For the past six years, local Chambers of Commerce have been helping young residents learn the basics of entrepreneurship through Lemonade Day. This year’s event is scheduled June 10.
Lemonade Day is a free, experimental learning program that teaches youth how to start, own and operate their own business – a lemonade stand. Each child that registers receives a backpack with an Entrepreneur Workbook that teaches them the 14 lessons of Lemonade Day like creating budgets, setting profit-making goals, serving customers, repaying investors, and giving back to the community. Along the way, they acquire skills in goal-setting, problem solving, and gain self-esteem critical for future success. They keep all the money they make and are encouraged to spend some, save some and share some.
Local children have participated in the Chambers’ building and finance workshops, learning how to create a product and a store and how to use the proceeds.
Andrew Heuiser, Events & Programs Coordinator for the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce.
Heuiser: “Lemonade Day is an education program for youth in the community and they learn how to start up their own business , run it, and make profits, and do what they want to with those.”
Lemonade stands will be popping up on Saturday in front of many established local businesses in the Soldotna-Kenai area.
