BUSINESS RESULTS

Backpacks will be available for pick up Monday, March 18th at all locations.

Meet Clayton! He is a fifth grader in Cherokee, Texas (recently relocated from Indianapolis, Indiana). He enjoys science, magic, inventing things and is an all-around creative kid. So, when he first heard about Lemonade Day 3 years ago on Indianapolis’ local PBS station, he begged his parents to participate. Clayton was thrilled to have the opportunity to think outside the box and come up with attention-getting lemonade stands based on unique themes. Thus, the Lemon Lab, Labra Cadabra and Clayton’s Big Top Lemonade stands were born!

First Year: Dr. Lemon and his Lemon Lab

Complete with beakers, a white lab coat and dry ice!

Second Year: Labra Cadabra

He used his love for magic and drew customers over to his stand at Castleton Mall by advertising a free magic show! One of the tricks in his show was hypnotizing his audience to make them feel thirsty for lemonade.

Third Year: Clayton’s Big Top Lemonade

His circus-themed stand débuted at Broad Ripple Park. His customers got to visit a caged gorilla, watch a flea circus performance, take a photo in the unicycle riding photo booth, a toy claw machine and cotton candy lemonade!

We were so impressed with the creative ideas Clayton came up with, but we were curious what all he has learned in his 3 years as a Lemonade Day participant. We recently caught up with him and this is what he had to say!

What was your favorite thing that you learned by participating in Lemonade Day?

I learned about philanthropy at a lemonade day workshop I attended.  I like the idea of giving part of your earnings to help others.

Why is learning how to run your own business important to you?

I would like to be an inventor someday.  I can use what I learned about running a business to sell my inventions.

How did you decide to spend, save and share your Lemonade Day profits?

Last year I had planned to use some of my money to spend on a tablet.  But because I won an epad at the best stand contest I put all of my spend and save money in my savings account.  I chose to share 20% of my profits with a special needs camp in Indiana in honor of my friend Emily who has Down’s Syndrome.

Would you consider Paying it Forward next year to make it possible for a youth in your community to become an entrepreneur just like you?  Since last year I have moved to Texas where my family lives and works at a Children’s Home.  I would like to teach other kids on our campus what I have learned from Lemonade Day.

A special thanks to Clayton’s mom, Janice, for letting us interview Clayton. We can’t wait to see what he comes up with his stand for this year!

Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for the next Featured Entrepreneur!

Do you dream of breaking into a new industry but lack the guts to just, well, go for it?

Are you too scared to make the leap even though you have evidence your idea is awesome?

Then look no further for startup inspiration than Jennifer (Jenny) Fleiss, President and Co-Founder of Rent the Runway. Jenny has a seriously incredible business background, with stints at Morgan Stanley and Lehman Brothers and a Harvard Business MBA. Not to mention starting a tutoring company in college.

What she DOESN’T have, though, is a fashion pedigree. (Other than great taste, obviously.)

And yet she co-founded Rent the Runway with her Harvard Business School section mate just 2 years ago… and already has over 1 million members, 150+ top designer brands, and an inventory of 25,000 dresses and 4,000 accessories.

That’s an incredible achievement after breaking into a brand-new industry. And we believe you can do the same, with a little advice from Jenny about testing the waters and executing your plan!

This Thursday, September 6th at 3 PM EST is your chance to pick Jenny’s brain about business plans (and why you don’t need one), testing your idea before you GO to market (she did it), the real value of an MBA for startup founders, tips on how to break into a brand new industry and revolutionize it — and finally, the dirt on what it really means to be a lifelong entrepreneur. Yes, we’re going to cover it all, or at least as much as we can, during our hour-long #StartupLab live chat presented by Citi.

Don’t miss this one — Jenny is a total rock star. (Don’t believe us? Check out this awesome blog post she wrote about pursing your idea — no matter how wild — and making it profitable.)

Got questions for Jenny? Bring them with you Thursday to the live chat! Click here to RSVP>>

Today’s highlighted entrepreneur story goes out to Nyla with Aahhh 2 J’s Lemonade! 

Nyla started her Aahhh 2J’s Lemonade Stand with a loan she took out from Young Americans Bank, where she has had an account since she was 6 months old! She has since paid back her loan and continues to run her lemonade business online. With the profit she makes from her lemonade business, she has decided to put it in the bank.

Woohoo! Our Groupon Grassroots campaign has tipped! Do you know what that means? It means we can now supply 100 children with both the entrepreneurial materials AND the opportunity to participate in Lemonade Day. 100 more kids that will learn lessons on business, finance, entrepreneurship and life. 100 more kids that will see what they were taught play out in their OWN lemonade stand business. 100 more kids impacted for life by Lemonade Day.

Thank you to everyone who helped support this campaign through donations, sharing, tweeting, posting, and, as always, word-of-mouth. This couldn’t have happened without you!

But wait! It doesn’t have to stop here. Now that our campaign has tipped and 50 donations are secured, the possibilities are really just beginning. Keep sharing and talking about Lemonade Day and our Groupon Grassroots campaign before it ends on Tuesday, August 7th, and let’s just see how many kids we can provide with the experience of a lifetime!