CARTOONS BY CHRIS BRITT

DISADVANTAGES
Bad weather. One thing you can’t predict is the weather. Be prepared to postpone your
business opportunity if the weather prevents the walk up traffic you hoped for.
You may not make a profit. Not all lemonade stands make money. Your location could
be off the beaten path or your marketing may have failed. Either way, you may have to
try a second or third time to get it right. Fortunately the risk is low; a few dollars and a
wasted day.
Local health rules. Local health departments may have different regulations relating to
selling food or beverages even from your own lemonade stand.
Unrealistic goals. You may make less money than you expected and may not end up with
that Ipad you have your heart set on.
LEMONADE STAND EXAMPLE
At just 11-years-old, little Mikaela Ulmer launched her own lemonade stand. After
getting stung by a bee, she and her mom did some research and decided to switch to local
honey as a sweetener instead of sugar. Her story landed her a spot on Shark Tank where
sharkpreneur Daymond John invested $60,000 into Ulmer’s BeeSweet Lemonade. One year
later, BeeSweet’s initial regional distribution deal with Whole Foods had morphed into
a national deal through United Natural Foods, worth $11 million. BeeSweet Lemonade
is now available at 55 Whole Foods stores, from Texas to Oklahoma and Arkansas,
Louisiana and New York. A portion of the profit from Mikaela’s lemonade funds research
to find ways to reverse the dwindling population of honey bees.
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