Priya's Tuesday Lemonade Stand
A first-business story about costs, prices and fairness, told through one sunny afternoon.
On Tuesday afternoon, Priya set up a small wooden table at the end of her driveway. She taped a sign to the front. “Lemonade, 50 cents a cup.” She had a big jug, a stack of paper cups, and a plan to buy a new scooter.
The first hour was busy. The neighbours came, and so did the kids from down the street. By four o'clock, Priya had sold twenty cups and had a jar full of coins. She felt very rich.
Mr Okafor from next door walked over with his dog. He bought a cup, drank it slowly, and said, “That is very good lemonade. Can I ask you something? How much did the lemons and sugar cost you?”
Priya had not thought about that. She ran inside and found the receipt from the shop. The lemons were four dollars. The sugar was two dollars. The cups were three dollars. She counted on her fingers. “Nine dollars.”
Then she counted her coins. Twenty cups at fifty cents was ten dollars. Priya looked at Mr Okafor. “I made one dollar,” she said in a small voice. “All that work for one dollar.”
Mr Okafor nodded. “That one dollar is called profit,” he said. “It is what is left after you pay for everything. It is a good first lesson. You did not lose money, but you could be doing better.”
Priya thought hard. She could not make the lemons cheaper, but she could change the price, or she could make the stand more special. She tried a new sign. “Fresh lemonade and a free paper kite.”
Priya had a stack of coloured paper at home. She spent the evening folding small kites, and on Wednesday she sold the lemonade for one dollar a cup. The kids loved the kites, and Priya spent less time worrying.
At the end of the day, she counted again. Her costs were the same, but she had sold fifteen cups. She had made six dollars of profit. It was slower, but it was honest, and the customers went home happy.
By the weekend, Priya had enough for the scooter. She put a little in a jar for the next batch of lemons, too. “That is called a plan,” said Mr Okafor with a smile.
✨ Key Takeaways
- Money coming in is not the same as money earned. Profit is what is left after costs.
- A fair price covers what it costs you and rewards your effort.
- Setting some money aside for next time is how a small business keeps going.
💬 Questions for Discussion & Reflection
- Why did Priya think she was rich, and why was she wrong?
- What did Priya change to make a better profit?
- What would you sell if you ran a small stand, and what would you need to buy first?
Print lined paper to plan your own stand →