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.

We will accept up to 30 businesses from children age 6 - 17.

Start with our resources page. Read inspiring stories about other young entrepreneurs and play games to hone your business skills.

The applications 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.
Once the application is complete the payment fee of $30 can be paid via Paypal at paypal.me/whitemediac (https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/whitemediac). You can also pay via Zelle swhitejournalist@gmail.com. Please add $15 for those that need to rent a table/chair.
A small number of scholarships will be awarded to children that can't otherwise afford to pay the fee. Please send us a message if you need a scholarship....and if you will need a table/chair as well.

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?

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.

The fair will be a covered outdoor event. Each business will be given a 10x10 space. Tables, table cloths, or chairs will not be provided.

We are able to accommodate a small number of businesses requiring electricity.

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.

Use ourPayPal link here (https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=NPLR73CNGE438) to make a donation.
Interested in volunteering?
You can contact the coordinator at swhitejournalist@gmail.com
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.