing beverages and snacks are for anyone seeking a refreshing and invigorating experience to beat the heat during hot summer months.

We provide our customers with a unique experience that is not only delicious but also sustainable. By serving our products in eco-friendly cups or containers, we are promoting a greener lifestyle and encouraging our customers to reduce their environmental impact. Our products benefit our customers by providing them with a refreshing and eco-friendly option to beat the heat during peak seasons.

Lemonade Revival aims to become a recognized brand in the beverage industry and to provide excellent customer service. Our goal is to generate steady revenue streams through the sale of high-quality beverages and snacks, establish long-term partnerships with top-grade suppliers of inventory and high foot traffic locations, and expand the business by opening additional booths or carts in neighboring cities and states.

There are various competitors in the beverage industry, such as soda companies and other seasonal drink stands. However, the differentiation for Lemonade Revival is our focus on refreshing and healthy beverages made fresh with quality ingredients. Our eco-friendly cups and containers also set us apart from others in the industry.

Additionally, we aim to provide excellent customer service and a unique experience that will make us stand out amongst other beverage stands and chains in the area. We are confident that our high-quality products and exceptional customer service will attract and retain loyal customers.

Roadmap: Products & Services

At Lemonade Revival, we are committed to providing customers with high-quality beverages and snacks that are both refreshing and environmentally sustainable. Below is a table outlining the steps we have taken so far, as well as our plans for establishing and growing our business:

We believe that by following this roadmap, we will be able to establish Lemonade Revival as a leading provider of refreshing, eco-friendly, and high-quality beverages and snacks. Our commitment to low overhead costs and excellent customer service will ensure that we generate steady revenue streams and establish long-term partnerships with suppliers and event planners.

Market Segmentation

Through market analysis, we have identified several potential customer segments for our Lemonade Stand business. Our primary target market is beachgoers, as they represent a large and high-potential segment. Tourists and event attendees also present opportunities for sales, while outdoor enthusiasts are a smaller and lower-potential segment. By catering to the specific needs and preferences of each segment, we can optimize our sales and maximize profits.

Target Market Segment Strategy

Our ideal customer for our lemonade stand business is anyone seeking refreshing and satisfying beverages and snacks during the summer months. We will focus on targeting families and individuals who visit popular destinations such as beaches, parks, and tourist areas where there is high foot traffic.

Furthermore, we will target health-conscious customers who are looking for a healthier alternative to sugary drinks and snacks. Our all-natural and freshly squeezed lemonade will cater to these customers' needs, providing them with a guilt-free indulgence while keeping them hydrated and refreshed during their outdoor activities.

Key Customers

Our ideal customer archetype is a family or group of friends seeking refreshments while enjoying outdoor activities during peak seasons. They value convenience and affordability, and are drawn to our refreshing and delicious lemonade and snacks. They appreciate our friendly and efficient service, and are likely to become repeat customers and advocates for our business within their social circles.

Future Markets

Based on the previous sections, we can see that the potential market for our lemonade stand is vast during peak seasons when high foot traffic is present in beaches, parks, and tourist areas. With a low-cost business model relying on cash sales, we are able to capture a significant portion of the refreshing beverage and snack market in these areas.

We plan to expand our reach by partnering with event planners to gain access to more high foot traffic locations and continuously improving our marketing and advertising strategies to attract even more customers. With a focus on providing quality refreshments at affordable prices, we believe that our business strategy is set up for long-term success in the future markets.

When analyzing the market, it is important to consider potential competitors. Below is a table of some local lemonade stands and their pricing:

Our lemonade stand aims to offer competitive pricing while also providing refreshing and high-quality lemonade. We will strive to differentiate ourselves by offering unique flavors and targeting peak season foot traffic areas.

Marketing and Sales Plan

Our marketing and advertising strategy will primarily focus on attracting high foot traffic consumers during peak seasons. To achieve this, we will use a combination of offline and online marketing channels.

Our overall marketing goal is to increase sales by 30% during peak seasons. We will track our progress using sales data and customer feedback to continually improve our marketing strategy.

Based on market research and analysis of consumer behavior, we anticipate high demand for our refreshing beverages and snacks during peak seasons in our targeted locations. Our pricing strategy will be competitive, yet profitable, with prices ranging from $2 to $5 per item. We plan to offer daily specials or bundle deals to incentivize repeat customers.

We estimate selling approximately 600 units per day during weekdays and up to 1,000 units per day on weekends. With an average unit price of $3, our daily revenue is expected to range from $1,800 to $5,000, generating a monthly revenue of approximately $56,400 to $150,000 during peak seasons.

To achieve these sales goals, we will engage in strategic marketing and advertising to attract customers, including creating a website, social media accounts, and printed materials such as flyers and banners. We will also rely on our partnership with event planners to gain access to high foot traffic locations and leverage word-of-mouth referrals from satisfied customers. Our team will be trained to provide excellent customer service and upsell our offerings to increase sales volume.

Location and Facilities

The Lemonade Revival startup will be based in Miami Beach, Florida, a popular tourist destination during peak seasons. We will operate in high foot traffic locations such as beaches, parks, and tourist areas to reach our target market. Our portable booths or carts will be equipped with refrigeration and sinks to support the preparation and sale of our refreshing beverages and snacks.

The costs of operation will include vendor licenses for each location, which will vary in cost depending on the state and city. We will also need to consider the costs of transportation and storage for our portable carts or booths. Additionally, we will be investing in eco-friendly cups or containers to serve our products, which will increase our initial inventory costs.

Equipment and Tools

To effectively market and sell our refreshing lemonades, we will need the following equipment and tools:

While the initial cost of purchasing or renting the required equipment and tools may seem steep, we believe that these investments are necessary for our lemonade stand to stand out among its competitors. By investing in quality equipment and branding, we can attract more customers and increase our revenue in the long run.

Management and Organization

Organizational structure.

Our lemonade stand business has a simple organizational structure with limited employees. The roles and responsibilities of each employee are listed below:

In terms of information flow, employees will communicate directly with the owner/manager for any questions or concerns. The owner/manager will also be responsible for delegating tasks and ensuring that all employees are meeting their responsibilities.

Management Team

In anticipation of growth and expansion, our lemonade stand business plans to bring on a team of talented individuals to fill high-level management roles. We are currently in the process of building a table of potential candidates that possess the skills and experience necessary to lead our operations, marketing, and finance departments. Our goal is to create a cohesive management team that will work collaboratively to achieve our business objectives while maintaining a positive and innovative company culture.

Management Team Gaps

As the founder of the Lemonade Stand, there are currently management team gaps that need to be addressed. While I am capable of managing day-to-day operations, I do not have candidates ready to fill leadership roles in areas such as finance and marketing. As the business grows, it will become increasingly important to have a strong and diverse management team in place to handle the various functions of the business. Therefore, I am actively seeking candidates with the necessary expertise and experience to join the team and help take the Lemonade Stand to the next level.

Management and Organization - Personnel Plan

As a seasonal, cash-based business model, our lemonade stand will require a minimal number of personnel to operate effectively. We plan to utilize a simple organizational structure consisting of the following positions:

We believe that this personnel plan will enable us to provide exceptional customer service and operate efficiently, while also keeping our overhead costs low.

Company History and Ownership

Lemonade Revival is a newly-established business venture founded by John Doe, an entrepreneur with a passion for providing quality, refreshing drinks and snacks. His love for lemonade led him to launch this business during the summer season, with the aim of providing customers with a unique and refreshing experience while generating a profit for the business.

John Doe learned the value of customer service and effective operations through his experience working in the food and beverage industry. He understands the importance of purchasing high-quality inventory, developing strong partnerships, and marketing to attract customers. He has also assembled a team of seasonal staff with experience in sales and operations to support the running of the business.

By combining his knowledge and experience, John Doe has developed a well-planned business model that focuses on providing refreshing beverages and snacks in high foot traffic locations while minimizing overhead costs to ensure profitability. His goal is to expand the business by opening additional booths or carts in neighboring cities and states, establishing Lemonade Revival as a recognized brand in the beverage industry.

At Lemonade Revival, we believe that a well-planned roadmap is crucial for the success of our business. Here are some specific goals and objectives that we plan to achieve during the first year:

Key Metrics

In order to gauge the overall performance and health of our Lemonade Stand business, we will be keeping track of several key performance indicators (KPIs). These include:

• Total sales revenue
• Average daily sales

By monitoring these KPIs, we can quickly identify areas where we may need to make adjustments in order to improve our profitability and overall success. Additionally, tracking customer satisfaction will help us to ensure that we are meeting the needs and expectations of our target audience, which will be crucial to maintaining long-term profitability and sustainability for our business.

Financial Plan and Metrics

Sales forecast.

Below is a projection of the Lemonade Revival's sales for the next three years (2023-2025) broken down by product categories:

Based on market research and expected foot traffic, Lemonade Revival anticipates growth in sales each year. The company will continuously analyze sales performances and adjust its strategy to optimize sales revenue.

Starting and operating a lemonade stand requires certain expenses. Below are the expected or incurred costs for the business:

Startup Costs

Operational expenses.

It is important to carefully manage these expenses in order to maintain profitability and sustainability of the business.

Projected Profit and Loss

Our financial plan and metrics show that we expect to bring in revenue through cash sales of our refreshing beverages and snacks. Our projected profit and loss statement for three years (2023, 2024, 2025) is as follows:

We anticipate that our revenues will grow steadily each year as we expand our operations and increase brand recognition. Although expenses are expected to rise, we have made efforts to keep our overhead costs low to improve our profit margins. Our projected profit and loss statement demonstrates our commitment to achieving profitability and successful growth.

Projected Cash Flow

Here is the projected cash flow statement for Lemonade Revival for three years (2023, 2024, 2025) in the form of an HTML table:

The inflow represents the projected revenue from sales, while the outflow category includes expenses such as inventory and marketing costs. The net cash flow shows the difference between the inflow and outflow, while the cumulative net cash flow represents the total amount of cash available at the end of each year. These projections show steady growth over the three-year period, indicating the profitability of the Lemonade Revival business model.

Projected Balance Sheet

Below is the projected balance sheet statement for our Lemonade Stand business for the next three years:

As you can see, we anticipate a steady increase in both assets and equity while keeping liabilities relatively consistent. This projected balance sheet shows a strong financial foundation for our business's growth and success in the coming years.

Personnel Plan

The Lemonade Stand will require a small but efficient team to operate during peak seasons. We will hire seasonal employees who have experience in sales and customer service. Their compensation will be based on an hourly rate and commission-based incentives for meeting sales targets.

The employees will be responsible for managing the booth or cart, preparing and serving beverages and snacks, handling cash transactions, and maintaining inventory levels. They will work closely with the owner to ensure smooth business operations and an exceptional customer experience.

Use of Funds

Below is a breakdown of how the funds will be utilized:

This breakdown will be shared with our investors and lenders to provide transparency and clarity on how the funds will be allocated to support the success and growth of Lemonade Revival.

Exit Strategy

In the long-term, our plan is to expand and grow our business, eventually leading to a profitable acquisition by a larger company in the food and beverage industry. Alternatively, we may consider selling our business to interested parties or passing along ownership to a family member or trusted employee. Our ultimate goal is to ensure the continued success of our business, whether through a profitable exit strategy or through the hands of a new owner who shares our vision for providing high-quality refreshments to consumers during peak seasons.

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Today’s kids start lemonade stands with a business plan.

Kavitha Cardoza, Education Week Kavitha Cardoza, Education Week

• Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/todays-kids-start-lemonade-stands-with-a-business-plan

It's the American summertime symbol of entrepreneurship: the lemonade stand. It might evoke nostalgic visions, but today nonprofits are using these rites of childhood to nurture budding business skills and entrepreneurial thinking. Special correspondent Kavitha Cardoza of Education Week reports.

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Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors.

Lemonade stands evoke nostalgic visions of kids handing out paper cups in front of their houses on a hot summer day.

But now nonprofits like Lemonade Day are using these rites of childhood to try to nurture budding business skills and entrepreneurial thinking.

Special correspondent Kavitha Cardoza from our partner Education Week visited Indianapolis, Indiana, a city that enthusiastically embraces national Lemonade Day.

It's part of our weekly education segment, Making the Grade.

Flannery Partain:

Lemonade, come get it. Lemonade, ice cool.

Kavitha Cardoza:

A big smile, a loud voice and lots of colorful posters, that's how Flannery Partain plans to attract customers. She's just 8, but knows exactly what she wants.

I want to be the boss.

And what better way to kick-start that ambition than though that American summertime symbol of entrepreneurship, the lemonade stand?

Lemonade, ice cold lemonade.

Flannery's just learned her first business concept, the importance of a catchy name.

At first, I was like Sour Lemon, but then my dad's like, no, no, no, no, no, no. And so he was like, how about Sweet Lemon? I'm like, yes, that could work, too.

I was thinking we could name it Lemon Squeeze?

Scott Jones:

Lemon — that is the best name I have ever heard. Lemon Squeeze, you guys like that name?

This is so important because our education system doesn't teach that kind of thing.

That's multimillionaire entrepreneur Scott Jones. He developed the technology we commonly use in voice-mail.

When I was a kid, I not only did the lemonade stand, because, once I had the bug of entrepreneurship, I had haunted houses, I had putt-putt courses, I would make Christmas decorations. Once you start, it keeps on going.

Jones wants kids to get bitten by that same bug, so he founded Lemonade Day in Indianapolis nine years ago. And he's backed that effort with a million dollars that helps pay for start-up money, city permits and free workshops.

I have a tattoo. "Do." Right? That's what life is for me — and I have taught that to my children, the willingness to get up off the couch or away from the video game and actually do that idea.

This is selling lemonade version 2.0, because even before they have made a single sale, kids have had to go through a curriculum with an adult where they learn to make a business plan, calculate costs and learn key concepts.

C.J. Harris:

And if they tell you no, just say, have a nice day.

Jemma Walker:

For $3, blue raspberry lemonade.

Eleven-year-old Jemma Walker is the queen of elaborate lemonade stands. She always has a red carpet.

We want everyone to feel like they're VIPs when they come to the lemonade stand.

Hello. Would you like to support the lemonade stand? Well, we accept credit cards. Yes, we do.

Her brother Miller is part of her marketing plan.

Miller Walker:

My role is to help, to help get customers to come and buy some lemonade at the lemonade stand, and also to look adorable.

Her parents, Sherrean and Luke Walker, say the lemonade stand has taught Jemma life skills.

Sherrean Walker:

It's a real-world applicability of all those skills.

Luke Walker:

They are seeing all of those connections between what you like to do and what can make you successful.

So far, 75,000 kids have participated in this free program in Indianapolis alone.

Two, two, four, $430.08. Yes!

My best bit of business advice would probably be, have fun with it.

It's fun, but it's also a serious effort to develop a pipeline of future entrepreneurs.

Schools nurture kids who are academically gifted, who are athletically gifted, who are artistically gifted. You think we should encourage kids who are entrepreneurially gifted?

Absolutely.

And Lemonade Day is the perfect way to introduce these concepts of managing money, because how often in school are they being asked to learn and exercise selling skills, marketing skills, social skills, psychological skills, right? It just isn't done that much. You learn it all, right, when you do a lemonade stand.

It also fosters a sense of community.

Ten-year-old C.J. Was the last year's lemonade entrepreneur of Indianapolis. What's this?

It's the MVPs for asthma, so it's to help asthma, because I do have asthma.

All the kids follow the program's spend, save and share motto.

So, you have standard lemonade. You have blueberry lemonade.

For C.J., the customer is king. Well, most of the time.

Water is better for you than any of this stuff.

No, lemonade is better.

No, I do not agree with you.

A Lemonade Day study found children who took part in this program were more likely to plan to start their own business and are more confident they can find lots of ways around any problem. They also believe they will invent something that will change the world.

Flannery has set her sights a little lower. She wants to buy art supplies and glitter glue. And with a steady stream of customers, including a drive-through, she's well on her way.

For the "PBS NewsHour" and Education Week, I'm Kavitha Cardoza in Indianapolis, Indiana.

If you want to help your child start a lemonade stand, a financial planner gives you advice on our Web site, PBS.org/NewsHour.

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Lemonade Stand Lesson Plan

Summer is upon us which means it’s time for sun tea, popsicles and lemonade. Are you teaching your kids to be entrepreneuria l in your homeschool? Here’s a lemonade stand lesson plan to help you teach your kids everything they need to know about running a small business.

I did this with my kids earlier this spring. They had a blast, and I was surprised at their restraint to not drink their profits! The kids used this lemonade stand lesson plan to learn about all their expenses, how to develop a marketing plan, and to calculate their profits. it was a great experience for them, and now they are begging to have a permanent homeschool lemonade stand.

How to Create a Business Plan for a Lemonade Stand

When your kids are brainstorming ideas for their lemonade stand, make sure they go through all the sections of a good business plan. As a small business owner myself , I think business skills are essential. Yes, we can rail against our capitalist society, but we also need to understand how to operate in it. Our generation often complains we didn’t learn money and business skills in school – so here is your chance to teach your kids!

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Brainstorm Motivations for a Lemonade Stand

The lemonade stand lesson plan I created for my kids asks them to start brainstorming and to identify their motivations. Just like most of us, kids like to focus on goals. For example, I asked them what they would do with their profits. A couple said they wanted to donate it to the homeless shelter while one said she wanted to buy candy. There is no wrong answer here – let their intrinsic motivation carry them through.

Identify Expenses for a Lemonade Stand

The next step is to have your kids write down all their expected expenses. Are they going to use real lemons or concentrate? Do they have glasses and a table? Will they offer any free perks at their lemonade stand? They should write down everything for expenses and then calculate a little bit more to account for unexpected expenses.

How to Fund a Lemonade Stand for Kids

Once the kids have written down all their expenses, ask them to identify how they will get their seed money. Do they already have cash on hand from allowances or other odd jobs? Are they expecting parents to give them the starting money? In my lemonade stand lesson plan, I gave some ideas for my kids to earn the seed money if they didn’t have it already.

Make a Marketing Plan for Your Lemonade Stand

By this point, my kids were over the planning stage. 🙂 However, they were able to come up with a few ideas for marketing their lemonade stand. We live in a neighborhood with community mailboxes, so they wanted to make signs to hang on the mailboxes. They also told everyone they met while out for a walk.

How to Build a Lemonade Stand

If you want to go all in, you can build a really cute lemonade stand with scrap wood and a bucket of paint. My kids chose to keep their costs minimal, though, and use the items we had on hand.

They “rented” a folding table from their grandma and used a table cloth we already had. Leftover poster board from some school projects served as their main table signs. They also designed and hung up flyers around the neighborhood to advertise.

Like most things in life, you can make a lemonade stand as fancy or as simplistic as you please. We chose to use the items we already have and to keep it simple. If they decided to have a lemonade stand on a regular basis, then we might invest in a more permanent or efficient structure.

The Day of the Lemonade Stand

Finally! The day to sell lemonade has arrived! My kids woke up early to start their preparation and to make their homemade lemonade. Ultimately, they ended up using a combination of concentrate and fresh lemons to save a little on costs.

They also chose to sell cookies, painted rocks, and paper world flags. They had set their own prices and calculated the profit margins in the lemonade stand lesson plan I had them fill out.

They hung up their signs and texted a few neighbors to remind them to stop by if they had time.

How Profitable Was Their Lemonade Stand?

About halfway through the day, I went out to the stand and bought myself a glass of lemonade. My youngest begged me, “Mom, please will you buy me a cup of lemonade? I’m so thirsty!”. She is a sugar addict and I truly couldn’t believe she had not had a drop of lemonade yet. Yes, I bought her a glass.

Because they had filled out the lemonade stand lesson plan, they knew exactly what their profit margin was. They also knew what they wanted to do with their profits. I think this helped them to have self-control and to focus on selling as much as they could.

In the end, they calculated they made $70 in profit. Not too shabby for a day of fun outside. They split the profit equally and each kid used or saved their lemonade stand profits as they had planned.

Lessons Learned at the Lemonade Stand

The last part of the lemonade stand lesson plan is to reflect on the day and the process. I had the kids discuss and write down things they thought went well, and things they will change if they do it again.

The biggest lesson for them was to not underestimate their neighbors – we ran out of lemonade twice! They also brainstormed other entrepreneurial ideas for homeschoolers instead of lemonade. They learned creating fresh lemonade was hard work and maybe they would prefer to focus on art work or other items that don’t have to be prepared the same day.

Business Skills for Homeschoolers

In the end, I think having this lemonade stand lesson plan helped my kids focus on all the moving parts of having a business. They explored ways to reduce expenses and how to expand their products. They also realized all the work and effort that goes into having a business.

I reiterated to my kids over and over to focus on customer service and value. They quickly figured out going the extra mile brought extra smiles (and sometimes extra cash). We also talked about other business ideas for homeschooled kids and what problems they could solve in the neighborhood.

Whether your kids have a lemonade stand or a dog-walking service, it is important to teach our kids these business skills. As homeschoolers we have the flexibility to make it a reality and are giving our kids true life skills they can carry with them.

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Lemonade Stand

Welcome to our lemonade stand program. Thousands of kids have enjoyed this program and we hope you will too. To help you learn about business, we have developed a business program using the lemonade stand. This is the best known kid’s business and therefore the best way to talk to you about business.

Steps To Take In Our Lemonade Stand Program (Outline):

Kid’s executive summary.

Basically, we want you to take on the challenge of creating a great lemonade stand business experience. You can just do this on paper (think, draw or plan it out) or actually develop and run a lemonade stand business. We know you can master business and this will be a good chance for you to take charge and give business a try.

We have created this program for you with the ABC’s of the lemonade stand business.

• A – we encourage you to consider planning and possibly operating a lemonade stand business. You can do it; as a class, with friends, family or on your own. There are lots of challenges and lots to be learned in this great kid’s business.
• B – We provide you with lots things to think about and  tips to help you develop a lemonade stand business.
• C – try it by planning a business or launch one.

If you want to go a little further to develop a business, we have written a book to help you called” The Kids’ Guide To Business “.

This program helps you set-up a lemonade stand, plan and run it as a business and launches you into a great business experience. The unique thing about this program is that you may not even make lemonade or set-up an actual stand to learn about business and the lemonade stand business.

You take control and become the decision maker as we give you lots of tips on things you may want to think about to develop your business.

Your lemonade stand business might be the opportunity for you to understand your talents and develop skills in business. Are you good at design, making things, selling things, creating advertisements, keeping track of the money (accounting), telling people about your product & business (marketing) or organizing the business (managing) – give it a try and find out!! You may even make the best lemonade in the world!

We hope this is an opportunity for you to try business, take pride when you sit back and say “I did it”. Try it as a project to help you learn about your skills, challenge yourself in new ways, and have fun.

Good luck and tell us how you did. We would like to profile kid’s business stories, good and bad.If you don’t actually set-up a stand, your story can be what you would do and how you would do it. If there is one part of the lemonade stand business that you would like to share with us, please do so. Contact us .

Enjoy your journey into business!

Jeff M. Brown

President & CEO

TeachingKidsBusiness.com

Please consider our book “ The Kids’ Guide To Business ” to help you learn about & experience business and prepare for a career.

What is a lemonade stand?

When we talk about a lemonade stand we are thinking of kids sitting by the side of a street with a table and chairs, a container of lemonade, some glasses and a sign. The sign will usually say “Lemonade For Sale”. The kids are selling lemonade to people in their neighborhood.

We would like you to explore the traditional lemonade stand business and consider some new ideas.

When we talk about planning a lemonade stand we are referring to drawing, thinking and writing out all of the things you would do and how you would do it. Planning is kind of like using your imagination to see what you would do before you actually do it.

Watch CBS News

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro rides SEPTA in Bucks County to highlight public transit plan as fiscal cliff looms

By Dan Snyder , Will Kenworthy

May 16, 2024 / 6:38 PM EDT / CBS Philadelphia

BUCKS COUNTY, Pa. (CBS) – Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro chatted with SEPTA workers as he boarded a regional rail train at the Rydal station in Bucks County Thursday. The governor remembered this line fondly, saying it's where he spent a lot of time with the future first lady.

"I used to ride SEPTA in the 9th grade with my girlfriend when we would go to school. And when we were lucky, we would get those seats that would flip and we'd flip them up and put our feet up. I know you're not supposed to do that," Shapiro said.

But this ride was a business trip for Shapiro. He hopped off in Langhorne, surrounded by other state leaders, to pitch his plan to invest in public transit.

Shapiro's proposed budget would increase state funding in public transit across the commonwealth by $282.8 million dollars. Of that funding, $161.5 million would go to SEPTA, an agency desperately that desperately needs an influx of cash.

"This is an investment that is absolutely essential for SEPTA," SEPTA General Manager Leslie Richards said.

The authority is staring down a $240 million operating budget shortfall that's set to kick in on July 1 . According to numbers provided to state lawmakers in Sept. 2023, SEPTA says without any new money, the authority could have to increase fares up to 31% and cut service by as much as 20%.

Richards said this worry also comes at a time when SEPTA is seeing more volume. On Thursday, she announced the authority hit an average of 702,000 trips across its system daily, the highest number since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

SEPTA has also dealt with safety concerns , but leaders say those numbers are coming down. SEPTA Police Chief Chuck Lawson says those dubbed "serious crimes" are down 45% from quarter 1 2023 to quarter 1 2024. SEPTA stats also show that while murders ticked up slightly — from one in 2023 to three in 2024 — robberies plummeted from 102 in the first quarter last year to 34 in the first three months of 2024.

Richards says much of the funding proposed by the governor's office would go toward continuing those safety trends.

"We will add 40 new police officers, hire 100 new cleaners and double the size of our system's safety division," Richards said.

Shapiro's proposed funding wouldn't fully cover SEPTA's shortfall. However, the governor said it's tied to a 15% local match, which could bring an additional $24 million to the agency. Richards said they're also looking at ways to fill the hole through advertising and naming rights and that the Transformation Office has identified more than $50 million annually where the authority can save and be more efficient.

But this funding is far from guaranteed to arrive on time, or at all. It has to make it through a divided legislature in Harrisburg, one that just went through a lengthy budget battle last year.

Still, new funding for public transit does have bipartisan support.

"It's not just about keeping the trains running or the buses rolling. It's important for our economy, for our educational sector, even our tourism sector," said Republican State Sen. Frank Farry, who joined Shapiro at Thursday's press conference.

Farry, along with Republican State Rep. Joe Hogan, joined Shapiro to say they were actively working with lawmakers to pass new funding for transit. Farry admits those conversations can sometimes be tough sells to legislators from more rural areas of the state, where transit isn't high on the priority list. He believes there's support for the plan, just maybe not at the governor's number.

"I'm not sure we get something as robust as the governor is looking for. I think he's aiming very high, and he should aim very high. But I do think we get something done ultimately," Farry said.

When asked if that funding will come through by the July 1 fiscal cliff , Farry was optimistic, saying lawmakers and the governor are more seasoned after last year's lengthy impasse. Shapiro maintains this money is needed not just to avoid the shortfall, but for the future as well.

"If we are going to be competitive economically in Pennsylvania, if we're going to be able to put our best foot forward as the representative alluded to in 2026 when the eyes of the world are on us for our 250th anniversary as a nation, we need people to be able to get to and from where they need to go," Shapiro said.

• Pennsylvania
• Josh Shapiro

Dan Snyder, a Lehighton native and Temple University graduate, is excited to return to his home area after spending over three years as the Evening Anchor in Oklahoma City.

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