Nearly 70 girls ages 6 to 12 have received a taste of what it’s like to be an entrepreneur.
On Fridays throughout the summer at Girls Inc. of Jackson County in Seymour, six groups of girls were in separate rooms learning the lemonade stands curriculum from two staff members.
First, they talked about entrepreneurship and what it takes to run a business. Then they chose what type of lemonade they wanted to sell, figured out what they needed to buy, determined a theme for their booth and decorated it and decided what to do with their profits.
The stands recently were set up inside or outside Girls Inc. on five different days.
Most of them offered regular lemonade, while one also had blue raspberry lemonade, one only sold pink lemonade and another group sold multiple flavors. One also sold suckers at its booth, and another had bubble gum.
One theme was a beach scene with palm trees, beach balls and pineapples. Others included mermaids, rainbows, sports stars, pink lemonade and royal.
One of the groups chose to spend half of its profits to buy items for the Humane Society of Jackson County, and others rewarded themselves with an ice cream or pizza party.
"I think it teaches them the responsibility of, first of all, the money part," said Kristi Banister, site director for Girls Inc. "In a roundabout way, it’s teaching them the profit side, ‘So if I make this much, but then I spend this much, we didn’t make all of that money. We have to spend.’ I think that is a good lesson for them."
There’s also the lesson of understanding it takes a lot of planning and doesn’t just happen.
"I think those are two of the main important things," Banister said.
She was glad to see one of the groups choose a local nonprofit organization to help. Banister said they contacted the Humane Society to see what was needed most and then used a portion of their profits to buy those items for a staff member to deliver.
While the stands were set up, Banister said she liked seeing the girls’ excitement when their family members visited.
"They love that. They love to serve them," she said, smiling. "Then just the excitement to get to sell."
Plus, she admired the creativity of the stand decorations.
"Oh my gosh! So cute, so cute," she said. "They are always creative."
The Dancing Mermaids group received help from staff members Katie Abernathy and Kendal Robertson with adding purple, blue and silver balloons around their booth, and they also included paper mermaids each of the girls had colored.
Izzy Stafford, 6, said they chose the mermaid theme for several reasons.
"Because they are beautiful and they are colorful and they have pretty scales," she said.
Stafford, Charlie Adams, 7, and Addison Dishman, 6, sold blue raspberry and regular lemonade and two flavors of suckers.
They enjoyed helping Robertson pour lemonade for customers and helping Abernathy keep track of the money.
"They had a lot of teamwork, from getting the ice and pouring the drink and taking the money," Abernathy said.
She and Robertson were impressed with the girls’ efforts with the lesson.
"It has been pretty exciting because we have the youngest group at Girls Inc., so this is their first time doing the lemonade stands for most of them," Abernathy said. "They’ve done really well with making decisions for their business. They came up with all of the ideas. We had a big list of potential themes, and then they ended up going with Dancing Mermaids."
Teaching the curriculum was a unique experience for Abernathy and Robertson because they remember learning it when they were younger at Girls Inc.
"I remember making the signs. We would stand all the way at the end of the corner and say, ‘Lemonade,’" Abernathy said.
"I used to come here when I was younger. I did this when I was younger," Robertson said. "Coming back and actually being in charge of it is a lot different."
The Dancing Mermaids plan to use their profits for an ice cream party, a fitting reward for all of their sweet success.
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Girls Inc. of Jackson County is at 956 N. O’Brien St., Seymour.
For information, call 812-522-2798 or visit girlsincjackson.org or facebook.com/GIRLS-INC-OF-JACKSON-COUNTY-112813058750231.
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