The Million Dollar Lemonade Stand

This is Leo. Leo is 8 years old. He loves sunny days. He loves lemons.

One hot day, Leo said, “I want to make lemonade for my whole street!”

That was his big idea.

First, make it YUMMY.

Leo squeezed fresh lemons. He added water. He added a little sugar.

Sip... too sour! Sip... just right!

A great product is something people love and want again.

Leo built a stand. Wood. Paint. One big pitcher.

He sold his first cup for $1.

His neighbor smiled and said, “This is delicious!”

Leo was so happy.

No one knew Leo was there!

So Leo made a BIG yellow sign. He waved. He smiled. He told everyone at the park.

Visibility means people can SEE you and FIND you.

Too busy!

The line got longer... and longer... and LONGER!

Leo had to squeeze, pour, smile, count money, and get more ice. All at the same time!

Leo could NOT do it all alone. He needed a team.

Leo asked his friends.

“Will you help me?” Leo asked.

Maya said YES. Ben said YES. Sofia said YES. Now Leo had a TEAM!

Everyone had a job. When everyone does ONE job well, everything works better!

This is called an ORG CHART. Say it: ORG CHART. It is a picture that shows who does what, and who helps who. See? Everyone is connected. Everyone helps the team win.

Friends outside the team can help too!

The bakery gave Leo cups. Leo put their cookies by his stand.

The grocery store gave him lemons. Leo told everyone where to shop.

A partnership is when two teams help each other. Both teams win!

Now the stand was even better.

One stand became... MANY!

Happy people told their friends. Their friends told MORE friends.

Soon there were stands at the park, at games, and at school fairs.

Same yummy lemonade. Same great team.

How Leo did it. That is how you build a small business!