How to Start a Lemonade Stand

People have long enjoyed cold, refreshing lemonades on hot summer days. Lemonade stand businesses specialize in selling lemonade to hot and thirsty passersby. Some stands have fixed locations, while others are operated as mobile businesses.

Learn how to start your own Lemonade Stand and whether it is the right fit for you.

Ready to form your LLC? Check out the Top LLC Formation Services.

Start a lemonade stand by following these 10 steps:

  1. Plan your Lemonade Stand
  2. Form your Lemonade Stand into a Legal Entity
  3. Register your Lemonade Stand for Taxes
  4. Open a Business Bank Account & Credit Card
  5. Set up Accounting for your Lemonade Stand
  6. Get the Necessary Permits & Licenses for your Lemonade Stand
  7. Get Lemonade Stand Insurance
  8. Define your Lemonade Stand Brand
  9. Create your Lemonade Stand Website
  10. Set up your Business Phone System

We have put together this simple guide to starting your lemonade stand. These steps will ensure that your new business is well planned out, registered properly and legally compliant.

Exploring your options? Check out other small business ideas.

STEP 1: Plan your business

A clear plan is essential for success as an entrepreneur. It will help you map out the specifics of your business and discover some unknowns. A few important topics to consider are:

Luckily we have done a lot of this research for you.

What will you name your business?

Choosing the right name is important and challenging. If you don’t already have a name in mind, visit our How to Name a Business guide or get help brainstorming a name with our Lemonade Stand Name Generator

If you operate a sole proprietorship, you might want to operate under a business name other than your own name. Visit our DBA guide to learn more.

When registering a business name, we recommend researching your business name by checking:

  • Your state's business records
  • Federal and state trademark records
  • Social media platforms
  • Web domain availability.

It's very important to secure your domain name before someone else does.

Want some help naming your lemonade stand?

Business Name Generator

What are the costs involved in opening a lemonade stand?

A lemonade stand is inexpensive to open. Anabelle, a 10-year-old, opened a licensed lemonade stand for $3,500. Businesses with fixed locations or larger stands may cost more to open, but they’re still affordable to open.

These startup funds go toward:

  • a stand, cart, or storefront

  • commercial-grade equipment for making and dispensing lemonade

  • lemons, sugar, water, and ice

  • cups, straws, and napkins

  • licensing and insurance costs

What are the ongoing expenses for a lemonade stand?

The ongoing expenses for a lemonade stand business are low. They include the cost of ingredients (lemons, sugar, water and ice), and facility, licensing and insurance costs.

For Annabelle, non-ingredient costs totaled $500 per year. Businesses that have to pay rent will have higher ongoing expenses. Compared to other businesses, though, these expenses will still be minimal.

Who is the target market?

A lemonade stand business’ ideal customer is a family or group of friends who are hot and thirsty. If someone in such a group suggests getting lemonade, everyone may agree to get one. Thus, a stand might sell several lemonades at once rather than just one to an individual customer.

How does a lemonade stand make money?

A lemonade stand business makes money by selling lemonade. Lemonade is typically sold by the glass or cup.

How much can you charge customers?

Most lemonade stand businesses price their lemonades at $5 or less. The exact cost depends on a stand's location. Even in high-demand areas, though, businesses resist going over $5 because. Many customers will think twice before spending more than $5 on an impulse purchase.

How much profit can a lemonade stand make?

In a busy location, a lemonade stand business can bring in a good profit.

One lemonade stand business’ expenses place the cost for ingredients of a 16-ounce lemonade below 50 cents. Making a 32-ounce lemonade costs less than 85 cents. At these prices, selling a lemonade for $5.00 provides a profit of over $4.00.

With the right traffic, $4.00 per sale quickly adds up. In a single day, a business that served 100 people would have $400 to cover that day’s expenses and provide a profit.

How can you make your business more profitable?

When looking for ways to increase profitability, a lemonade stand business should be wary of adding more products. Additional products can dilute a business’ brand as a lemonade stand. They also can increase overhead.

Instead, a business should look for ways to make more on the sale of each lemonade. This can be done by offering flavorings for lemonades and charging for the flavorings. Alternatively, a stand can sell a cup that comes with free refills for the day but costs much more than $5.00.

Want a more guided approach? Access TRUiC's free Small Business Startup Guide - a step-by-step course for turning your business idea into reality. Get started today!

STEP 2: Form a legal entity

The most common business structure types are the sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company (LLC), and corporation.

Establishing a legal business entity such as an LLC or corporation protects you from being held personally liable if your lemonade stand is sued.

Form Your LLC

Read our Guide to Form Your Own LLC

Have a Professional Service Form your LLC for You

Two such reliable services:

You can form an LLC yourself and pay only the minimal state LLC costs or hire one of the Best LLC Services for a small, additional fee.

Recommended: You will need to elect a registered agent for your LLC. LLC formation packages usually include a free year of registered agent services. You can choose to hire a registered agent or act as your own.

STEP 3: Register for taxes

You will need to register for a variety of state and federal taxes before you can open for business.

In order to register for taxes you will need to apply for an EIN. It's really easy and free!

You can acquire your EIN through the IRS website. If you would like to learn more about EINs, read our article, What is an EIN?

There are specific state taxes that might apply to your business. Learn more about state sales tax and franchise taxes in our state sales tax guides.

STEP 4: Open a business bank account & credit card

Using dedicated business banking and credit accounts is essential for personal asset protection.

When your personal and business accounts are mixed, your personal assets (your home, car, and other valuables) are at risk in the event your business is sued. In business law, this is referred to as piercing your corporate veil.

Open a business bank account

Besides being a requirement when applying for business loans, opening a business bank account:

  • Separates your personal assets from your company's assets, which is necessary for personal asset protection.
  • Makes accounting and tax filing easier.

Recommended: Read our Best Banks for Small Business review to find the best national bank or credit union.

Get a business credit card

Getting a business credit card helps you:

  • Separate personal and business expenses by putting your business' expenses all in one place.
  • Build your company's credit history, which can be useful to raise money later on.

Recommended: Apply for an easy approval business credit card from BILL and build your business credit quickly.

STEP 5: Set up business accounting

Recording your various expenses and sources of income is critical to understanding the financial performance of your business. Keeping accurate and detailed accounts also greatly simplifies your annual tax filing.

Make LLC accounting easy with our LLC Expenses Cheat Sheet.

STEP 6: Obtain necessary permits and licenses

Failure to acquire necessary permits and licenses can result in hefty fines, or even cause your business to be shut down.

State & Local Business Licensing Requirements

Certain state permits and licenses may be needed to operate a lemonade stand business. Learn more about licensing requirements in your state by visiting SBA’s reference to state licenses and permits.

Most businesses are required to collect sales tax on the goods or services they provide. To learn more about how sales tax will affect your business, read our article, Sales Tax for Small Businesses.

Certificate of Occupancy

Businesses operating out of a physical location typically require a Certificate of Occupancy (CO).  A CO confirms that all building codes, zoning laws and government regulations have been met.

  • If you plan to lease a lemonade stand location:
    • It is generally the landlord’s responsibility to obtain a CO.
    • Before leasing, confirm that your landlord has or can obtain a valid CO that is applicable to a lemonade stand business.
    • After a major renovation, a new CO often needs to be issued. If your place of business will be renovated before opening, it is recommended to include language in your lease agreement stating that lease payments will not commence until a valid CO is issued.
  • If you plan to purchase or build a lemonade stand:
    • You will be responsible for obtaining a valid CO from a local government authority.
    • Review all building codes and zoning requirements for your business’ location to ensure your lemonade stand business will be in compliance and able to obtain a CO.

STEP 7: Get business insurance

Just as with licenses and permits, your business needs insurance in order to operate safely and lawfully. Business Insurance protects your company’s financial wellbeing in the event of a covered loss.

There are several types of insurance policies created for different types of businesses with different risks. If you’re unsure of the types of risks that your business may face, begin with General Liability Insurance. This is the most common coverage that small businesses need, so it’s a great place to start for your business.

Another notable insurance policy that many businesses need is Workers’ Compensation Insurance. If your business will have employees, it’s a good chance that your state will require you to carry Workers' Compensation Coverage.

FInd out what types of insurance your Lemonade Stand needs and how much it will cost you by reading our guide Business Insurance for Lemonade Stand.

STEP 8: Define your brand

Your brand is what your company stands for, as well as how your business is perceived by the public. A strong brand will help your business stand out from competitors.

If you aren't feeling confident about designing your small business logo, then check out our Design Guides for Beginners, we'll give you helpful tips and advice for creating the best unique logo for your business.

Recommended: Get a logo using Truic's free logo Generator no email or sign up required, or use a Premium Logo Maker.

If you already have a logo, you can also add it to a QR code with our Free QR Code Generator. Choose from 13 QR code types to create a code for your business cards and publications, or to help spread awareness for your new website.

How to promote & market a lemonade stand

Since most lemonade is bought by passersby, all marketing efforts should be focused on getting the attention of people who are going by a lemonade stand. Signs are one of the best ways to attract people’s attention in this manner.

How to keep customers coming back

A lemonade stand business can increase how many returning customers it sees by offering great tasting lemonade. If a stand’s lemonade is subpar, sales will decrease. If the lemonade is delicious, though, customers will return for another drink the next time they’re in the area and thirsty.

STEP 9: Create your business website

After defining your brand and creating your logo the next step is to create a website for your business.

While creating a website is an essential step, some may fear that it’s out of their reach because they don’t have any website-building experience. While this may have been a reasonable fear back in 2015, web technology has seen huge advancements in the past few years that makes the lives of small business owners much simpler.

Here are the main reasons why you shouldn’t delay building your website:

  • All legitimate businesses have websites - full stop. The size or industry of your business does not matter when it comes to getting your business online.
  • Social media accounts like Facebook pages or LinkedIn business profiles are not a replacement for a business website that you own.
  • Website builder tools like the GoDaddy Website Builder have made creating a basic website extremely simple. You don’t need to hire a web developer or designer to create a website that you can be proud of.

Recommended: Get started today using our recommended website builder or check out our review of the Best Website Builders.

Other popular website builders are: WordPress, WIX, Weebly, Squarespace, and Shopify.

STEP 10: Set up your business phone system

Getting a phone set up for your business is one of the best ways to help keep your personal life and business life separate and private. That’s not the only benefit; it also helps you make your business more automated, gives your business legitimacy, and makes it easier for potential customers to find and contact you.

There are many services available to entrepreneurs who want to set up a business phone system. We’ve reviewed the top companies and rated them based on price, features, and ease of use. Check out our review of the Best Business Phone Systems 2023 to find the best phone service for your small business.

Recommended Business Phone Service: Phone.com

Phone.com is our top choice for small business phone numbers because of all the features it offers for small businesses and it's fair pricing.

Is this Business Right For You?

Anyone who is looking for a business that’s easy to own may be interested in operating a lemonade stand business. Lemonade stands have low costs and are easy to run, yet they can be quite profitable. For these reasons, they appeal to entrepreneurs of all ages -- from kids to retirees.

It helps to enjoy interacting with people. While business owners don’t spend a lot of time talking to any one customer, they will serve and interact with many customers each day.

Want to know if you are cut out to be an entrepreneur?

Take our Entrepreneurship Quiz to find out!

Entrepreneurship Quiz

What happens during a typical day at a lemonade stand?

Business owners spend most of their time service customers lemonade. To provide the freshest possible product and enhance the customer experience, each lemonade is usually made fresh when ordered. Making lemonade involves squeezing lemons, adding sugar water and ice, and mixing the ingredients together. It takes just a minute to make a lemonade.

When not serving customers, business owners order more supplies, clean their stand, and market their business. Business owners who have mobile stands must also spend time researching where to take their stands.

What are some skills and experiences that will help you build a successful lemonade stand?

Business owners should be comfortable with basic business principles, and they need to know how to make good lemonade.

Business owners who don’t know how to run a business may want to take a course on business practices. Local community colleges often offer courses. There are also many courses online. Coursera and OpenCulture have many free business classes.

To develop a recipe, business owners should consult online recipes. Allrecipes.com and Food Network have many lemonade recipes. There are also lots of YouTube videos on making lemonade.

What is the growth potential for a lemonade stand?

Most lemonade stand businesses remain local businesses that have one location. A few businesses might grow to have several locations in an area, but growing beyond this is uncommon.

There are lemonade stand franchises that have multiple locations, but growing a lemonade stand business through franchises is difficult. Because stands are easy to run, any training a franchise offers has limited benefit to business owners. Also, lemonade is often an impulse buy made by passersby. Thus, any advertising provided by a franchise is of little use to an individual stand.

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Take the Next Step

Find a business mentor

One of the greatest resources an entrepreneur can have is quality mentorship. As you start planning your business, connect with a free business resource near you to get the help you need.

Having a support network in place to turn to during tough times is a major factor of success for new business owners.

Learn from other business owners

Want to learn more about starting a business from entrepreneurs themselves? Visit Startup Savant’s startup founder series to gain entrepreneurial insights, lessons, and advice from founders themselves.

Resources to Help Women in Business

There are many resources out there specifically for women entrepreneurs. We’ve gathered necessary and useful information to help you succeed both professionally and personally:

  • Funding
  • Events
  • Guides
  • Support

If you’re a woman looking for some guidance in entrepreneurship, check out this great new series Women in Business created by the women of our partner Startup Savant.

What are some insider tips for jump starting a lemonade stand?

When starting a lemonade business, choosing a good location is very important. Most customers won’t specifically seek out a lemonade stand. Instead, they’ll decide to get a lemonade while passing by if they’re hot and thirsty.

Therefore, a stand should be in a high-traffic area where it’s hot. Good potential areas include:

  • the boardwalk at a busy beach

  • an outdoor market in a city

  • fairs and festivals

Outdoor locations are preferable. Most indoor places are air conditioned, and cool air will decrease how much customers want a cold, refreshing drink.

How and when to build a team

A lemonade stand can be operated by one person. It’s helpful to have an employee, though. With two people, speed of service will increase during rushes. Also, a business owner will have the freedom to go get more ingredients if they run out during the day.

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