‘This is a capitalist system’: Boy’s lemonade stand turns into big business
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
How a 10-year-old NYC boy turned his lemonade stand into a full-blown business
Upper West Sider Julian Lin, 10, has been learning the art of the deal since he was just four years old. Lin’s business spark was lit by his Netherlands-based grandfather, who has regaled him with stories of his career as an art dealer. Lin was invited to ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Feb. 8, 2024. Lin will start sixth grade at MS Computer School in the fall – but rather than “seed future business opportunities,” he’S stashed away more than $10,000 so he can spend it on charity. The youngster doesn’t limit himself to selling on the street $23 to $28 bucket hats — he hawks them at The Grand Bazaar on June 15, 28 and 29. He also sells his own branded household items with his own custom designs on his website, all of which are sold on his own website. Lin also runs a delivery-only “restaurant” that he ran from home, selling carrot soup and chocolate zucchini cake.
This 10-year-old skipped recess — and headed straight for the boardroom.
Upper West Sider Julian Lin has been learning the art of the deal since he was just 4 years old, when he began volunteering to help stock produce and hawk it to customers at a fruit stand on West 68th Street and Columbus Avenue.
“I enjoy doing business and feel that exhilaration whenever I sell something,” a bowtie-wearing Lin told The Post from the living room of his family’s West 68th Street apartment.
Upper West Sider Julian Lin, 10, has been learning the art of the deal since he was just four years old. Helayne Seidman
Lin’s business spark was lit by his Netherlands-based grandfather, who has regaled him with stories of his career as an art dealer.
“He taught me how to haggle,” said Lin.
Lin perfected his salesmanship at other neighborhood businesses, including Épices Bakery and 67 Gourmet, an artisan cheese shop — where he loved to sell his personal favorite, Meredith Dairy cheese from Australia.
He embarked on his first business venture when the pandemic hit in 2020.
Lin’s first solo business venture was J’s Lemonade Stand, which he started after the pandemic hit in 2020. Courtesy of Julian Businessman
“I figured, everyone loves food. But GrubHub charges extra to get it delivered to you. So what if we made homemade food and then charged the normal amount for it?” he said.
The question sparked J’s DINR, a delivery-only “restaurant” that he ran from home, selling “Grandma’s Granola,” carrot soup and chocolate zucchini cake to other residents in his building, and in his granny’s two blocks away.
That same year, he also started his own lemonade stand.
In the beginning, he made the juice using free lemons he earned while volunteering at the fruit stand, and sold cups for $1 each – but barely churned a profit due to other expenses like sugar, cups and signs.
“I enjoy doing business and feel that exhilaration whenever I sell something,” a bowtie-wearing Lin told The Post from the living room of his family’s West 68th Street apartment. Helayne Seidman
“And I remember the only reason I wanted to do the lemonade stand was for profit,” Lin recalled with a giggle.
So he altered his business strategy in 2022, after a “market research” assignment showed that his second-grade peers at PS 199 could barely tell the difference between his fresh-squeezed juice and the Trader Joes-brand lemonade, which costs less than $4 per half gallon.
To spice up the store-bought lemonade, he added popping boba – small, gel-like balls full of sweet liquid he bought for $20 per two pounds from Amazon – and voilà: Bobanade was born.
Today, he makes around $250 at the weekly stand – where Bobanade goes for $2.50 a cup.
But he’s a capitalist with heart — he donates 30% of his earnings to the Best Friends Animal Society.
Lin was even invited to ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Feb. 8, 2024. Courtesy of Julian Businessman
He was invited to ring the bell by the Best Friends Animal Society. Courtesy of Julian Businessman
“I think the animals deserve better,” he explained.
Lin was invited by the Best Friends Animal Society to ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Feb. 8, 2024.
The money he pockets after donations will “probably not be used for college,” said Lin, who will start sixth grade at MS 245 The Computer School in the fall – but rather as “seed money for future business opportunities.”
So far, he’s stashed away more than $10,000.
The youngster doesn’t limit himself to selling on the street — he hawks $23 tote bags, $28 bucket hats and other household items, all branded with his own custom designs, on his website.
Lin’s most recent business venture was organizing a “Kids Business Fair” at The Grand Bazaar NYC on June 15. Courtesy of Julian Businessman
Lin recently organized a “Kids Business Fair,” where he and 14 other young entrepreneurs sold their self-made items – including artwork, homemade lip balms and a myriad of other products – at The Grand Bazaar NYC. Again, 30% of earnings went to a charity of their choice.
Parenting Lin is “like being invited to go on this great adventure,” said mom Julie Meerschwam, who works in video production, along with Lin’s father.
“When you have an 8-year-old who signs himself up for an SEO conference . . . you have to kind of reinvent the wheel,” she said with a laugh. “It’s very fun.”
Lin’s top piece of advice for his fellow businessmen? “Learn how to haggle, and how to block a haggle,” he said with a grin.
How Your Child’s Lemonade Stand Could Land You in Jail
Jennifer Knowles and her three young sons set up a lemonade stand across the street from an arts festival in a Denver park. Police shut it down because the boys were undercutting the vendors’ prices and lacked a permit. A perfectly innocent economic activity becomes the basis for a criminal law and punishment, including a potential jail sentence. Knowles is working with the city of Denver to devise a solution that would allow young children to operate lemonade stands without committing a crime, she says. The story illustrates how crony capitalism and government bureaucracy are destroying free markets, innovation, and entrepreneurialism in our local neighborhoods, the authors say. They also say children can become fearful of the law and philanthropy because they are afraid of being punished for a good deed or doing a good thing for someone else. The authors: We need to ask ourselves what we are teaching our children about civic virtues. The thought of that should concern every American. It’s time to change the way we think about entrepreneurship.
Across America, parents and children are learning that the hard way. From Louisiana to Colorado, families set up makeshift lemonade stands, hoping to teach children the virtues of capitalism, make a few bucks, or raise funds for charity. Then they find themselves in trouble with the law if they do not first obtain a government license to conduct their “food-vending business.”
These stories reflect the way our society has become overcriminalized through the overuse and abuse of the criminal law to fix every problem and punish every mistake.
They also reveal how crony capitalism and government bureaucracy are destroying free markets, innovation, and entrepreneurialism in our local neighborhoods.
In Denver, for example, the city’s laws and regulations require any food vendor operating a vending cart in or within 300 feet of a Denver park to obtain a temporary food-vending permit before selling any food or non-alcoholic beverage to the public.
Food vendors who do not obtain a permit or violate any other provision of Denver law governing the operation of food-vending carts face up to a $999 fine, 300 days in jail, or both, for each violation of the law.
These laws and regulations even apply to lemonade stands—which brings us to the story of Jennifer Knowles and her three young sons.
Over Memorial Day weekend this year, Knowles helped her sons set up a lemonade stand across the street, within 300 feet, from an arts festival in a Denver park.
But, according to police, vendors from the art festival called and complainedthat the boys were undercutting the vendors’ prices and lacked a permit. Since Knowles and her boys did not have a permit to operate the stand within 300 feet of the park, police shut it down.
Neither Knowles nor her sons were criminally charged, but the boys were embarrassed and scared when the police made them close the stand. One began to cry, and another said, “I put my hat over my face. I didn’t want to see anyone.”
Clearly, Knowles and her family meant no harm to either the city or the festival vendors. In fact, they set up the lemonade stand to raise money for a charity that helps children in poverty.
Perhaps the old adage is true: No good deed goes unpunished.
If so, we need to ask ourselves what we are teaching our children about civic virtues.
The Denver laws and regulations that got Knowles and her sons into trouble present a classic case of overcriminalization. A perfectly innocent economic activity—selling lemonade to people in the neighborhood to raise money to help others in need—becomes the basis for a criminal law and punishment, including a potential jail sentence.
When the police showed up to Knowles’ house that day, they indeed could have arrested her for allowing her sons to run the stand without a permit.
The thought of that should concern every American.
Some may say obtaining a food-vending license serves a legitimate public interest by protecting consumers from foodborne illnesses. But is that what happened over Memorial Day weekend in Denver?
Police said they closed the Knowles’ lemonade stand because vendors were complaining the boys were undercutting their prices. It had nothing to do with whether Knowles and her sons were operating an unsanitary lemonade stand.
Food-vending licenses, like other types of occupational licenses, offer individuals and businesses protection from competition, which destroys free markets and innovation. Licensing laws incentivize individuals and businesses, such as food vendors, to seek and lobby for government intervention—at little or no cost—to obtain economic benefits at the expense of others.
The story of Knowles and her three sons illustrates how government licensing promotes crony capitalism, which—in addition to overcriminalization—creates economic barriers for people who are often economically or politically disadvantaged.
Their story also illustrates how children can become fearful of the law and uninterested in entrepreneurship and philanthropy.
But Knowles and her sons are not letting these barriers stop them.
Since their lemonade stand was shut down, Knowles and her sons have continued their philanthropic efforts and partnered with a local Chick-fil-A store to sell lemonade in the store for a day to raise additional money for charity.
Knowles is also working with the city of Denver to devise a solution that would allow young children to operate a lemonade stand without committing a crime.
For Knowles and her sons, when life gives them lemons, they truly do make lemonade.
15 Times Lemonade Stands Made History
In America and elsewhere, ordinary lemonade stands have been a driving force behind everything from world record attempts to life-altering charities. As many city halls can attest, these scuffles often have big repercussions for entire communities. Here’s a look at 15 Lemonade stands that have left a mark on the world at large. The first lemonade stand is believed to have been established in Brooklyn, New York, in the early 1900s. The “Lemonade Bill” was unanimously approved in the Louisiana House and Senate, and signed into law on May 27. The bill would exempt minors from needing to obtain an occupational license before setting up a lemonadeStand in Louisiana. It would also exempt minors if their profits don’t exceed $500 per year, so long as the kiddies’ profits are not more than $1,000 per year. It is not known where, when, or by whom the first Lemonade Stand was established. However, one journalist is often credited with popularizing the concept.
1. TROUBLED STAND INSPIRES BIPARTISANSHIP AND A FRESH “LEMONADE BILL”
Louisiana is synonymous with Mardi Gras parties and Cajun cuisine. In the near future, it might also become the lemonade stand capital of the world. Earlier this year, a Democratic state senator from the Bayou State introduced a bill that would exempt minors from needing to obtain an occupational license before setting up a lemonade stand—so long as the kiddies’ profits don’t exceed $500 per year. The politician says that he was inspired to take action when a child-run stand was cited for not having its paperwork in order. Disgusted by the incident, Democrats and Republicans alike rallied to support young entrepreneurs throughout their state. The proposal—dubbed the “Lemonade Bill” by the press—was unanimously approved in the Louisiana House and Senate, and signed into law on May 27.
2. LEMONADE CONTROVERSY PROMPTS FORT WORTH TO RE-EXAMINE ITS ZONING LAWS
In 1987, three brothers in Fort Worth, Texas, scored a sweet victory. To raise money for their church and fund a family vacation, the boys started a lemonade stand. Things were going well, until a neighbor anonymously complained to city hall about the tiny business. Once these remarks had been filed, zoning officials had no choice but to shut down the operation. A sign that read “closed by city order,” was slapped onto the stand, resulting in a huge public outcry. When asked to justify this decision, public servants claimed that the boys were illegally running a commercial enterprise in a residential area. Fortunately, this setback proved to be temporary. After a week of bad press, the city changed its tune when an overlooked provision in the law was discovered. Since the stand wasn’t open year-round and didn’t sell pre-packaged products, Fort Worth reclassified it as a home-use business. Thus, the children were allowed to re-enter the beverage game. The town’s mayor extended an olive branch by offering them a new venue on his nearby property. They politely turned him down.
3. STAND OWNERSHIP TEACHES FUTURE BILLIONAIRE THE WAYS OF CAPITALISM
With a net worth of more than $66 billion, one of America’s most famous investors is easily one of the wealthiest men alive. In his youth, the Omaha native did what budding entrepreneurs often do: open a lemonade stand. But unlike most kids, this future businessman recognized the value of a good location. The child noticed that more pedestrians walked past a friend’s house than his own home—and so he arranged to build the stand on his pal’s lawn.
4. PLUCKY BROOKLYNITE HELPS TURN THE LEMONADE STAND INTO AN AMERICAN INSTITUTION
Historians don’t know where, when, or by whom the first lemonade stand was established. However, one journalist is often credited with popularizing the concept. Born in the Netherlands, Edward Bok (1863-1930) immigrated with his family to Brooklyn, New York as a boy. By the time he passed away, Bok had achieved national fame as the longtime editor of a women’s lifestyle periodical, and was a vocal women’s suffrage advocate. In 1921, his autobiography was released. The book was a huge critical success and even won a major literary prize. Inside, the author reviews his childhood business ventures. Bok claimed that, as a boy, he used to make money during the summer months by selling ice water on Brooklyn’s muggy streets. When competitors started to peddle their own ice water, Bok wrote, he upped the ante by squeezing “half a dozen lemons into each pail of water.” Then, he’d add some sugar and shout “Lemonade, three cents a glass!” Today, it’s believed that this published anecdote helped inspire a generation of kids to follow suit.
5. FLORIDA TOWN DRAGGED INTO THE LIMELIGHT BY LEMONADE STANDOFF
Naples, Florida, got some unwanted press in 2003. It all began when a neighborhood dispute resulted in the hasty closure of a six-year-old’s lemonade stand. The girl’s parents elected to shut down her business after their next-door neighbor informed the police that it was operating without a permit. A local station picked up the story and before long, pundits on national television were weighing in. The girl received several hundred dollars’ worth of unsolicited donations from sympathizers; meanwhile, the girl’s neighbor was given something else to complain about. Angry passersby took to pelting her house with lemons. As a result of the brouhaha, Naples considered some new beverage policies. But by a margin of three votes, the city council rejected a proposed law that would have required all lemonade stands to obtain a business license.
6. HIGH-PROFILE LEMONADE STAND BECOMES A PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN ISSUE
When one American president ran for our country’s highest office in 1976, his daughter kept herself busy with a lemonade stand. Then just eight years old, the girl (and one of her friends) set up shop just outside of the family residence, where thirsty journalists made for reliable customers. At one point, a reporter lightheartedly told the candidate that members of the press ought to receive a discount. The candidate’s response? “Reporters should pay double.”
7. TURF WAR LEADS TO HISTORIC “MERGER”
A sausage stand owner in Salem, Massachusetts, faced some stiff competition in 2005. That summer, two local boys began selling homemade lemonade on his turf. Since the professional vendor also sold this citrusy beverage, conflict was inevitable. The sausage man asked Salem’s finest to talk the kids into relocating. Instead, the officers shut down the children’s lemonade business because neither boy had purchased a $2200 vendor’s license. But the story didn’t end there. Hoping to make peace, the mayor of Salem negotiated a special arrangement between the two rival parties. In what was described as a “corporate merger,” the salesman allowed the boys to sell lemonade under his own license as sub-contractors—at least until the school year started.
8. CANADIAN AGENCY APOLOGIZES AFTER TERMINATING STAND
In July 2016, Canada’s National Capital Commission (NCC) found itself in hot water when it closed an Ottawa lemonade stand that was owned and operated by two little girls. The entrepreneurs were sisters—just five and seven years old—who’d been saving dough so they could attend summer camp. In order to take advantage of a public road’s foot traffic, the girls opened up on NCC-regulated land. An officer promptly informed their parents that if the sisters didn’t take their business elsewhere, they’d be fined. What followed was a public opinion battle that the NCC couldn’t possibly win. The commission formally apologized and issued the girls a special permit that allowed them to re-open the stand. In return, the girls donated all of their profits to charity, as per the NCC’s request.
9. CHILD-RUN STAND RAISES RELIEF FUNDS FOR HURRICANE KATRINA VICTIMS
In 2006, an 11-year-old humanitarian came up with one delicious way to raise funds for the Hurricane Katrina disaster relief effort. Determined to help out, the boy and his family rented some space at a merchants’ market near their Kyle, Texas, home. There, the whole gang opened up a charity lemonade stand that generated $540 for the American Red Cross over the course of a single weekend.
10. VOCAL GRANDMOTHER ADVOCATES LEMONADE REFORM
For a $5 fee, anyone can set up his or her own lemonade stand within the city limits of Okmulgee, Oklahoma. But this wasn’t always the case. In June 2016, a local seven-year-old tried getting one off the ground but was told to cease operations by a police officer. That’s when her grandmother took action. When the woman complained to city hall, officials put the current, business-friendly lemonade legislation in place.
11. BEVERAGE-TOUTING ANIMAL LOVER GIVES LOCAL SHELTER A BOOST
Last July, a girl on Long Island raised several hundred dollars for a local animal rescue and adoption center. How’d she do it? With lemonade, of course. One day, the precocious six-year-old told her folks that she wanted to help homeless pets find new families. To accommodate the girl, her parents and neighbors constructed a charming lemonade stand. Upon settling in, the wee activist began to selling off her sugary drinks at 50 cents apiece. Customers were also given flyers promoting the nearby shelter. Thanks to the girl’s profits—plus some free advertising—the organization was able to purchase tracking chips for some 59 animals, all of whom were adopted.
12. MARYLAND COUNTY IGNORES PERMIT LAWS TO HELP LEMONADE STAND CAPITALIZE ON GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP
“What happened to the entrepreneurial spirit? I mean this is the American dream.” Such were the protestations of one parent after local government officials closed a lemonade stand that her child had co-founded in Bethesda, Maryland, in 2011, the year the town hosted the U.S. Open Championship. Four business-savvy kids decided to take advantage of the situation by planting a lemonade stand near Congressional Country Club, where the big-time sports event was taking place. It looked like the kids were in for a big score—and then the town bureaucracy got involved. A representative from Montgomery County’s Department of Permitting fined the children $500 for (you guessed it) operating without a permit. As it happens, a TV news team was on hand to film part of this exchange. The resultant backlash from viewers and eyewitnesses was both immediate and unrelenting. By day’s end, the county decided to cancel the fine. Officials also allowed the kids to continue selling their drinks if they’d agree to move the stand two feet away from its previous location, which had bordered a congested street.
13. SOLITARY STAND GIVES BIRTH TO CANCER FOUNDATION
The little girl behind one nationwide charity hadn’t even reached her first birthday when she was diagnosed with childhood cancer. At age four, the heroic girl found a way to fight back, asking her parents to help her set up a lemonade stand that would raise money to help other children who were suffering from cancer. Word spread and, within a single day, she earned an astonishing $2000. Encouraged, she launched a second stand one year later. These inspired copycat establishments from a host of other kids, who also began selling lemonade for cancer relief. Sadly, the young philanthropist passed away in 2004, at just eight years old. But she left an impressive legacy behind: The girl, and those who’d followed her lead, had raised more than $1 million total. The following year, her parents launched an official foundation, dedicated to finding a cure for cancer. To date, the charity has funded more than 650 cancer research projects and raised upwards of $127 million.
14. EUSTIS, FLORIDA, PULLS A 180 ON LEMONADE STAND LEGALITY
On one peculiar day in 2000, a lemonade stand that had been running for years was shut down, only to be hastily re-opened in a matter of hours. The booth was the pride and joy of a local nine-year-old girl, who’d long been selling juicy beverages there. Despite its longevity, a zoning law enforcement official instructed the child to close her stand for reasons unknown. That evening, the girl’s father contacted City Hall to protest. Improbably, the code and zoning commissioner took his side. Without a moment’s hesitation, this high-ranking government employee said that the stand’s forced closure was triggered by “an error in judgment” and that it could be reopened. However, the administrator also insisted that the establishment be moved eight feet away from the nearest roadside.
15. LEMON-LOVERS SET WORLD RECORD
At a 2011 charity fundraiser, community members in Birmingham, Michigan, were encouraged to purchase wooden lemonade stands at a cost of $50 each. Afterwards, 349 of these were merged together into a single, marvelous unit by parents, teachers, and students of the Birmingham Public School District. From end to end, the amalgamated lemonade stand measured 1399 feet and 11 inches long—enough to secure its place in history. Profits from the event were used to support both public schools and an assortment of educational initiatives.
Source: https://www.foxnews.com/video/6376164660112