Hundreds of young entrepreneurs will be setting up shop this Saturday all over North Texas as part of the fifth annual Lemonade Day Dallas. 

Founded in Houston in 2007, Lemonade Day encourages students of all ages to learn the ins and outs of business by creating and running profitable lemonade stands. Upon registration, students receive an online handbook and materials to guide them through the process of seeking investors, acquiring materials, and turning a profit. 

During this year’s event in Dallas, more than 50 lemonade stands will pop up throughout the area. Students will learn how budgets work and terms such as sales, cost, profit. They’ll get first-hand experience with attracting customers and seeing why brands are pivotal, said Tiffany Rubí, executive director for Lemonade Day Dallas.

“When a child looks down and sees the money they earned… that will encourage kids to think about what they could achieve later on.”

Tiffany Rubí

“They‘ll also understand the importance of location, they’ll learn communication with their customers, eye contact, customer service, and in the end, confidence,” Rubí said. 

Rubí works year-round to spread the word about Lemonade Day contacting various organizations and nonprofits throughout Dallas-Fort Worth to participate. Saturday’s event will include teams from multiple Dallas ISD schools, Heart House Dallas, Trinity River Mission, and Boys and Girls Club of Greater Dallas. While third through eighth graders compose roughly 75 percent of teams, students of all ages are welcome to participate. 

Since the program came to Dallas in 2014, more than 7,500 students have taken part in the event, with approximately 1,700 kids registered this year. While Lemonade Day occurs only once a year, the resources are available online at all times. As a result, many organizations that run summer programs such as Moorland Family YMCA, Vogel Alcove, Catholic Charities Dallas and Brother Bill’s Helping Hand choose to run their own Lemonade Day stands during the summer months. 

“It sparks that idea of entrepreneurship,” Rubí said. “When a child looks down and sees the money they earned… that will encourage kids to think about what they could achieve later on.” 

[Photos courtesy of Lemonade Day Dallas]

BEHIND EVERY DOOR PARTNERS WITH DALLAS SANDWICH SHOP

One organization hoping to instill kids with an entrepreneurial spirit through Lemonade Day is Dallas-based Behind Every Door. This Saturday, four students will represent the nonprofit with its lemonade stand, Urbanade. 

Behind Every Door works to better the lives of those living in underprivileged communities in North Texas. It provides support through mentors, employment opportunities, after-school educational programs, and more. 

This is Urbanade’s second year participating in Lemonade Day Dallas. In 2017, Behind Every Door head of intersection of tech and people Fiona Hall spearheaded a team of seventh and eighth graders to enhance their understanding of the business world.

“[Running a lemonade stand] is a simple concept, but the online tools they give us are so great. They help the kids understand profit and loss, everything from marketing your stand, to talking to entrepreneurs,” Hall said. 

Last year, in order to create a unique, tasty lemonade recipe, Hall allowed her team to experiment in her kitchen. After hours of work, the kids produced the first batch of what is now their famous lavender lemonade. Last Saturday, the team entered their lavender lemonade in the Lemonade Day Dallas Best Tasting Contest at NorthPark Center and won. Hall acknowledges that the kids’ success as a team is a direct result of the lessons they’ve learned through creating a business.

“[The kids] are starting to really understand that when you have a business you need to work as a team, and it’s really evident how they work together,” Hall said.

Urbanade is reaching new heights for the upcoming event through a professional collaboration with East Hampton Sandwich Company. Six months ago, Behind Every Door Executive Director Will Dowell connected the team with East Hampton’s President and Director of Marketing Kyle Brooks, and the two groups spent time looking at what a relationship would look like. 

“[The kids] are starting to really understand that when you have a business you need to work as a team, and it’s really evident how they work together.”

Fiona Hall

Recently, the sandwich company announced it would sell Urbanade’s lavender lemonade in all of its DFW stores from May 5 through July 5. 

“We share the same values of encouraging kids and teaching them practical skills about entrepreneurship,” Hall said about the collaboration.

The lemonade will be sold for $3, with $1 from each sale going to Behind Every Door. The organization will use these funds to expand educational opportunities and experiences for its students. According to Hall, Urbanade is hoping to continue this partnership in the future. She is grateful for the opportunity to teach her students about the skills and discipline needed to succeed in the professional world. 

“When we talk about the future, none of them come from any backgrounds where college is a norm, but all of the kids are planning to go to college. One of the things I tell them all the time is, ‘I want you to have big dreams, but I want to give you the tools to get there. I want to equip you so you know how to get there,'” Hall said.

This Saturday, Urbanade will sell their lemonade in Snider Plaza. For a full list of Lemonade Day stands and locations, go here. 

“We encourage anybody to sign up and participate with a child, and if not go out and support the kids on Lemonade Day and help us encourage the next generation of leaders in Dallas,” Rubí said. 

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