LEMONADE DAY 2025: STIRRING UP SUCCESS
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She points out how these young leaders walk away not only with profits – but with confidence, purpose, and the belief that their ideas matter. Indeed, for Cate from Stewartville, Lemonade Day was her first experience learning what it really takes to develop and pursue an original business concept from beginning to end. “I was able to go to a [Lemon U Workshop] class to get started. The class helped me come up with a name for my lemonade stand, 'Cate's Cold Fresh Lemonade.' I chose this because I think people like cold lemonade, and fresh is best,” Cate says. “Then I thought about how my stand would look. My mom and I looked on Amazon for table supplies, and found a lot to choose from. The class taught us about the financial part of running a lemonade stand, needing to find an investor, paying them back, choosing a goal to save up for. It was fun. I liked setting it up and I was surprised at how generous and friendly the customers were.” Sisters Elina and Elise of E & E's Lemonade Squeeze, also participated in this year’s Lemonade Day for the first time. “We really liked our spot. Even though it started to rain a little, we had cover so it was okay. I loved meeting people and running our stand,” says Elina.
At Extraordinary Workforce, another supporter of Lemonade Day, the organization believes in building better workplaces – and that starts with investing in the future workforce. “That’s why sponsoring this year’s Lemonade Day was more than just an opportunity – it was a joy,” says Ann Dugstad, founder, principal consultant at Extraordinary Workforce. Dugstad says the most rewarding part of sponsoring Lemonade Day was seeing young people light up with excitement as they embraced the challenge of building their very own businesses. “From creating vibrant stands to pitching to passersby with confidence, these budding entrepreneurs embodied the spirit of innovation and grit,” Dugstad says. “As an organization that supports workplace development and leadership, watching those values take root in youth was both inspiring and affirming. It was especially meaningful to interact directly with participants and families and witness the pride they took in their hard work.” Dugstad believes that Lemonade Day delivers real- world learning in its most accessible, joyful form. For participants, it offers a taste of entrepreneurship that cultivates essential life skills: budgeting, marketing, problem-solving, and customer service.
8 | ROCHESTER AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ADVANTAGE MAGAZINE — AUGUST 2025
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