What was the inspiration for your business?

I saw a photo of two enslaved boys, my age, in Nepal. They had giant rocks on their heads. I thought slavery ended with Abraham Lincoln, but I was wrong. I believe no child should be in slavery. Instead, they should be playing. We sell lemon-aid to help bring awareness and money to this issue. I want to end child slavery by the time I am 20. That’s 10 years from now. This inspires me—and our awesome team—every day! 

What’s been a critical success factor along the way?

Our purpose motivates us. It also brings amazing people to the company like Mark Maggio and Jim Tonkin, both of whom are helping us turn Make a Stand into the best lemonade company in the country!

What do you wish you’d known early on in your business?

I wish I'd known more about distribution and retail, but now we have amazing people on staff helping us with this—and I love them for it. We started small, but we’re growing. Big things have small beginnings!

What’s on your iPod right now?

I like empowering music because I believe anyone can change the world if they just believe in themselves. I like Kelly Clarkson because she sings about this.

How do you spend your free time?

Playing with my friends, my brother and my frogs. I also read a lot.

What’s a guilty pleasure of yours?

Drinking too much of our lemon-aid which is sooooo delicious. It’s my grandma’s special recipe.

What’s a personal pet peeve?

When people say “you can’t,” because they’re wrong. If you believe you can do something, you can - just look at me. If I can, you can! This is what Make a Stand Lemon-aid is all about.

What's the inside scoop on yourself?

I have a lot of empathy and I feel the pain of people and animals. When I saw the photo of the two boys and learned that 18 million kids live in slavery, I cried for them. Then I decided I would dedicate my life to helping as many children as I can.