Lemonade-selling sisters face stiff competition this year

One year after being told they would need a permit to sell lemonade on Colonel By Drive, two young sisters were back at it on Sunday, this time with the blessing of the National Capital Commission.

But with the launch of a pilot project aimed at encouraging other young entrepreneurs to sell their wares along select NCC roadways, the girls learned a valuable business lesson: the impact of increased competition.

"There's way more competition this year," said eight-year-old Eliza Andrews.

Saturated market

Eliza and her sister Adela, 6, once again set up their lemonade stand on Colonel By Drive, but they were not the only lemonade on the market.

"The revenues weren't quite what they were last year," said the girls' dad, Kurtis Andrews, with a smile.

"Last year they were maybe a little spoiled, because they had a monopoly. But they're still enjoying it."

In July 2016, the Andrews sisters made national headlines when they had to shut down their lemonade stand for operating without a permit on NCC lands during the popular Nokia Sunday Bikedays, when certain NCC roadways are closed to motor vehicle traffic.

After an online backlash, the NCC decided to embrace the entrepreneurial spirit embodied by the Andrews sisters, with the launch of the Young Entrepreneurship Program in May.

Kurtis Andrews said that even though his daughters are having fun and learning about business, he thinks the program has room for improvement. There were three lemonade stands right beside each other Sunday.

"I compare it a little bit to a farmers market. At a farmers market, if everybody sold the exact same product, nobody would be able to make a living off it, and it would just die," he said. "So there's a certain amount of management that they have to, I think, employ in the program for it to be more of a success."

'Overwhelming response'

Elsewhere along the designated roadways, other children and youths from age 5 to 17 were also getting their first tastes of the business world.

"We had an overwhelming response from everybody," said Marc Papineau, a co-ordinator for Sunday Bikedays. "We had 58 applications so far, times three Sundays. So that's over 150 young entrepreneurs on our parkways."

In addition to the opportunity to run a kiosk, the participants are also encouraged to take part in a free workshop that teaches skills designed to build confidence in the young entrepreneurs, such as looking customers in the eyes during a transaction.

Papineau said that while most of the vendors are indeed selling lemonade, several of the entrepreneurs "thought outside the box."

"They're selling dog biscuits, T-shirts, bracelets, superhero capes," said Papineau. "All kinds of neat stuff to attract business."

In order to get permission to set up a kiosk, participants had to follow a set of guidelines set out by the NCC that included making signs in both official languages, as well as donating a small percentage of their earnings to charity.

'I'm selling to cure my brother'

For eight-year-old Na'ama Uzan, raising funds for a good cause is not a new concept — she's been doing it for nearly half of her young life.

Her brother Nadav has Angelman syndrome, a genetic disorder which can cause developmental disabilities and neurological problems including the inability to walk or speak.

"I'm selling to cure my brother," Uzan said. "And other Angelman kids who are not only in this country."

Uzan has raised nearly $100,000 for Angelman syndrome research since 2014.

Na'ama's father David is proud of her, and happy they can contribute to such a personal cause.

"She started this when she was just four and a half. She recognized that her brother was different. When she found out it was only funds that were holding back a cure for Angelman syndrome, she wanted to do something to help," he said.

NCC's Nokia Sunday Bikedays continue through Sept. 3. Budding entrepreneurs can visit the NCC website for more information on how to take part.