It was a very hot and dry summer this year. My sister and I were bored of playing video games all day. We were also stuck at home, so we wanted to try something new. We thought of many things to do and also their reasons. During our brainstorming session, we thought about many people that cannot meet their needs. So, our final decision was to help poor people in our community, and to also inform our neighbors to help us in the cause. That is how the idea for doing a lemonade stand was created, and we will use the money that we earned from the lemonade stand to help the people in need.

The first step was telling our parents about our amazing idea. Our parents really loved our idea and told us one important thing: we had to act like business owners if we wanted to run our own business. We agreed and started to prepare. Our parents even helped us buy the materials we needed by investing in our company. That gave us more motivation to make the best lemonade stand ever!

Yet, how would we make a business without a name? We thought of many names, and we eventually found a name that we liked: Lemon ‘n’ Bites. We chose this name because this name represents both lemonade (lemon) and (‘n’) snacks (bites).

To make a lemonade stand, we needed lemonade and other snacks. Since our parents invested in our company, they gave us some money to buy things. We went to many stores to buy what we needed. We collected Otter Pops, Lemon Lemonade, Strawberry Lemonade, Chips, and Cookies. We also bought some supplies that we needed like Jugs, Cups, and a Bowl. We got a little crafty, we made our sign and a banner. 

The next thing to do for me was to calculate the prices of the things we were going to sell, and for my sister to get everything ready and to set things up. This felt like a little extra homework for both of us, but we really wanted to do a lemonade stand, so we pushed through it. My sister was setting the lemonade and snacks up. She put the Otter Pops in a big cup, the lemonades in two separate jugs, and the chips and cookies in the big bowl. She set everything up on a table and set two chairs for each of us. I also made a menu card with the things that we are selling and the prices for each of them, so that the customers can see what we are selling and what the prices were for each of the things. We also hung balloons on the nearby trees to grab people’s attention.

Now, it was prime time. We were all ready, and on our front porch were our parents cheering us. It was a Saturday afternoon and our business had officially begun. We waited for some time. Initially nobody came. We kept waving to cars that passed, but no one paid attention. I thought that all hope was lost, until one neighbor saw us from their home. They came to our house in their car. I really thought that was a normal car, not willing to help us, but when they parked near our house, I realized that that was our first customer! I was so happy! Also, the things she bought were around $2, yet she was so kind and loved our business and hard work so much that she gave us $5!  I knew that she really wanted to come help us with our cause. She even took a picture of our stand to show to her kids. We were so grateful. Then, we said “Thank you!” She said to keep working hard, and continue working to help the poor people. We took her advice. Then, she left, and we patiently waited for our next customers.

 Then, a few minutes later, came a high school principal. She was the most kind. Her order only cost around $2, yet she gave us $10! She really loved our initiative and encouraged us in our cause. We were so happy. We said, “Thank you,” and she also wished us good luck.

 Then for a long time nobody came. We were feeling sad, but I had an idea! I thought that we could post a flyer on our local neighborhood chatting group to tell more people about our business and cause. My dad posted the flyer to tell people about our stand and cause. That was a great idea as it brought two more customers! They bought a few things and also wanted to help our cause. We thanked them. Then they left. We waited for some time. A lifeguard from the nearby pool came to cool off too. 

After some time, no one came. We were getting disappointed. Then, my little sister saved the day! She used her scooter to go up to the neighbors’ house with my mom and informed them about our lemonade stand. 

I realized that that was a great idea, so I went to follow her. We came back with good news: one neighbor was getting ready and was soon going to come. We had to be ready. Around 5 minutes later, he came. He bought some things and that was our last customer of the day. I was happy with all the things we did for the first day at the lemonade stand. On the first day we made $24! That was a pretty good amount for kids making money for the first time! 

Now onto the second day: Sunday. We earned $18. This time almost everyone came to cool off from being in the pool. Even the same lifeguard came. Yet still I was very happy with this day too.

In total for the two days, we earned $42! That was a great amount. But the best part isn't the money itself, it is what we are going to do with it. We aren't going to spend it on toys for ourselves. We are keeping it safe to use it to buy food for the local shelter and toys for kids who might not get any gifts. This was such a great experience and I really think this was the best thing to do this summer. 

In conclusion, I would like to do this next year if I could, but there may be some changes. For example, more balloons to grab more attention, informing neighbors early on about our stand, and also maybe more yummy things to sell. This was the first time my sister and I made money with our own business! I am very excited to do this again next year, and I would encourage you to find ways to help people in need.