The Lemonade Stand That Started It All — Raising Kids Who See Opportunities Everywhere
One thing I’ve tried to repeat to my kids about kid entrepreneurship is this: opportunities are everywhere.
Every time I collect the mail, walk around the yard, or drive my kids to school — I see them. You can’t pursue them all. But they’re there, constantly, waiting for someone to notice.
And when you find one that lines up with your passion, your interests, and your talent — you have to stop and ask yourself three questions:
Should I take this opportunity? Can I solve this problem? Can I make money doing this?
When the answer is yes — especially at a younger age — it’s worth pursuing. Because a kid who learns to spot opportunities, make money, and put their money to work early has a massive head start on the rest of the world.
The Day Lemonade Day Came to Town
My oldest son Isaiah was young when Lemonade Day — a national youth entrepreneurship program — showed up in our area. The moment I heard about it I recognized the opportunity immediately and signed him up without hesitation.
What happened next still gives me chills.
Isaiah didn’t just set up a stand on the corner. He met with Kroger and got an agreement to set up his lemonade stand outside one of their stores. He met the mayor. He was featured in a commercial shoot with Junior Achievement. He won awards from both IBM and Chase.
That one lemonade stand lit an entrepreneurial fire in him that has only grown brighter every year since. As a parent watching that unfold — it was one of the coolest things I’ve ever witnessed.
That was the beginning. And it all started because we were paying attention when the opportunity showed up.
A Note From Isaiah — My Son, and Now My Business Partner
Hi — I’m Isaiah, Tony’s oldest. When I saw my dad writing about young entrepreneurship I thought this was the perfect opportunity to jump in. And that’s exactly what entrepreneurship is about — jumping on opportunities.
At its core entrepreneurship has three parts:
Finding a problem. Solving it. Telling others and getting paid.
It really is that simple. And the best part? Anyone can do it — even kids. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel.
Think about Apple. They didn’t invent the computer or the phone. But they looked at what existed and asked — how do we make this simpler, more beautiful, and easier for people to use? That’s it. Find the problem, build the solution, make it accessible. Apple resonates with millions of people because they solved a real problem in a way anyone could understand.
Your version doesn’t have to be that big. It can start with something as simple as — people are thirsty. How do I solve that? Lemonade. Put up a sign so people know what you do. And put a dollar in your pocket.
That’s entrepreneurship. It starts younger than you think.
How to Create an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem at Home
Here’s the thing — you don’t have to wait for Lemonade Day to show up in your town. You can start building an entrepreneurial mindset in your kids right now, right inside your own home. This is kid entrepreneurship at its most basic level.
It doesn’t have to be outside the house. If finances allow you can also solve problems inside — like the trash is full or I’m hungry. The trick is creating what I call an entrepreneurial ecosystem right inside your own home.
Pay your kids to solve problems. Let them identify needs and fill them. Let them fail small and win small. Give them the experience of earning, solving, and delivering — before the stakes are high.
The earlier they learn to see the world as full of problems worth solving, the earlier they start building the mindset that creates wealth.
The Three Questions at the Heart of Kid Entrepreneurship
Post these somewhere. Say them out loud. Make them a habit.
Should I take this opportunity? Can I solve this problem? Can I make money doing this?
These are the questions at the heart of kid entrepreneurship. When all three answers are yes — encourage them to go. You’ll be amazed what happens when a kid believes the answer is always within reach.
See you at the top.
