Author: Mikaila Fluth
Lemonade Camp is an engaging 4-day program that immerses students in the world of entrepreneurship. The inaugural camp took place in Madison, SD, hosted at the DSU campus. Each day, a group of twenty-six enthusiastic campers gathered at the DSU Paulson Center, starting their day at 8:30 am.
During the first day, the campers got to know each other, learned the fundamentals of entrepreneurship, and formed teams that would collaborate throughout the week. The teams were creatively named as follows: the Lemon Bombs, the Sour Lemons, the Lemon Heads, PSSL, the Sweet Lemon Girls, and Dino Lemonade.
The second day began with team-building activities, followed by an insightful session on online safety. The young entrepreneurs then delved into creating basic business plans, which involved deciding on pricing strategies, identifying charities for donations, and studying their competitors.
On the third day, the focus shifted to marketing strategies for their lemonade businesses. The teams explored various flavors for their lemonade, and the options included plain lemonade, strawberry lemonade, strawberry mint lemonade, and mint lemonade. To attract customers, they also designed eye-catching posters to display at their stands.
Finally, on the fourth and last day, the campers packed up their supplies and headed to five distinct selling locations: Prostrollo’s, Signature Realty, two stands at the DSU Foundation, one at East Hall, and one at OneStop. Four of the teams were fortunate to have business mentors accompany them, representing SBS, Prostrollo’s, DSU, and Dakota Cinema.
In the spirit of giving back to the community, the campers successfully raised an impressive total of $3,029.79. Dino Lemonade and the Lemon Bombs made a generous contribution of $1,030.07 to the Hospital Foundation. The Sour Lemons and Lemon Heads donated $876.20 to the Madison School Foundation, while PSSL raised $705.25 for Valiant Living. Additionally, the Sweet Lemon Girls contributed $418.58 to the Lake County Food Bank.
Lemonade Camp not only taught these young students valuable entrepreneurship skills but also instilled in them the importance of teamwork, community support, and charitable giving. With such a successful first edition, the future of Lemonade Camp looks bright, promising to nurture the entrepreneurs of tomorrow.