When life gives you lemons, you make lemonades, and you don't let anyone stop you from selling it and making a fortune. The brothers Ethan (13), Seth (11), and Jonathan (8) had been running their shop Triple M Goods, sellling lemonade at a local farmers' market for years. The family went in shock when local officials told them they needed a permit every two weeks which would cost $57.
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With Michigan's warm summer season, runnning from June through August, lemonade stands are a familiar sight as children look to earn a little extra pocket money during their school break. Selling lemonade for just 50 cents a cup, the boys would have needed to sell hundreds of cups just to recover the permit fees.
The boys didn't have the money, but they had the courage and perseverance- important lesson they teach you at B schools. The little brothers with the help of their mother, reached out to state Rep. Cam Cavitt leading to a bill to end permit requirements for minors who sell lemonade and earn less than $5000 a year.
The Mielke family alsp testified before Michigan's House Regulatory Reform Committee in support of the bill. The bill passed the state house, last week and is now with the Senate for approval.
"I told him about the fees my brothers would have to pay and gave him letters we wrote. He said that he would help us figure out how to change that law. We hope this bill can come to a vote and pass so that other kids like us do not have to pay fees to sell lemonade," 13-year-old Ethan said, as quoted by GOP, Michigan.
When the news of success reached the kids, they were excited, their mother Jessica told The Washington Post. "It was a pretty neat experience for them to see how the process works when you have an idea or want a law changed."
What was more interesting was how both Republicans and Democrats came together to pass the bill unanimously.
For generations, lemonade stands have been an American childhood tradition as a first lesson in earning money, dealing with customers and learning the basics of business. According to New York Pots, some US states allow these stands to work without permits.
