LEMONADE DAY 2025: STIRRING UP SUCCESS
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“It gave us the chance to champion entrepreneurship in our community and connect our brand with families, educators, and local leaders who also believe in empowering the next generation. In today’s workforce climate, cultivating early leadership and initiative is more important than ever. Lemonade Day helps bridge that gap – turning lemonade stands into launching pads for lifelong success." This year’s Lemonade Day saw a record-breaking turnout, with over 150 more youth registered than the previous year, marking the highest number of participants to date. The Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce hopes to see the program continue to grow year after year, reaching even more young aspiring entrepreneurs. “We are always looking for creative ways to engage with new and past participants, as well as expand our reach to local youth organizations, including afterschool programs, summer camps, you name it,” Gowen says who also noted that a new national program called Junior Market could offer returning participants a chance to grow their business beyond the lemonade stand in future years. Save The Date for the next Lemonade Day on Saturday, June 6, 2026!
"Our parents were our investors, like real business people, and we had to pay them back for the money they helped us with. That part wasn’t the most fun, but it’s what you do in a real business. And guess what? We still made a profit!"
Elisa adds that after developing their recipe, they worked on making their stand unique. “Our parents were our investors, like real business people, and we had to pay them back for the money they helped us with,” the girls explain. “That part wasn’t the most fun, but it’s what you do in a real business. And guess what? We still made a profit!” Finding a spot to sell was a little tricky at first. Two places told the sisters ‘no’ but they didn’t give up. Then they asked Sam’s Club and their manager said ‘yes.’ “We also asked our parents to help us tell people about our stand,” the girls say. “We posted on social media and sent messages to friends and family asking them to share it too. For payment, we took cash and Venmo. Having a cashless option was super helpful because people could still support us even if they didn’t have money on them. We totally want to do it again next year. This time we just sold lemonade but next year we want to add snacks and give away free stickers.” As a sponsor, Dugstad found the value was equally profound. “Lemonade Day aligns beautifully with our mission to foster engaged, capable, and future-ready talent,” Dugstad says.
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