Location, location, location. The key to selling real estate and lemonade.

Location, location, location. The key to selling real estate and lemonade.

Lemonade stands. The last bastion of childhood entrepreneurs everywhere.

I never had much luck with them. Guess that’s why I didn’t pursue a degree in business.

First you have to manufacture the product. Market it. Then sell the heck out of it. 

My daughter had begged to have a stand for weeks. She had a friend over this weekend so I let them run with it. Giving them the go ahead was like waving a red cape before the bulls charging into Madrid’s Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas.

Alright. They look innocent enough. But behind those demure smiles beat the hearts of Steve Jobs and Sam Walton. My son the artist looked at their success and started making braclets to sell. They didn’t sell.

But those girls moved the lemonade.

I got them started by mixing up a gallon of Crystal Light. That was all I had but thought surely that will hold them for an hour.

Five seconds. I double pinky swear. It only took five seconds for the first car to pull up.

I looked. And I looked again. There was someone out there.

Michelle Robinette ~ first customer..

Then another car stopped. Then another.

Kathryn Cardwell and Mary Claire.

Fifteen minutes and the gallon was gone. I gave them a jug of lemonade made a few days ago that was in the fridge while I ran to the store.

I went back another time for more cups and ice.

I finally had to drag them in after 5 p.m. ~ three hours after they poured that first glass.

They made over 40 dollars and donated over half to the church.

The only piece of advice I gave them was sell low. They did and sweet people paid high.

That’s the beauty of a small town. And a killer location.

Any former lemonadenistas out there?