What is the Acton Children’s Business Fair?
Acton Children’s Business Fairs inspires children to discover their inner entrepreneur. The largest entrepreneurship event for kids in North America, this one-day market gives children the opportunity to showcase their very own businesses.
How many businesses will you accept?
Based on venue size, we estimate welcoming 4-6 businesses.
Where should I begin?
Start with our resources page. Read inspiring stories about other young entrepreneurs and play games to hone your business skills.
How do I apply? Can I apply as part of a group?
Application must be submitted online. Please submit one application for each business. Children working as a group should submit one application that includes each child’s information. No more than 3 participants per business. Booths operating with direct support from parents will not be eligible for prizes.
How much is the booth fee?
A very modest booth fee will be set to help the organizers cover operational costs. Full disclosure of accounting will be available -- we are doing this so that kids grow businesses, and expressly not to make money. Accepting booth fees via PayPal after submitting your application.
What is on the application?
The application asks kids to think through some simple, but important elements of their business:
- What product or service do you plan to sell?
- What price will you charge for each product/service?
- How much will each product/service cost you?
- How will you pay for your startup costs? If someone is helping you with your startup costs, how will you pay that person back?
- How will you advertise/market your business before the fair?
- At the end of the fair, how will you determine if your business was a success?
What if someone else has the same business idea?
Because the fair is small, we want to avoid having two competing businesses. In general, we will let market forces play out, though we will let later entries know if another applicant has a similar idea so the later entrant can decide what to do.
How will the fair be set up?
The fair will be an outdoor event with booths. We are working to acquire banquet tables for use, and pop up tents for borrowing, but if applicants can provide their own, you'll be glad you did (reduces stress and uncertainty). Table cloths will not be provided.
Will electricity be available?
Unfortunately, we are not able to provide electricity to the booths, as we cannot provide it to all participants uniformly.
What are the rules?
This event is designed to give children the experience of selling a product or service. Parent/Guardian presence/participation in vendor booths contradicts the spirit and intent of the fair. *I will not tell you how to parent*, but I am sure that the kids will get the most out of the experience if parents can manage to avoid being directly involved in sales operations. This will be our second fair -- it is designed to be a children's event.
How did the Acton Children’s Business Fair get started?
Jeff and Laura Sandefer and a few other families wanted to spark a sense of wonder and entrepreneurship in their children so they created the first Acton Children’s Business Fair in Austin, Texas, in 2007. That year, there were seven entrepreneurs and around 25 attendees. Now, there are over 115 entrepreneurs and 1,500 attendees at the Acton Children's Business Fair in Austin.
