For the third consecutive year, more than 1,000 children will hit city streets on Saturday offering parched Calgarians lemonade of all recipes, sizes and flavours — for a fair price. Read More
Lemonade Day gives children aged five to 13 a chance to show off their entrepreneurship skills
Lemonade Day gives children aged five to 13 a chance to show off their entrepreneurship skills
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For the third consecutive year, more than 1,000 children will hit city streets on Saturday offering parched Calgarians lemonade of all recipes, sizes and flavours — for a fair price.
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Lemonade Day gives children aged five to 13 a chance to show off their entrepreneurship skills and get their feet wet in the art of business and marketing.
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“They really enjoy it,” said Taran Romain, city director for Lemonade Day Calgary. “They have some fun goals on things they want to purchase and save up for. So they love being able to actually work hard and be able to get and earn money on their own … as well as being able to get out there and build the muscle of confidence and being in front of people and selling things.”
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Romain said 1,159 children will participate in the program this year.
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How did Lemonade Day come about?
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It all began with a father in the U.S. who wanted to teach his children the importance of working with money, according to Romain.
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“The best way, he figured, to teach them that in a very practical sense was through a lemonade stand, which is a great … approachable way for kids to understand what it’s like to operate a business,” he said.
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It has since flourished into a national program across multiple cities in North America and Canada.
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Chantelle Little, founder and CEO of Calgary-based digital marketing agency Tiller Digital, brought the program to Calgary. “She’s an entrepreneur herself and has been since a young age,” Romain said, having started her own agency when she was 19 years old.
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“She’s a big advocate for chasing your dreams and embracing the spirit of starting something from scratch, and building something from the ground up.”
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How does Lemonade Day work?
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There are two components.
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First is the app, which includes a self-directed learning program for kids on the essentials of marketing, branding and all the business essentials.
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The program takes four to five hours, but children are free to take as long as they want, Romain said.
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“They’re able to work through interactively, a series of videos, resources, workbooks … different projects and assignments that are given to help them prepare for the day.”
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The second is the big day. Starting on Saturday, as early as 9 a.m., children across the city will set up their stands and “try to sell as much lemonade as possible,” Romain said.
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The stands will operate until 4 p.m. In the meantime, organizers will have a crew of volunteers who will taste-test the products. “We’re going to try and visit as many of these young entrepreneurs as possible,” he said. “We’re going to chat with them, see how their experience was, try some of their lemonade and just engage and encourage them.”