The Lakeside Lemonade stand at Pinecrest Lake has employed many business practices that are universal.  What is it about selling lemonade that brings you back to the fundamentals?  Even Donald Trump used the lemonade stand in 2004 as the very first test on the premier of The Apprentice.

As a business, it’s pretty easy to get started.  There’s plenty of time during summer vacation, Mom provides the equipment and the inventory, and the location is generally in your front yard.  A piece of paper quickly makes a sign and, voilà, you’re in business.

So, what makes Lakeside Lemonade stand out from the crowd?  Here are 10 things I observed first-hand during my five-minute rest.

1)  Be passionate – As I previously discussed, the owners showed passion about their business.  With energy and enthusiasm, they took pride in what they had done and the opportunities that were ahead.

2)  Location, location, location – The business was in a beautiful lakeside setting, in the heart of one of the most heavily-travelled parts of the trail. Another stand we had passed was set up in a more remote setting, up the hill from the lake.  Needless to say, sales were not brisk.

3)  Invest in your facilities – The business looked successful.  Signs clearly displayed prices, ice was close at hand, a new cash box made handling money much more efficient, and the “Recycling” and “Compost” waste bins were clearly marked to show the customer how to keep things “green”.

4)  Engage your customer – They were eager to engage people in conversation and lead customers into making more of a purchase than they probably intended.

5)  Educate your customers – Nutritional information was clearly displayed for those who may have had concerns about what was in their Country Time Lemonade or Chips Ahoy cookies.

6)  Listen to your customers – As a result of listening to their customers, Lakeside Lemonade had added cookies to their previous single offering of lemonade.

7)  Provide an experience – Chairs and benches, complete with seat cushions, were available for hikers to take a brief rest while enjoying their refreshments. The enthusiastic banter from the owners welcomed each new customer and helped create buzz among people passing by.  One customer even commented, “This time I brought my wallet with me.”

8)  Give people options – Lemonade was available in two sizes, with or without ice. Cookies were priced at 25 cents each, but you got one free with the purchase of four.

9)  Provide employee incentives – One of the business operators commented that he had just arrived 10 minutes ago from back east. To my comment that he had already been put to work, one of the owners responded, “Hey! I’m giving him part of the profits.”

10) Look for expansion opportunities – Just as these entrepreneurs had used customer feedback to add cookies to their product line, they were also enthusiastic enough to think there were more opportunities available (new products, new locations, etc.)

I’m sure there are other bits of business insight that you could take away from a visit to Lakeside Lemonade.  I encourage you to stop by on your next visit to Pinecrest.  But hurry, school starts in a few weeks and these business owners will be in recess.