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Due to COVID-19 the details of the fair will remain flexible until our community makes decisions about what will be safe for children and the public this fall. It is our goal to provide at least one (and possibly two) dates and sites for safe face-to-face transactions for our young entrepreneurs. An online sale is also being researched as your safety is a high priority. Thank you for your patience!
3rd Annual - Children's Business Fair in Green Bay, WI
Saturday, October 17, 2020
10:00AM - 2:00PM
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About the fair
This is an opportunity to empower children by encouraging them to launch their very own business!
2020 has been a strange, disconnected year for kids and learning. The Children's Business Fair presents a fun, interactive, and challenging opportunity to keep kids reading, researching, thinking, writing, computing, and creating ALL SUMMER LONG!
Youth are capable of far more than we can imagine. When inspired by stories of successful entrepreneurs, amazed by the power of using mistakes for growth, and engaged through real-world, hands on experiences, our young heroes can discover their passions and opportunities to make the world a better place.
2020 has been a strange, disconnected year for kids and learning. The Children's Business Fair presents a fun, interactive, and challenging opportunity to keep kids reading, researching, thinking, writing, computing, and creating ALL SUMMER LONG!
Youth are capable of far more than we can imagine. When inspired by stories of successful entrepreneurs, amazed by the power of using mistakes for growth, and engaged through real-world, hands on experiences, our young heroes can discover their passions and opportunities to make the world a better place.
Kids will develop a brand, create a product or service, build a marketing strategy, and then open for customers at our one-day marketplace and online venue.
We will host 50 booths at the 3rd annual event in Green Bay, Wisconsin this fall. Last year we were able to secure space during the downtown Green Bay Farmer's Market. The exact date, location, and time of this year's fair will be announced soon. It will likely include an online option for keeping us Safer at Home.
An authentic Pitch Opportunity will be held at the 1Million Cups monthly meeting on Wednesday, August 12th from 9:00 - 10:00 AM at the Urban Hub in downtown Green Bay. Young entrepreneurs will pitch their business ideas to community entrepreneurs at the monthly 1Million Cups meeting. Sign up here today!
An authentic Pitch Opportunity will be held at the 1Million Cups monthly meeting on Wednesday, August 12th from 9:00 - 10:00 AM at the Urban Hub in downtown Green Bay. Young entrepreneurs will pitch their business ideas to community entrepreneurs at the monthly 1Million Cups meeting. Sign up here today!
This event is sponsored by Solid Foundation Learning, Inc., the UWGB Cofrin School of Business, Acton Academy, the Acton School of Business, and the generous support of our donors and volunteers. We all believe that entrepreneurship offers endless learning opportunities and provided role models for the next generation.
Whether an entrepreneur is famous like Elon Musk or Oprah Winfrey or they are one of the thousands of unsung business owners across this country, these are the people who make sacrifices to innovate, create jobs and serve their communities.
Invest in a child in our community today. Join Solid Foundation Learning in Empowering Lives for Success!
Invest in a child in our community today. Join Solid Foundation Learning in Empowering Lives for Success!
Hosted by
Denise McFarlin
🗓️ Started hosting in 2018
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I believe without a doubt that meaningful, active learning experiences can motivate even the seemingly most reluctant learner. Entrepreneurship can be just the spark your child's intelligence, creativity, and imagination need this summer.
Invest in helping a child ... Learn to Love Learning Again!
3 booths participating
Myra Custom Works 3d
Slime by Mataya
And 1 others.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Acton Children’s Business Fair?
The Acton Children’s Business Fair 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?
We will accept up to 50 businesses.
Where should I begin?
Unsure where to start? Our advice is to keep it simple.
- First, think about what you can make with your own hands that others might enjoy.
- Next, picture how you might sell it.
- Finally, imagine the feeling (and responsibility) of having a little extra spending money as a result.
For hands-on help and inspiration, plan to attend our Launch Workshop happening on Saturday, August 1st from 1:00-3:00 PM. This fun workshop will include business advice from local entrepreneurs, stories from prior participants, an opportunity for youth to share their pitch and prototype product, and details about day-of logistics! Register to attend using this google form.
This year we are also holding a Pitch Event on Wednesday, August 12, 2020 at the 1Million Cups monthly meeting held at the Urban Hub on Broadway. Local entrepreneurs will view, comment, question, and provide feedback for our young entrepreneurs. This event will be a great opportunity to test the market before our fair.
Learn more about the 3 Magic Seeds for starting a business and what the mindset of a kid entrepreneur looks like in the TED talk from 11-year-old Gabrielle Jordan Williams.
For more inspiration, check out pictures and stories from our past fairs on our Facebook page.
For more helpful tools, check out the following resource, Steps to Building Your Business.
For more helpful tools, check out the following resource, Steps to Building Your Business.
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.
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?
Two cupcake businesses? Not a problem. 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 a tented outdoor event with booths. Each business will be given a booth with an 8-foot table (to share with one other business), full-cover tenting, and 1-2 chairs. Table cloths will not be provided. We are not able to accommodate businesses requiring electricity.
Will electricity be available?
Unfortunately, we are not able to provide electricity to the booths.
What are the rules?
This event is designed to give children the experience of selling a product or service. If a parent is found selling or promoting a child’s product or service, their child’s business will be disqualified from the competition.
Parents of younger children may sit in the booth, but the children should be responsible for set up, customer interaction, and sales.
Parents may help their child fill out the application, but we expect the children to do as much as possible by themselves.
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.
