Lemonade Day Youth Entrepreneurship Program Influences Future Business Startups

By Steven Gordon, Lemonade Day National President

 

McMinnville Kids

 

While preparing my blog post for today, I came across several interesting articles that pointed to the important role that entrepreneurs play in strengthening the economy and the negative implications of the steady decline in new business formations that has been occurring for decades.

“It’s been said that entrepreneurs are the ones who really change the world. Goods and services like instant coffee or instant communication were once non-existent, but thanks to daring entrepreneurs, we now have the luxury to take these products for granted. Without entrepreneurs, innovation would wither along with productivity and growth.”

Excerpt from “15 Entrepreneurship Statistics That You Should Know,” By Henry Kanapi posted on July 30, 2017

 https://fitsmallbusiness.com/entrepreneurship-statistics/

“After a long hangover from the Great Recession, entrepreneurship is finally rebounding in the United States, according to the 8th Annual Kauffman Foundation State of Entrepreneurship Address held in Washington today. Kauffman President and CEO Wendy Guillies outlined how entrepreneurs are driving a resurgence of business activity in America but that a long-term decline in entrepreneurship has prevented millions of Americans from achieving economic success.                                      

Despite recent upticks in business creation and growth indicators, new firm formation remains in a long-term deficit, roughly half of where it was a generation ago. Guillies described how this decline hurts more than just entrepreneurs. It is a trend with broad implications for America’s competitiveness while also negatively affecting American workers. New economic research demonstrates that the entrepreneurship deficit is tied to stagnant productivity, job loss, inequality and growth, which means lower wages and living standards for Americans."

Excerpt from news release posted on Feb. 16, 2017

http://www.kauffman.org/newsroom/2017/2/entrepreneurship-is-on-the-rise-but-long-term-startup-decline-leaves-millions-of-americans-behind

 

Saskatchewan Kids

 

Lemonade Day leaders and supporters are addressing these issues through our youth entrepreneurship program that targets kids of kindergarten through fifth grade age. We know from research that when younger kids are introduced to entrepreneurship, the more likely they are to engage in starting businesses of their own at some point in the future.  Kids who participate in Lemonade Day in the United States, Canada, and South Africa will learn lessons that will empower them for life. They will learn important skills such as planning, product development, marketing, promotion, sales, customer service, and financial management—all through the experience of hosting a lemonade stand in their own community.

On February 16, Lemonade Day will co-host a briefing with Gallup on the topic “Business Startup Challenges and Youth Entrepreneurship Opportunities” starting at 8:30 a.m. at Gallup Headquarters in Washington, D.C.  If you and/or others you know are in the D.C. area on that day, please join us for insights from Jim Clifton, Gallup’s chairman and chief executive officer, and Joe Daly, Gallup partner and a member of the Lemonade Day Board of Directors.  Three successful young entrepreneurs will also be telling their story in a room full of adults!

For more information on our event on Feb. 16, please follow this link:

https://lemonadeday.org/nationalevents

Collectively, we can encourage more young people to graduate from Lemonade Day to start ventures that will create jobs and benefit causes that matter to them. But we need your help! Lemonade Day is seeking sponsors, donors, mentors, volunteers, strategic partners, in-kind product and service providers, host cities, and champions of all ages and in all stages of life who believe in empowerment through entrepreneurship. Please check out lemonadeday.org.

 

About Lemonade Day

Founded in Houston in 2007 by Michael and Lisa Holthouse, Lemonade Day is a non-profit organization dedicated to teaching every child across North America the business and financial skills that are the key ingredients of entrepreneurship. By learning these skills early in life, children will be better prepared to be successful, financially healthy adults. Through our fun, hands-on program kids K-5 are empowered to start their very own business—a lemonade stand—and experience the feeling of earning real money, using 100% of their profit to spend, save and share based on their own goals.

The Lemonade Day program is licensed in 66 territories in North America and growing. Over the past 10 years, we have served more than 1 million kids in our youth entrepreneur programs.

Visit LemonadeDay.org to learn how to participate in Lemonade Day in your city or to donate locally or nationally.

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