Since 2007
Planting the seeds that change lives
Since 2007, Lemonade Day has helped kids start, own and operate their very first business. Here is who we are and how it began.
Why we do it
Our mission and vision
A lemonade stand looks small. What a kid learns behind it is not.
Our mission
“Help prepare youth for life through fun, proactive and experiential programs infused with life skills, character education, and entrepreneurship.”
Lemonade Day is free for every kid. A mentor, a parent, a teacher or a coach walks beside them while they set a goal, plan a business, run it for real, and learn what to do with what they earn.
Our vision
Every kid gets a real first taste of running something of their own: set a goal, make a plan, then spend some, save some, share some.
The lesson
Spend some, save some, share some.
Our story
From one Houston summer to a whole continent
It started with a founder who believed every kid deserves a first taste of running something real.
- 2007
One city, 2,700 kids
Michael Holthouse launches Lemonade Day in Houston, Texas. The idea is simple: a kid starts a real business, a lemonade stand, with a caring adult beside them. The very first year, 2,700 Houston kids open for business.
- The lesson
Spend some, save some, share some
Every kid learns to set a goal, make a plan, work the plan, and then decide what to do with the profit. Some to spend, some to save, and some to share with a cause they care about. That rhythm has never changed.
Spend someSave someShare some - Going statewide
A proclamation at the Texas Capitol
Kids in yellow watched officials at the Texas Capitol sign the Lemonade Day proclamation. City by city, mayors, sponsors and volunteers made Lemonade Day their own.
- Today
1.5 million+ kids and counting
Lemonade Day reports 97 licensed territories nationally, across the United States and Canada, including Puerto Rico and military bases, with 94 listed in the public directory. More than 1.5 million kids have opened their first business, and together they have generated $184 million in profit.
97licensed territories94in the directory1.5M+kids
Our founder
Meet our founder, Michael Holthouse
Michael Holthouse founded Paranet, a network services company he grew and sold to Sprint in 1997. Inc. magazine named him Entrepreneur of the Year. He then turned to kids, starting the Holthouse Foundation for Kids and Prepared 4 Life, the nonprofit that launched Lemonade Day in Houston in 2007.
The spark was a lemonade stand with his own daughter. He noticed how much a kid learns when the money, the customers and the decisions are real, and he wanted every kid to get that chance.
- Founder of Paranet
- Inc. Entrepreneur of the Year
- Holthouse Foundation for Kids
- Prepared 4 Life
Leadership
Our national board
Business leaders, educators and one very successful alumna guide Lemonade Day nationally.
Advisory board
The team
Our national staff
The people who answer the phone, ship the kits and cheer at every awards night.
A note
About this site
An independent concept for Lemonade Day by Tensor Angel Consulting. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Lemonade Day National.