DECATUR COUNTY, GA — Twenty percent of new businesses fail within the first year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Teaching kids the fundamentals of business early may be one way to change that.
WATCH FULL REPORT BELOW:
Seven-year-old A'Marie Smith is spending her summer doing more than the usual activities at the Bainbridge Decatur County Rec Center. Through Lemonade Day 2026, a national youth entrepreneurship program, Smith is learning how to build and run her own business — right in her hometown.
Using animated training modules, participants learn step by step how to make a business plan, handle money, and serve customers — all before selling a single cup of lemonade. Smith's business is called A'Marie's Luscious Lemonade.
Longtime local business owner June Faircloth said those skills are not just about selling lemonade — they are life skills.
"If they don't learn how to manage business as they grow, they'll always have a problem," said Smith. "They may not ever be able to manage their own lives, much less a business."
Faircloth said exposing kids to business early gives them tools they can carry into adulthood.
"If we bring them into our businesses and expose them to it, teach them a little bit about the background, I know that I always believe in bringing in the kids because it's so important to them," said Smith. "They learn trades that not only will encourage them, but maybe help them get through college if that's the choice that they prove to do and be able to have a good job to fall back on."
Faircloth said when the community invests in the next generation of business owners, kids become more confident and better equipped to sustain successful businesses.
Smith is not alone in putting those lessons to work. Five-year-old Carter Lynn is already applying similar skills in practice. After saving money from birthdays and holidays, Lynn used those savings to help buy supplies for his own lemonade stand, called Smiley's Lemonade Stand.
A'Marie's lemonade stand will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday June, 13 at I See My Baby Inc in Bainbridge.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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