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Katie Scholl did it again! For the fourth year in a row, she stiffed the competition and beat all her personal goals because of her thorough understanding of what it means to be an entrepreneur. Katie was one of our 2017 scholarship recipients that went above and beyond to make sure her business was set for success. Year after year, she’s shown us that with confidence, ambition, and a solid work ethic, you can continue to reach new heights!

Katie started her first Lemonade Day stand in 2014. Her bicycle had been stolen from her front porch and she was determined to find a way to get a new one. She heard about Lemonade Day at school and decided that was the perfect chance to earn the money for a new bike. She talked to her uncle about helping her with the stand and becoming her investor. He was skeptical at first, but Katie quickly proved that she willing to work hard and go the extra mile to sell her fresh-squeezed lemonade. She hired her staff, trained them, and paid them. She paid back her uncle for the money he gave her to get her stand going. Then, she paid back the landlord that let her “lease” the space for her stand in the parking lot of a very busy car wash in town. Katie did so well that in the end, she had enough profit to buy her new bicycle and give a donation to Lubbock Impact, her favorite charity.

The experience was very valuable for Katie, but she didn’t stop there. She decided to support various fundraisers for her basketball team throughout the year. By the time Lemonade Day 2015 rolled around, Katie was ready to take it to the next level with an even bigger goal. She wanted to go to the Texas Tech Lady Raider Basketball Camp that summer and stay in the dorms on campus.

To increase profits, Katie added smoked brisket, pork sandwiches and her very own “Awesome Sauce” to the menu. She also began marketing her business on Facebook and handed out her business cards proudly proclaiming KATIE’S FRESH-SQUEEZED LEMONADE, “as seen on Lemonade Day”. Katie’s landlord liked the idea of hosting the stand again because Katie helped create even more customers for the car wash -- a win/win! Katie said “Adding BBQ was definitely a plus because the smell of the BBQ drew people to the stand and had them coming back for more!” Katie achieved her goal and attended the basketball camp of her dreams and decided to share some of her profits with Lubbock Impact again.

In 2016, Katie went all out and took on a bigger risk with Lemonade Day. No longer questioning Katie’s commitment, Uncle Larry helped Katie by giving her a loan for her very own catering trailer! She thinks of herself as a full-fledged business woman now. She evaluates what her customers want and gives them top-notch service. Each year has offered its own challenges and in 2016 the weather was not in her favor. It was rainy and cold, which meant a lot of her competition stayed home. However, Katie knows that true entrepreneur keeps working the plan despite challenges. She got her trailer to the carwash on a rainy morning and it was her professional marketing and great reputation that helped it all pay off. There was a steady line of customers until everything was sold out. Despite the dreary weather, Katie’s 2016 profit was $1,200! Wanting to take her business beyond Lemonade Day, Katie began catering at community events and now sells lemonade year-round!

In 2017, Katie made a few changes to the interior of her catering trailer to make things more efficient, like adding more shelf space and getting an additional lemon squeezer. After a long and busy day, her profits from came out to be about $1,250. Some of Katie’s profits went towards paying for a youth camp she wanted to attend. She also saved a portion of her money for upcoming events and food truck competitions they’d like to enter throughout the year. Finally, Katie decided to share some of her profits with a local teacher to help pay for school supplies for the classroom. Her current goal is to pay off her trailer and save up money to go to college at Texas Tech because she says she's a proud Red Raider! Katie continues to grow her success by making smart business choices that help her save money along the way. We couldn’t be more proud to have this remarkable entrepreneur in the Lubbock community. Congratulations Katie!

You can keep up with Katie’s lemonade business on her Facebook page at the following link: https://www.facebook.com/katiesfreshsqueezedlemonade/