What started as a summer hobby has turned into a new career path for Willie Reed. It is an unconventional success story for an unconventional brand of lemonade. 
Reed is a senior studying mechanical engineering, but recently found a passion in entrepreneurship. 
A native of New Orleans, Reed came to Mississippi State University on a track athletic scholarship. After completing his NCAA eligibility in the spring of 2018, Reed still had a year of school left. This summer, instead of using his refund check on clothes or shoes, he decided to invest in himself and start a lemonade business.
Reed admits the business started as a hobby. Soon, he was spending more and more money on this hobby, buying cases of lemons from the Asian Market on Highway 12 and bottles from Amazon. He explained how there comes a point where you either stop, or it becomes more than just a pastime.
For Reed, his hobby became a business, and he made his first sale this summer on July 5.
As far as his process, Reed’s Lemonade is not made by conventional lemonade-making methods. Its taste is extremely unique, unlike anything most customers have ever had before. The biggest difference is Reed’s Lemonade is made from fresh fruit, not powder. For this reason, every batch is a little bit different. The label lists everything in the bottle, which is only a few ingredients. 
Reed is also cautious with his flavor choices, which range from Classic Lemonade to Passion Fruit Mango Lemonade. He likes to keep flavors in season, always growing and expanding his brand, which also separates his product from any ordinary lemonade. 
Reed usually has a lemonade stand setup on campus on Fridays, and he also takes orders through twitter account and by phone. 
After the summer, Reed looked to the MSU Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach on campus for direction on how to grow his business. 
While Reed’s Lemonade received funding from the Entrepreneurship Center, the most valuable component of the E-Center is the wisdom and community there.
“There are certain things you can’t research or find on the internet,” Reed said. 
Through the E-Center, he has talked with other entrepreneurs about marketing, dealing with bad customers and many other situations that they oftentimes encounter.
Reed works closely with friend Terrance Green in the E-Center as the pair develop his business. Green described Reed as being creative and a jack-of-all trades, both strengths contributing to his success.
“He made an insulated backpack to keep his lemonade cold all day,” Green said.
Jeffrey Rupp, the E-Center Outreach Director, described how invaluable the E-Center is to a startup entrepreneur. Rupp said a common question people ask is, “What are important qualities that an entrepreneur should possess?” 
“Focus, strong self-awareness and drive,” Rupp said. “It is important for an entrepreneur to stay focused on a single idea, as well as to know their strengths and weaknesses.”
There are about 100 student startups using the E-Center at any given time. These startups are also typically in different stages. Just as Reed explained the importance of being able to interact with other entrepreneurs, the E-Center encourages students to participate in the vast network, learning useful skills and information from each other.  
Rupp shared how 39 different majors have come through the E-Center. The center is also open to everyone: students, staff and faculty. 
Through the E-Center, Reed received funding without any cost to him or his business. The only requirement is to reach predetermined benchmarks in order to continue receiving his funding.
When asked about his plans for the future, Reed shared he wants to expand Reed’s Lemonade. While he used to want to work in mechanical engineering after his upcoming graduation in May of 2019, he now would like Reed’s Lemonade to be his primary source of income. 

Gallery • 1 Photos

eparker_williereed_20Sept2018.jpg