Support Your Local Lemonade Stand

On my way home today I passed my local lemonade stand operated by the neighbor girl at the end of my street. There she was with her best-est friend holding up their big signs, with big smiles and even bigger energy. I was witnessing the American dream in it's most simple form through the efforts of two eight year old girls. The lemonade stand is a classic wage earner for even the youngest entrepreneurs. Topping the list ahead of "raking leaves" and followed by the classic "mowing lawns" work release program. This is the time of year when a lemonade stand can really prosper. Do you support your local lemonade stand? George Clooney does.

My first visit to my neighbor's lemonade stand took place last week on the only warm afternoon we had in Seattle for sometime. This stand was more like a small crate with a white refrigerator ice tray sitting off to the side and a clear plastic money sack lying on the ground close by. None the less it was officially open for business. The girls started with lemonade and quickly switched over to limeade, which in my opinion tasted much better. Their thirst for capitalism was unaffected by the several cars that passed them by without a glance. I had no barrier to entry because I was on foot. The girls decided to split up and each take a corner with their huge poster board signs that read "Fresh Limeade only 25¢ with Free Refills". What? Free refills? This is unheard of. How can these girls offer free refills? They will go out of business for sure.

I stood there in awe watching them serve each car as they lifted up full cups of limeade right through the open windows like seasoned car hops. They could barely see over the door of those over-sized SUV's that stopped by. One girl poured while the other delivered and then they switched roles. Some people stayed just long enough to finish their drink, the girls asked if they wanted a refill. Most people kindly declined understanding the merits of drinking just one cup. The girls seemed disappointed that they could not serve that free refill. After all, it was a key part of their strategic marketing plan. While we are on the topic of marketing plans, I found a stylized lemonade stand for sale online at Target. This was news to me realizing that the cardboard box had been perfected for $119 dollars. It's nice too.

I was a big spender that day during my visit, dropping an entire dollar on their lemonade venture. It turns out just recently that George Clooney visited a lemonade stand near the set of his new movie "Leatherheads" that was filming on location in Tobaccoville, North Carolina. Clooney paid $20 bucks to three kids for a 25 cent cup of lemonade and declined the change. Then Clooney ends up on dozens of entertainment news sites. OMG! I plunk down a whole dollar and leisurely chug down four cups of limeade until my bladder almost bursts and all I get to do is blog about it to my forty seven daily average readers. Man I suck! I realized that I was aiming way to low with my support of these little local lemonade business moguls. I missed a huge promotional opportunity here. I may have even missed a massive photo opportunity in my local paper. Dang it!

I will not reveal my next clever move in this now action packed lemonade stand competition, but I will say this, Mr. Clooney has met his match in Mr. Besilly as a formidable opponent. I will become the lemonade stand venture capitalist of my entire community and launch these little entrepreneurs into full fledged operations with no limit for success. Be assured that it's only Spring, so you have not heard the last of this lemonade saga from me. You tell George Clooney when you see him that Mr. Besilly said; "it's on bro!" This is farkin' war!

My real point here is simply this people, support your local lemonade stand. Your dollars may be the only taste of success these kids need to spur them onto making millions someday. That's right! Be Walt Disney for a day and make your neighborhood "the happiest place on earth". Call a time out, pull over that huge gas guzzling Yukon of yours and buy your fair share of lemonade. Be bold! Dare to buy beyond your fair share. Choke it down and then smile. You'll be glad you did. George Clooney sure was.

Read CNN George Clooney Story   Read More Clooney Coverage

Email me a photo of yourself with your local lemonade stand crew and the dollar amount you paid for a cup of lemonade. I'll post it on my blog and make you famous. (mrbesilly@earthlink.net)

Comments

[Polli]

Oh this was fun to read. My daughters used to sell rocks (pretty ones!) for .25 each to passing cars. One time, I discovered an entire stack of brand-new washcloths was missing -- the girls had sold them too. Thanks for bringing back those memories.

[katrina]

If George Clooney is lurking about, screw the lemonade stand. I'm opening up a kissing booth.