Saturday, November 8, 2025

An 8-12 months-Outdated’s Lemonade Stand Was Reported To The Alabama Division Of Labor

[ad_1]

Organising and operating a lemonade stand is a ceremony of passage for most kids. Easy and traditional, whipping up a contemporary batch of lemonade and promoting it for $.50 a cup is among the only and time-tested methods for youths to add some money to their piggy banks.

Each summer season, I see a dozen or so lemonade stands with youngsters simply having enjoyable and making some spending cash. Your complete idea is innocent and fairly candy, so who would ever attempt to take the enjoyable out of it?

One Alabama mother desires to know this too.

Eight-year-old Cameron Johnson and his mother Cristal started making “Cam’s Lemonade” final yr. The plan initially began as a manner for Cam to be taught in regards to the worth of cash and exhausting work, plus earn some money for a trip.

“In the future he requested to go to Disney World,” Cristal recalled to Alabama.com. “I used to be simply type of joking round with him, telling him, ‘Let me train you methods to earn a buck because you assume cash grows on bushes.’”

The mother-son dup arrange a lemonade stand at a neighborhood yard sale and, with the facility of social media, Cam’s stand went viral. The concept blew up from there.

Cristal started making the lemonade, and Cam continued to promote it at dwelling and at occasions.

Cristal and Cam had been so profitable that “Cam’s Lemonade” that they are going to distribute the lemonade on retailer cabinets in native counties by the top of subsequent month in 10 completely different flavors. Which is, admittedly, manner larger and extra of an precise enterprise than your typical sidewalk lemonade stand.

Cam mentioned the lemonade stand is a technique to “have enjoyable” together with his mom.

“It’s taught me how to save cash,” he mentioned.

However the story took a flip when Cristal put out a name for a one-day apprenticeship program.

She posted a message on Fb in regards to the one-day apprenticeship.

The put up learn, “On July ninth Cam’s Lemonade will make use of 2 youngsters 6-10yrs outdated. We’ll open from 2-6, you’ll be able to drop them off with us on the truck for a 2 hr shift, and decide them up on the finish of their shift. I’ll allow them to work with Cam on speaking with clients, giving and receiving funds, and good manners. They may every obtain $20 on the finish of their shift.”

In line with Cristal, the apprenticeship was for a kid from ages 6 to 10 to join positions of “smiler” and “greeter.” To use, youngsters needed to share a resume with what “they wish to be after they develop up and why.”

“I got here up with this concept to get a few youngsters in and do the identical factor I did with my son,” she informed AL.com. “He’s just a little shy, and typically he stumbles with giving change, so I believed it might be a good suggestion to assist some youngsters with confidence, shallowness, math expertise.”

After Cristal posted the decision for a child apprentice, the lemonade stand was promptly reported to the Alabama Division of Labor.

On Fb, Cristal wrote, “I used to be reported to the Division of Labor for hiring minors!!! Some depressing soul thought or not it’s a good suggestion to have it shut down, so with that being mentioned.. the kid occasion I used to be attempting to have is cancelled!! I feel it’s disgusting, hateful, and downright unhappy for an individual to seek out adverse in what I used to be attempting to perform! That particular person is little question studying this message, and that is for you: You CANNOT cease what’s destined to be! You didn’t win! All you probably did is make me determine one other manner!”

A spokesperson for the Alabama Division of Labor informed Alabama.com it doesn’t “cease lemonade stands, and we by no means have.”

Reasonably, their concern was with the apprenticeship.

“That is an LLC with skilled transportation and distribution,” the spokesperson mentioned.

“Youngsters that age can volunteer for his or her church or different non-profit, however a 6-year-old can not work for a for-profit enterprise. She is free to make use of her little one at her lemonade enterprise, however no different youngsters underneath the age of 14. The enterprise has confronted no penalties and was not threatened with any penalties.”

The excellent news is that Cameron has certainly raised sufficient cash for his Disney World journey.

[ad_2]

Related Articles

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Latest Articles