Dooley Noted: 4/13/2015
I don’t drive much these days. But when I do, interesting observations occur.
Yesterday, I made a wrong turn in a Boston suburb.
As I was turning around, I saw a young boy selling lemonade outside his home.
I stopped the car in haste.
I had a flood of memories back to my own childhood, when I sold everything from lemonade to handmade crafts.
The entrepreneurial spirit can root deeply into you, particularly if it is encouraged in childhood.
To take a dollar from my parents was never satisfying. To earn my own dollar was not only empowering but absolutely thrilling.
I wanted to give the boy every dime I had on me.
But I knew that wasn’t the point.
He needed to be encouraged to keep doing everything he was doing.
And to do that, I needed to be a traditional consumer.
Dooley: “Hello there!”
Boy: “Hi!”
Dooley: “What are you selling there?”
Boy: “Lemonade for $1!”
Dooley: “I will take one glass, please.”
His face was priceless. He proudly took my dollar and put it into his toy cash register.
Carefully, he poured me a glass, as his parents smiled and thanked me with the warmth only proud parents could show.
As the boy thanked me politely, he yelled back at his parents.
Boy: “Look at that! I got another dollar!”
I hesitated for a moment.
I wanted to tell him to keep doing what he was doing.
I wanted to tell his parents to keep encouraging his entrepreneurial spirit.
I wanted to note that I was just like him 30 years ago.
I wanted to share that his same spirit had driven me to own three small businesses, as I also worked for several other successful large businesses.
But it all seemed moot.
I saw in that boy’s face that he didn’t need my story.
Neither did his parents.
If you have the lemonade stand spirit, I hope you haven’t lost it.
And it’s never too late to get it back.
Recall the thrill of earning payback for something you made.
If you’re on the fence about running your own business, let me assure you that the “lemonade stand” has been waiting for you.
As always, it’s your call.
– Dr. Kathy Dooley