Lexington, KY - Have you seen that Verizon Wireless TV commercial where Susie, operator of a little lemonade stand in front of her house, turns it into Susie's Lemonade, a national conglomerate? The ad is all in fun. Or is it?
One organization that would love to see more little girls dream big and grow up to succeed in the adult world is Girl Scouts.
Their ticket to getting there: selling cookies, and lots of them.
Americans are crazy about Girl Scout cookies, and their arrival each year is a welcome respite in the middle of winter. In 2010, five Girl Scout cookie flavors were among the top 10 cookies sold in the United States, with Thin Mints coming in second only to Oreos, according to the Girl Scouts.
These little businesswomen have been busy in Kentucky, too. About 9,000 of them sold more than 1.3 million boxes in 67 counties across central and eastern Kentucky, or what's called Girl Scouts of Kentucky's Wilderness Road Council.
"Pretty amazing, huh?" said Sally Warfield, information manager for the local scout council. Warfield said the Girl Scouts' "cookie development" program teaches these young female entrepreneurs at all scout levels solid business skills.
"They are goal-setting, decision-making and learning money management, people skills and business ethics," Warfield explained.
Goal-setting never changes, according to Warfield, but it's adjusted for each rung of scouting. That's true whether you are a 6-year-old Daisy scout who wants to sell 25 boxes or a senior-level scout in high school who wants to sell hundreds to earn a trip to a Girl Scout World Centers, such as the chalet in Switzerland.
"Troop leaders and volunteers lead girls to set goals, if there's something the troop wants to do. Then they can help fund that with cookie profits," said Warfield.
If the scout masters goal-setting with cookie sales, maybe she can achieve other things in life.
"She won't tell you Sunday night that her science project is due tomorrow (and she hasn't yet begun it), because she'll understand the process of starting here in order to get there and what she must do to fill the gap," Warfield concluded.
Decision making will teach the girls how they'll spend their cookie money. Later she'll do the same thing with money earned babysitting or at a part-time job, asking herself, "Do I want to spend it, save it, donate it or invest it?"
Because the girl scouts take cookie orders and handle the customers' money, it makes them more responsible. Money management teaches young girls not to lose lunch or field trip money. When older, they may skillfully manage a checking account or keep their cell phone bill paid.
Karen Boone isn't a business tycoon like the fictional Susie in that aforementioned TV ad, but she's a long-time small business owner and former scout who learned valuable lessons from cookie sales.
"What I think it taught me was to have the courage to get up and do it, and to have self-confidence. It taught me to manage money a bit and gave me some sales training," said Boone, owner of Kreations By Karen, a Lexington floral design shop, for 20 years.
As a child, she entered the scouting program in Pikeville, Ky., and finished it in Lexington. Now she's a volunteer and teaches scouts floral skills - the science and artful decoration of flowers - so the girls can earn a badge.
Boone also said that selling cookies years ago taught her to be persuasive, in a polite way, and it gave her the ability to explain options to customers and help them with their choices.
The people skills gained by selling Girl Scout cookies are valuable, too.
"The girls learn to talk to and listen to all kinds of people while selling cookies," said Warfield. That may mean she'll be more comfortable meeting new people in the school lunchroom and working with others in a team environment.
"The heart of it is cooperation and inclusiveness and to be smart in how she relates to others," added Warfield.
And finally, business ethics teaches honesty. If she excels in this, the girl scout may develop excellent references while looking for jobs in high school or when applying for college.
Madalyn Gullette is a sixth-grader at a Frankfort middle school and a Cadette, the third level of Girl Scouts. She enjoys the annual rite of cookie selling.
"I like to sell them for prizes. It teaches me how to deal with money when I get older. [The profits] usually help the Girl Scout troop go on trips, and they are used for community service," she explained.
The official Girl's Guide to Girl Scouting has new badge levels that take girls from 5 years old to 17 while helping them build entrepreneurial skills. The badges can also be earned by mastering other business principles, such as developing marketing plans, keeping customer spreadsheets, and offering good customer service, along with learning how to follow up and write thank-you notes.
Susie would be impressed.