Lemonade Day is about teaching kids the fundamentals of entrepreneurship. Part of the experience, however, is making a real profit. Running your own lemonade stand for a day can be a fun experience, but kids tend to learn more about entrepreneurship when they have money in their pocket. On the bright side, there are a few simple options available to enhance the money your little lemon head takes home.

How to Make More Money on Lemonade Day

The Lemonade Day curriculum covers the basics of running a lemonade stand, including marketing, location selection, and pricing. However, there is more you can do to make your stand a smashing success. Follow one or more of these tips and watch that money flow in.

Offer More Than Lemonade

As difficult as it is to believe, not everyone likes lemonade! I know, we’ll pause for a second so you can absorb that information. When confronted with a market that is less than friendly to cups of pure happiness, it’s best not to fight it. Instead offer alternatives that people are likely to buy, such as tea, water, or sodas. Ideally, you can focus on products that can be homemade cheaply so as to increase your profit margins.

Another option is to expand beyond beverages. Many Lemonade Day stands are located near parks, festivals, or sporting events. With such a great location, it might be wise to offer a few pre-packaged snacks, like chips or pretzels. Depending on your city and location, you might need to ask permission before offering more than lemonade but the rewards could be substantial.

Create a Jingle

Every year, Lemonade Day sees a long list of cleverly named and well-branded stands. Some of our favorites include “Family Squeezed”, “When Life Gives You Lemons, INSPIRE SOMEONE!”, and “Lemon-a-Peel”. However, a great sign and colorful colors will only work on certain customers. To really grab their attention, offer a jingle like the kind you hear on TV, the radio, or before YouTube videos.

Here’s a really great example of a couple of girls selling their lemonade with a plastic recorder and the tune to “Mary Had A Little Lamb”.

Market Research

All great businesses do their research before committing their investment funds. One of the most important bits of research you can do before Lemonade Day is market and location based research. This might seem like a complicated concept for kids to grasp but, amazingly, they get it. Before deciding on a location, put together a list of three options and visit them. If possible, go on the same day of the week and time as you plan to operate your lemonade stand. This will give you a general idea of how many people to expect and at what time.