Lemonade in Laurel: Young Entrepreneurs will Compete on 6/1

When I was a kid, I wanted to have a lemonade stand so bad.

When you're 8 years old, there aren't many ways to make money. I remember reading about ways for kids to make money, and the trusty lemonade stand was always in the book, usually right after babysitting. However, there was a major hiccup with my plan to make a fortune in the freshly squeezed beverage business. We lived in the middle of nowhere.

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My childhood home was on a mile-long gravel road in the country that served four houses. One belonged to my dad's cousin, who drove like a speed demon. I knew he wouldn't stop at my stand. The other neighbors' cars went by maybe twice a day. Not exactly enough traffic to support my lemonade stand enterprise.

The Laurel Chamber is hosting a youth lemonade stand competition on 6/1.

I love this idea. According to the Laurel Chamber of Commerce, the event encourages youth entrepreneurship with real-world experience. Sure, it will be fun, but running a successful business - even one as simple as a lemonade stand - entails a lot of educational moments for kids.

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An excellent learning opportunity.

The detailed instruction packet for the youth lemonade stand competition includes pages for kids to write down their expenses, calculate cost-per-serving, line out a marketing plan, profit/loss calculation, and more. Kids can also coordinate with Laurel businesses or property owners to find an ideal location for their pop-up lemonade stands.

Have fun and win prizes.

Prizes will be awarded for Overall Winner, Best Lemonade, Best Display, and Best Business Plan. The Laurel lemonade stands will be open for judges and the general public from 10 AM to 2:30 PM on June 1. I suspect that the kids who are real hustlers might open early and stay open later.