Quenching a thirst
FOR BUSINESSSS
A
new event in Ottumwa is teaching grade-school children how to run a business .
Lemonade Day got its start in Texas with a single lemonade stand , said Paul Katsion ,“ lemon head ” of the Ottumwa Lemonade Council .“ The people around that student recognized a gap in education around … some basic business concepts that students that age could comprehend . The entrepreneurs that they were , they launched Lemonade Day .”
It ’ s defined as a youth entrepreneurship program that teaches kids how to start , own and operate their own business by hosting a lemonade stand in their community .
It quickly caught on around Texas , then the nation , he said .“ Ottumwa is the first community in Iowa to adopt it , so we ’ re breaking ground here in Iowa .”
“ The first Lemonade Day Ottumwa was a huge success ,” said Shea Greiner , vice president of engagement and organizational advancement at Greater Ottumwa Partners in Progress .“ Ottumwa supported our young entrepreneurs , and we all had a great day checking out all the great lemonade recipes .”
Jospeh Nauman was named Entrepreneur of the Year for his stand and received a plaque and cash prize from South Ottumwa Savings Bank . Payton Dickerson received the award for Best Stand Design , sponsored by Community 1st Credit Union , and Best-Tasting Lemonade went to Allie Alexander , sponsored by Robert Perkins .
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While the event in May 2021 was the first for Ottumwa , it was actually intended to begin a year earlier . Katsion said they had more than 40 students who had provided enrollment information at one point in 2020 , but then the COVID-19 pandemic created “ a wrinkle in time ” for everyone and everything , including Lemonade Day .
“ As we began for 2021 , we anticipated having the vast majority of those students re-enroll and become entrepreneurs in the process ,” he said . In May 2021 , there were 12 stands operating . “ This year , we ’ re off to a much better start , having conversations with Ottumwa Schools , Seton Catholic School , Ottumwa Christian and some homeschool coordinators . I look forward to surpassing 50 registrants .”
The primary age range of students is those in grades three through five , but the council would consider students of other ages on case-by-case basis . They work with mentors or sponsors to develop a business plan to present to Lemonade Council .“ Lemonade Day does a great job of providing resources : checklists for the students , apps for tracking things , animated videos on how to take the steps to create a business plan .”
Katsion and the council will personally oversee registration sessions , including virtual ones , where mentors and students can register , understand their expectations and dates they need to shoot for at various stages of business planning .
The vast majority of mentors are parents , he said .“ Other business owners have volunteered to be mentors ,” he added .“ Some students might be in a situation where that might be a more beneficial situation .”
At this point in the process , Katsion said , the council ’ s greatest focus is to find people who can help sponsor the program or who are interested in helping or finding students to participate . Registrations begin in earnest at the end of January and throughout February , then participants have March and April to work through the app , watch the instructional videos and get their business plan submitted .
“ It ’ s for everybody to take a look at . We don ’ t want them to be turned off by the terms entrepreneurship or lemonade stand ,” he said .“ It ’ s fun to watch this light go on in young people when we talk about the simple concepts of owning and running a business . They might be surprised at what it ignites in them .”
The tentative date the next Ottumwa Lemonade Day is May 14 , 2022 .“ We understand we ’ re far enough north that it might not be an ideal date ,” Katsion said .“ In that case , May 21 would be our rain date .”
For more information on the event or how to participate in 2022 , visit www . gopip . org or the Lemonade Day Ottumwa Facebook page . The program is also seeking mentors , investors , business partners , locations and customers to make the day a success .