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It's almost Fair time!
Kolbe Children's Business Fair Chicago, Illinois
Sunday, October 5, 2025
10:00AM - 2:00PM
Applications are closed
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About the fair
Observe the opportunity for children to launch their very own startup business!
Young Entrepreneurs develop a brand, create a product or service, build a marketing strategy, and then open for customers at our one-day marketplace.
We will host 40 booths at our 6th Children's Business Fair in Chicago on Sunday, Oct 6th from 10am-2:00pm
This event is sponsored by The Sanctuary Academy and the generous support of our donors and volunteers. We all believe that principled entrepreneurs are heroes and role models for the next generation.
The Kolbe Children's Business Fair is named after St. Maximillian Kolbe who was a prophetic entrepreneur who started a multitude of initiatives and ventures during his life. He was named "the prophet of the civilization of love" by Pope John Paul II.
The Kolbe Children's Business Fair seeks to encourage prophetic entrepreneurship among young learners through the inspiration of St. Maximillian Kolbe and the important and vital role of faith in business.
Hosted by
Kelly Sullivan
🗓️ Started hosting in 2021
✅ Identity verified
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The Kolbe Children's Business Fair is the first Catholic children's business fair and it seeks to encourage the vital role of faith in business through the inspiration of St. Maximillian Kolbe.
St. Maximillian Kolbe was a prophetic entrepreneur starting a number of initiatives and ventures, and there is a movement to declare him the first patron saint of entrepreneurs.
We are a team of passionate entrepreneurs, artists, teachers, mentors, and parents, who want our children to learn about entrepreneurship in a practical and fun way that acknowledges the importance of worship, divine inspiration, faith and virtue in the entrepreneurial journey.
The Kolbe Children's Business Fair is a work of The Sanctuary Academy - the first Catholic Acton Academy model - founded by Kelly & Michael Sullivan who have seven young entrepreneurs of their own. Their fellow travelers on this quest are Joseph & Jocelyn O'Leary - their founding family - who have six budding entrepreneurs of their own.
St. Maximillian Kolbe was a prophetic entrepreneur starting a number of initiatives and ventures, and there is a movement to declare him the first patron saint of entrepreneurs.
We are a team of passionate entrepreneurs, artists, teachers, mentors, and parents, who want our children to learn about entrepreneurship in a practical and fun way that acknowledges the importance of worship, divine inspiration, faith and virtue in the entrepreneurial journey.
The Kolbe Children's Business Fair is a work of The Sanctuary Academy - the first Catholic Acton Academy model - founded by Kelly & Michael Sullivan who have seven young entrepreneurs of their own. Their fellow travelers on this quest are Joseph & Jocelyn O'Leary - their founding family - who have six budding entrepreneurs of their own.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Kolbe Children’s Business Fair?
The Kolbe Children’s Business Fair inspires children to discover their inner entrepreneur. We are a part of the largest entrepreneurship event for kids in North America, this one-day market gives children the opportunity to showcase their very own businesses. We are also the very first Catholic children's business fair that acknowledges the important role of faith in the entrepreneurial journey.
Does my child have to be Catholic to participate?
No. The Kolbe Children's Business Fair welcomes all applicants.
How many businesses will you accept?
No. The Kolbe Children's Business Fair welcomes all applicants.
How many businesses will you accept?
We will accept up to 60 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.
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/What is provided?
The fair will be an outdoor event with booths. Each business will be given a table and 1-2 chairs. Table cloths will not be provided. We are not able to accommodate businesses requiring electricity. Please bring your own tablecloth/decoration. You are also welcome to bring a tent.
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 (ages 5-15) 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.
