New Interview! A Lemonade Stand From A Child’s Perspective (~15min)

Check out the latest Liberty Entrepreneurs interview "A Lemonade Stand From A Child’s Perspective" (~15min)

SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/liberty-entrepreneurs/le44-a-lemonade-stand-from-a-childs-perspective

Website: http://libertyentrepreneurs.com/2016/08/le44-lemonade-stand-childs-perspective/

Full Show Notes:

This show is a little different. Instead of interviewing a successful entrepreneur who is actively building a business, I decided to interview 4 young boys who were running a lemonade stand on a hot summer day. They had set up right outside of a coffee shop that I frequently visit and had quite an impressive lemonade stand with wooden roof and everything. I was impressed. Once I saw that not only were they selling lemonade, but also their own artwork as well as rocks (yes, plain ole rocks) I decided to take a closer look. While buying a cup of lemonade, the boys told me that they were donating 50% of all proceeds to a non-profit that helps protect honey bees. They go on to tell me about the “bee colony collapse disorder” that is killing bee colonies around the country and how they wanted to help save the bees. Very interesting… 

Click here to read more about Colony Collapse Disorder https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony_collapse_disorder

I went inside to drink coffee and work, but kept an eye on the lemonade stand to see how it was doing. Customer after customer came up to buy their lemonade and artwork (and maybe a rock or two) and these little guys seemed to know what they were doing. That’s when I decided that I HAD to interview them. Not only were they running a successful lemonade stand, but they were doing it for a good purpose; they were raising money to help fund a cause that they believe in. These boys were too young to think about how the government can save the bees, so they took matters into their own hands. Every happy customer made for more happy bees. 

Typically in the Free Market, we see win/win scenarios which can be recognized by the “double thank you” (I cover this topic in episode #38: How to Create a Liberty-based Community). Basically when a voluntary transaction is finished, both people feel that they are better off and tell each other thank you. The lemonade stand boys took this a step further and decided to donate much of their profits to a cause they believed in. This is truly a great example of how entrepreneurship helps generate wealth, spread happiness and helps people feel more in control. 

While you listen to this episode, think back to when you were a child, maybe 8, 9 or 10 years old. Did you have a lemonade stand? Maybe a car wash or bake sale? Do you remember how exciting it was? Did you set up a table and chairs for your lemonade stand? Maybe bake your favorite cookies with your mom in preparation to sell them? Did you have fun playing with the water hose when washing the next car in line? 

What was it that got you so excited? Did you feel a sense of FREEDOM when earning some summer cash? Did you think about what you would do with the money? Maybe buy that new game or save up for a new bicycle? Did you feel, if only for a short time, a sense of independence? 

What about figuring out what you wanted to sell or how to make a sign to advertise that you were open for business? How different was it compared to sitting in school classes all day? Did you find neighborhood friends to help you plan and run the business or was it all your own? Did you enjoy seeing grownups smile as they bought your ice cold lemonade? 

Can you close your eyes and think back to that time? Can you remember the energy and what it felt like to get paid for your own hard work? Could you tap into that excitement now? Do you want to? 

The 4 young boys that I interview may not have a lot of wisdom to share or entrepreneurial experience for you to learn from, but their energy is strong and alive. Listen to the joy in their little voices when they talk about the bees and how their mom and dad helped them along the way. Parents are the main resource for children and there’s such a great opportunity to learn. If you are a parent, do you encourage your child to explore the creative energy of entrepreneurship and the responsibility and freedom that comes along with it? Leave your comments on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/LibertyEntrepreneurs and let me know! 

I really hope you enjoy this short podcast. It was one of the more difficult to conduct, but one of the most rewarding episodes yet. Please share this episode on Facebook, it really helps out the show and it’s such a unique perspective that I’d like to make it one of our Top 5 interviews of all time.

Keep Building Freedom!