Getting a taste of the business

Sporting her bright yellow hat, 11-year-old Makinsey Murphy was on a mission Thursday evening to sell enough lemonade to reach her goal of adopting a sea turtle.

Makinsey set up her own handmade lemonade stand outside of Patriot Sportswear in downtown Portland as part of First Thursdays’ Lemonade Stand Day, sponsored by Jay County Chamber of Commerce and the Purdue Extension Office.  

Lemonade Stand Day is an experiential program that teaches youth how to start, own and operate their very own business. The Purdue Extension Office gave registered participants a starter kit and an assigned location at one of the participating First Thursday merchants to set up their stand.

“The goal for the program is to give our local kids the opportunity to be entrepreneurs for the day,” said Jay County Extension Director Cheri Brown. “We want them to be able to learn about marketing, pricing and the importance of setting goals and managing money.”

All proceeds from sales went directly to the children, who had the option to save and invest or work towards a goal like Makinsey. She hopes to adopt a sea turtle from The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in North Carolina.

Makinsey is an active Girl Scout and has been hosting lemonade stands for the past four years with the organization.

The stands, along with selling cookies, have given her an appreciation for money management, said her mom Cindy Murphy.

“Cookie sales is a big thing for us and lemonade isn’t too different,” Cindy said. “She has learned a lot and knows how to count back and keep track of her money. She’s a real hard worker.”

Though Makinsey was shy in talking about what she enjoys about being a young entrepreneur, she had lots to say about why she does it.

“I love animals,” she said. “Last time I had a sale I was trying to raise enough money to adopt a cat, but I was able to do that. Now I want to be able to have my own sea turtle. I just really, like, think that would be cool.”

Makinsey set her goal of raising $40 at the beginning of the day. By the time it was over, she made a profit of $54.50.

Makinsey said she was surprised at how much she raised and “was not expecting to do that well.”

Cindy said the family is hoping to be able to take Makinsey to Surf City, North Carolina, to adopt her turtle in person by the end of the month.

Makinsey was one of only two children to participate in Lemonade Stand Day.

Brown said she hopes to see the community come together again in hosting another event in the future.

“There was so much going on this week with the fair, the Fourth of July and a baseball tournament so the timing wasn’t that right, but we look forward to this again in the future and giving kids more opportunities like today,” Brown said. “We want to continue to help them learn all important lessons that come along with customer service. It will help them put to good use what they learn in school.”

The next event for this year’s participants will be a pizza party on July 20 from 11 a.m. to noon at the John Jay Center for Learning.

The party will be an opportunity for the kids to share what they learned while exploring marketing, the value of money, goal setting and making their own opportunities.