3 ms·

If kids' lemonade stands were made illegal, it could be the most devastating thing ever to hit that country's entrepreneurship, long-term, if we follow Jason Fr

If kids' lemonade stands were made illegal, it could be the most devastating thing ever to hit that country's entrepreneurship, long-term, if we follow Jason Fried's getting-good-at-making-money theory. http://37signals.com/svn/posts/1985-making-money-takes-practice-like-playing-the-piano-takes-practice http://37signals.com/svn/posts/1985-making-money-takes-pract...

georgieporgie 15y ago
You know, the only lesson I took away from a lemonade stand is that people don't want to buy lemonade. This may have been a result of our rural environment and, therefore, complete lack of traffic traveling under 55mph past our sign. Seriously, though, there are a lot of other ways for kids to show entrepreneurship and make money. Lemonade stands, if anything, teach that being cute gets you handouts. Mow some lawns, wash some cars, cut some hedges.
- DanBC 15y ago
  Why are kids not allowed to sell lemonade but are allowed to mow lawns? What makes you think that children will be allowed to use dangerous machinery if they're not allowed to sell some drinks?
  - SageRaven 15y ago
    Duh! Because a 12-year-old can mostly only hurt himself by losing control of a lawn mower or weed eater. Give that same kid a 5-gallon tainted cooler of ice and lemonade-flavored Kool-Aid, and he could poison an entire neighborhood! But seriously, this topic makes me wonder about all sorts of things we did as kids that might have been technically illegal but we all did anyway. Such as mowing lawns and babysitting while too young. Did you know most states technically require sitters to be 16 years or older?!? The paperboy as we fondly remember it (I want my two dollars!) might be technically illegal. I mean, don't labor laws restrict non-farm employment to 16 years and older? I'd be curious to see a real, thorough analysis of the legality of so many things we take for granted.
    - georgieporgie 15y ago
      The paperboy as we fondly remember it (I want my two dollars!) might be technically illegal I was a paperboy. Technically, I was an independent contractor. Therefore, they had no legal responsibility to me. Of course, I was entirely responsible to them, and I wasn't allowed to run my route like a proper business (e.g. no payment for three days, cut them off). Basically, it was training for being taken advantage of by large(r) corporations. Nowadays, it looks like all the paper delivery around here is done by adults. One drives while the other walks and tosses papers at 3am. Better experience for the customer, billing is automated, and no kids are exploited. A loss of an American tradition, perhaps, but a tradition which became a mild form of exploitation rather than empowerment. Incidentally, on the subject of machinery, tasks should be relegated by age. A twelve year old is probably capable of handling basic lawn machinery, though 14 or 16 is probably better. An eight year old can certainly rake leaves, dig holes, and trim bushes. A four year old can rake leaves and move rocks. I did lawn work for my grandparents every summer and, despite being disallowed the riding lawnmower, I was reasonably effective. Another point I'll make is that both lemonade stands and paper routes are basically dead-end. You can't franchise a lemonade stand. As a paperboy, you can conceivably upgrade to a scooter to cover more distance, but you're still stuck personally collecting money from all the deadbeats. It's really just wage-labor under an entrepreneurial fog.
      - DanBC 15y ago
        >Another point I'll make is that both lemonade stands and paper routes are basically dead-end. That's a good point, but you would only want the child to do the stand for a weekend or so, or maybe a couple of weeks over a summer, to teach them simplistic stuff about adding value, and making profit.
        georgieporgie 15y ago
        Better hope you kids are cute, or they won't learn they're lesson. ;-) Another tangential point: I learned much more from manning my family's garage sale than from any other single money-making endeavor. I suppose the modern equivalent is eBay. In fact, come to think of it, what could be better than getting rid of the junk cluttering your house than telling your kid he/she can keep all the profit?

georgieporgie 15y ago

You know, the only lesson I took away from a lemonade stand is that people don't want to buy lemonade. This may have been a result of our rural environment and, therefore, complete lack of traffic traveling under 55mph past our sign. Seriously, though, there are a lot of other ways for kids to show entrepreneurship and make money. Lemonade stands, if anything, teach that being cute gets you handouts. Mow some lawns, wash some cars, cut some hedges.

DanBC 15y ago
Why are kids not allowed to sell lemonade but are allowed to mow lawns? What makes you think that children will be allowed to use dangerous machinery if they're not allowed to sell some drinks?
- SageRaven 15y ago
  Duh! Because a 12-year-old can mostly only hurt himself by losing control of a lawn mower or weed eater. Give that same kid a 5-gallon tainted cooler of ice and lemonade-flavored Kool-Aid, and he could poison an entire neighborhood! But seriously, this topic makes me wonder about all sorts of things we did as kids that might have been technically illegal but we all did anyway. Such as mowing lawns and babysitting while too young. Did you know most states technically require sitters to be 16 years or older?!? The paperboy as we fondly remember it (I want my two dollars!) might be technically illegal. I mean, don't labor laws restrict non-farm employment to 16 years and older? I'd be curious to see a real, thorough analysis of the legality of so many things we take for granted.
  - georgieporgie 15y ago
    The paperboy as we fondly remember it (I want my two dollars!) might be technically illegal I was a paperboy. Technically, I was an independent contractor. Therefore, they had no legal responsibility to me. Of course, I was entirely responsible to them, and I wasn't allowed to run my route like a proper business (e.g. no payment for three days, cut them off). Basically, it was training for being taken advantage of by large(r) corporations. Nowadays, it looks like all the paper delivery around here is done by adults. One drives while the other walks and tosses papers at 3am. Better experience for the customer, billing is automated, and no kids are exploited. A loss of an American tradition, perhaps, but a tradition which became a mild form of exploitation rather than empowerment. Incidentally, on the subject of machinery, tasks should be relegated by age. A twelve year old is probably capable of handling basic lawn machinery, though 14 or 16 is probably better. An eight year old can certainly rake leaves, dig holes, and trim bushes. A four year old can rake leaves and move rocks. I did lawn work for my grandparents every summer and, despite being disallowed the riding lawnmower, I was reasonably effective. Another point I'll make is that both lemonade stands and paper routes are basically dead-end. You can't franchise a lemonade stand. As a paperboy, you can conceivably upgrade to a scooter to cover more distance, but you're still stuck personally collecting money from all the deadbeats. It's really just wage-labor under an entrepreneurial fog.
    - DanBC 15y ago
      >Another point I'll make is that both lemonade stands and paper routes are basically dead-end. That's a good point, but you would only want the child to do the stand for a weekend or so, or maybe a couple of weeks over a summer, to teach them simplistic stuff about adding value, and making profit.
      - georgieporgie 15y ago
        Better hope you kids are cute, or they won't learn they're lesson. ;-) Another tangential point: I learned much more from manning my family's garage sale than from any other single money-making endeavor. I suppose the modern equivalent is eBay. In fact, come to think of it, what could be better than getting rid of the junk cluttering your house than telling your kid he/she can keep all the profit?