Quenching a thirst for BUSINESS
An annual event in the Ottumwa region is teaching grade-school children how to run a business .
Lemonade Day got its start in Texas with a single lemonade stand . Paul Katsion , the “ Lemon Head ” of the Ottumwa region Lemonade Council says “ the people around that student recognized a gap in education with 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 was the first community in Iowa to adopt it , and remains the only region in the state to host it .”
“ The first Lemonade Day was a huge success ,” said Sea Greiner , director of investor relations 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 .”
The second year was even more successful than the first , with the average sales of $ 242 per stand , and a total of more than $ 1,300 was given to nonprofits through the venture . Charles Smith was named Entrepreneur of the Year and was sponsored by South Ottumwa Savings Bank . Luke Nicholson won Best Stand and was sponsored by Greater Ottumwa Partners in Progress . Aby Morales was Best Tasting Lemonade and was sponsored by C1st Credit Union .
“ As we began planning for the 2022 event , we anticipated having the vast majority of prior students re-enroll and become entrepreneurs in the process ,” Katsion said . In May 2022 , there were 12 stands operating with 17 children participating . The schools they represented were with Ottumwa Schools , Cardinal Schools , Ottumwa Christian Schools and some home-school coordinators .
The primary age range of students is those in grades three through five . They work with mentors or sponsors to develop a business plan to present to the Lemonade Council .
“ Lemonade Day does a great job of providing resources : checklists for the students , apps for tacking , animated videos on how to take the steps to create a business plan ,” Katsion said .
Katsion and the council will personally oversee registration sessions , including virtual sessions , 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 . Other business owners also volunteer to be mentors . Some of the students may be in a situation where this 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 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 of the next Lemonade Day is May 13 , 2023 . For more information on the event or how to participate in 2023 , visit 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 .
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