When doing research on how to open a successful lemonade business, Keith Slader saw an opportunity. 

Slader said most of the books he found about running a lemonade business were $30 to $40 and only 20 pages long. 

“I felt like we could do a better job of that,” Slader said. “Spread the love and give other people an opportunity to find a low barrier entry business, and make some money even if lemonade is not necessarily their thing. It's a good way to get started in business.”

Slader owns Lisa’s Lemonade — a traveling lemonade booth — which started after Keith’s sister, Lisa Slader, died of kidney cancer in 2020. Wanting to create a family business with low startup costs, Keith said he remembered the popularity of a certain beverage at a past job.

In 2018, Keith started his own food truck in New Jersey, which he sold before he moved to Burlington before the pandemic. Keith said the top profit product at the truck was lemonade — something vendors do not need a license to sell in North Carolina. 

“In North Carolina, you don't need a health permit or health inspection from the health department to sell lemonade because it's considered agriculture,” Keith said. “It's a lower barrier to entry for a business with a higher profit.”

In memory of Lisa, the lemonade company donates 10% of its profit to the American Cancer Society. The company’s motto is “smashing lemons and fighting cancer.” 

Keith said he knew writing the book would allow him to donate more to the American Cancer Society. 

Keith wrote the ebook, “Lemonade Saved My Life” to help others create a business with only a few hundred dollars in startup money. 

Now, Lisa’s Lemonade makes over $1,000 a day selling lemonade at local farmers markets, fairs and other events. The stand can be found every Thursday at the Elon Farmers Market, where Keith estimates 90% of his profits come from students. 

“It didn't take long to find different farmers markets and other opportunities to sell lemonade,” Keith said. “Especially with the Elon Farmers Market being right next to the university, we thought it would be an excellent location.”