Making lemonade dreams come true!!

So my dear little Mikey has been asking to be able to do a lemonade stand FOREVER! And I have been putting him off for just as long. He is truly my go getter, the one with that entrepreneurial spirit that I sooo love and admire because this child comes up with all kinds of adventures and things he wants to do. However, there is a minor drawback to this spirited child, and that is that he is RELENTLESS!! When his mind starts working on an idea, there is no stopping him in asking or finding a way to make his idea come to fruition, no matter how small the idea is, and it usually has to happen, "Now." I can't always make it happen for him like that so as much as this can be a gift, it can sometimes take a toll on my nerves. Poor Baby!


Just a note: I swear I have NO idea where he gets any of this from!! (dripping with sarcasm :)

Hahaha...yes, he is a lot like me! The entrepreneurial part is both like Jerry and I because we have both had our own small businesses at one time or another. But when it comes to having an idea and making his head spin with excitement...that is totally me!! And I don't usually stop until I get my ideas out or get information about it or find what I need to get it going. I remember being like that when I was little too, and now I feel bad for my parents. LOL! But its this personality trait I have found extremely useful in my adulthood, and is a big part of who I am in so many things that I do, including work, and my personal life. I like getting stuff done!


So anyway, after many weeks he finally had everything he needed including cups and the lemonade mix to make this stand come to life.  Mikey woke up yesterday morning wanting to do this, and asked like 3 times before I said ok, and by the time I was ready he had a sign made, the lemonade was made, and his table was ready to go.





So inspired by this, I helped him price his lemonade at $.50 explaining he had to "cover his costs." And I supplied him with a cool beverage dispenser to put his lemonade in to make it look "official." I made him comb his hair, wear clean clothes and good shoes because he had to represent his business properly, right? I made sure he understood it was all about presentation.

So he set up shop at the corner of our house. 

He was very shy at first and just stood there with his sign, 

but I told him that no one would see him if he didn't get out there.

I took the opportunity to explain that he had to use his voice to publicize his business.

So he got himself  out to the corner with his sign.

 (From a drivers vantage point)

And he started figuring out that if he yelled out 

"Come get your lemonade" as the cars would pass by, 

he could at least get them to look over at his sign.

It took about 20 minutes before for his first customer stopped by. 

Mikey got really excited and gave him drive through service and said "Thank- you!" 

He nicely responded with "I always support small businesses!"

Awesome!

His First $.50...YAY!!!!

 

This gentleman had driven by and smiled, but then went home nearby and

walked his lovely wife down just to buy some lemonade...OMG! So Sweet!!

He even tipped Mikey another $.50!!!

Danny got in on the gig towards the end! 

He even came up with a jingle:

"Have some Lemonade, don't be shy, 

Its only $.50 so come on by!"

(LOL!!...not too shabby!)

Counting his earnings! Mikey's sales totaled to $3.25!!

 He ended up having a police car that waved, a fire engine came by and honked for him, and 2 more customers: a car of girls on their way to the beach that purposely turned around to get a couple of cups, and our friend Jacob was our last customer of the day.  

Mikey decided to close up shop a little after an hour, not much time total, but he was happy with what he had accomplished. I couldn't have been prouder of him for even trying and doing such a great job. He had finally been able to open up his lemonade stand. He said at the end "My dream finally came true!"  It really is the small moments in life.

Mikey learned a lot from this experience which was the whole point for me, and he made a few realizations for himself:

• That the TV definitely makes this look much easier than it really is
• That not all people want lemonade all the time 
• And that maybe he might need a better location next time (Location, location, location!)

This is what having your own business is about. Learning the highs and lows, and what works and what doesn't to help you succeed next time. Of course, I hope these are things that stay with him and help him out in the future. We'll also just have to wait and see if being a true businessman is in the stars for Mikey. Either way, his dad and I will encourage and support him any way we can!


Until Mikey's next adventure...Here's to our kids and all those lemonade dreams come true!!

From my corner to yours- Thanks for stopping!