PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — Twelve-year-old Mallorie Johnson is using her lemonade stand to say “Thank you dad for what you’ve done for me.” 

“Hello, how can I help you?” Mallorie said as she handed a cup of ice cold lemonade to a Pasco County deputy.

What You Need To Know

• Twelve-year-old Mallorie Johnson runs Mallorie’s Lemonade Stand in Shady Hills to make money over the summer


• Now she is on a mission to pay her father back after he helped build the stand 


• Her dad Jimmy said he is using the opportunity to teach his youngest how to be a good entrepreneur

If you’re looking for a cold refreshment on a hot and humid Florida day, then Mallorie’s Lemonade Stand in Shady Hills is the place to go. Her business idea started off very simple.

“When school was going, I wanted to make money over the summer and my dad was like well you can work,” Mallorie said.  

She wanted to save up, but then she wanted to pay her dad back for building a lemonade stand.

Mallory told Bay News 9’s Katya Guillaume, “I owed him $390.” 

The word of Mallorie’s goal quickly reached social media, even a few Pasco County Sheriff deputies heard of the plan. 

“Everybody leaving happy with lemonade, it makes me happy,” the 12-year-old said.

On the menu — drinks and snacks from 50 cents to a dollar, and not to mention free hugs.

“Well it’s a kids drink so it’s not really a hug,” she joked. 

Dad, Jimmy, said he couldn’t be more proud of his daughter. He mentioned that it’s important for him to take advantage of this opportunity to teach his youngest how to be a good entrepreneur.

“We really need to instill in our children what our parents and grandfathers, everybody taught us as people growing up before all the technology came in,” Johnson said.

He takes time every week to teach her about profit and revenue. 

Mallorie has been able to pay her dad back, but she’s now taking it a step further.

“We’re going to take 10% of what I make and were going to give it back to All Children’s Hospital,” the young girl said. “That’s where when I was younger I had my legs pigeon-toed and they fixed it for me.” 

What started out as a way to thank her dad for helping her turned into a business venture setting her up for success in the future. 

Mallorie has raised over $700 and she said rain or shine, she’ll be out at her stand raising money for a good cause.