9-Year-Old Launches Lemonade Business That Goes Way Beyond A Simple Stand

Published January 18, 2022

Considering how many bird-brained misadventures we got into when we were little, it can be easy to underestimate children.

But some kids will prove from surprisingly young ages that we miss out on a lot by doing this because they can be full of good ideas and impressive resilience when we give them a chance to show it.

And while some prodigies make their almost intimidating abilities known quickly, they don't have to be comparable to Mozart or Picasso to make their creativity work for them.

Considering that the idea for her biggest pursuit came to her at the age of five, we can definitely say that one little girl from North Carolina is doing just that.

Growing up, Laila Ratliff of Oak Ridge, North Carolina had her share of entrepreneurs in the family to look up to.

Facebook | Laila Ratliff

According to Good Morning America, her mother Lakisha has a business selling hair care products, while her older sister is a professional photographer.

Nonetheless, she still surprised her mom with how big she was thinking when she wanted to start a lemonade business at five years old.

As Lakisha said, "I'm thinking front yard, little lemonade stand outside, but she had a bigger vision. She was like, 'No, I want to have my own bottles, I want to be able to go into stores and I want to be able to meet people."

So the mother-daughter team started with about $200, got together to craft a unique lemonade recipe, and procured some plastic pouches to serve them in.

Facebook | Laila Ratliff

And it took a lot of experimenting and trial-and-error, but it would eventually become clear that they came across a winning formula for Laila's lemonade.

As the child said, "I wanted to do something extraordinary. I know everyone makes lemonade, but everyone's is a little different."

From there, they started networking at mom-and-pop stores and local events and ended up in a position where they could comfortably charge $6 for each 16-ounce bottle.

In Laila's words, "Before I was going to a couple events, now everyone's trying to book us."

And not only has her product's packaging become more sophisticated, but her signature lemonade now comes in 22 flavors and she's added homemade baked goods to her business' repertoire as well.

As a result, the idea she had at five has blossomed into Laila's Lemonade and Sweet Treat Connection now that she's nine years old.

And the way that she and her mom run her business is about as far from cutthroat as it gets.

Facebook | Laila Ratliff

Since Lakisha credited others in their community for giving some helpful tips that she considers "gold nuggets" along the way, she and her daughter are just as open with their own advice.

As she put it, "There are probably 25 different bread brands on the shelf. No one brand is the same. So if someone else started a lemonade business, it's OK to help them."

Laila is also passionate about giving back to her community as her family has held a warm clothing drive for local nursing home residents and is also putting together "blessing bags" for their community's homeless population.

h/t: Good Morning America

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