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5th Annual Children's Business Fair - Stoughton, WI
Saturday, November 12, 2022
10:00AM - 1:00PM
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About the fair
Observe the opportunity for children to launch their very own startup business!
Kids 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 up to 50 booths at the 5th annual event. Event will take place at River Bluff Middle School located at 235 N Forrest St, Stoughton, WI. Event will be held on November 12, 2022 from 10:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. Applicants must be between the ages of 6 - 14 on or before the APPLICATION OPEN date.
This event is sponsored by Acton Academy, the Acton School of Business, and the generous support of our donors and volunteers. We all believe that principled entrepreneurs are heroes and 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.
To see a list of the exhibiting businesses, visit here!
To see a list of the exhibiting businesses, visit here!
Hosted by
Katrina Becker
🗓️ Started hosting in 2017
✅ Identity verified
⭐️ 4.8 (5)
We are a team of passionate entrepreneurs, teachers, mentors, and parents, who want our children to learn about entrepreneurship in a practical and fun way. We are fortunate to have professional trainers/teachers volunteer their expertise.
The history of Children's Business Fair in Stoughton
Eileen Stevens is the founder of Stoughton’s Children’s Business Fair. Finding a niche opportunity that offers youth from ages 6-14 years of age to use their hobbies to create a business, she talked with Mike Daniels, who at the time was an independent business owner and he encouraged Eileen to run with the idea and he’d go along for the ride.
The history of Children's Business Fair in Stoughton
Eileen Stevens is the founder of Stoughton’s Children’s Business Fair. Finding a niche opportunity that offers youth from ages 6-14 years of age to use their hobbies to create a business, she talked with Mike Daniels, who at the time was an independent business owner and he encouraged Eileen to run with the idea and he’d go along for the ride.
Ms. Stevens took a leap of faith and contacted David Locke who at the time was the Chairman and CEO of McFarland State Bank. Mr. Locke endorsed the idea and offered to be a major sponsor of this annual event. Eileen wanted this to be a full circle of value and not just kids selling ‘stuff’. So next contacted an expert in youth entrepreneurship. Julie Ann Woods, author of “More Than A Lemonade Stand” was excited to be part of it and created an educational workshop and volunteer her time a couple hours each year to help kids learn more about how to be an effective independent business. For the financial aspect Alex Spoerle, now with McFarland Investment Center took the reins for not only the financial education part; but to lead the judging of the booths. This helps the kids in various ways; but especially not to ‘quit’ your cupcake business because there are four others. It teaches them to find a way to stand out from the rest; what makes this booth different from the other cupcake booths.
Next step was reaching out to Stoughton High School Business/Marketing teacher and DECA advisor Maggie Heck. Since the Children’s Business Fair is a natural ‘feeder-group’ to the high school business and marketing courses it only made sense to get the high school students involved. Besides the opportunity to take what they learn and engage with the younger kids ‘running their business’; the high school students were tasked with judging the various vendor tables; look at the product/marketing and give the younger kids positive feedback for improvement. The judging by the high school kids determines prizes in the various age groups. All kids get a certificate; but then cash prizes are given to the top vendors. This does not mean they had a state-of-art product; it could be their amazing attention to detail; or the marketing of their product. What is important is it is the kids presenting; not their parents talking for them. Circling back; these 6–14-year-old kids are making a connection with the high school business/marketing kids; so when these kids turn 15 they will be entering their high school years and will feel comfortable selecting the business/marketing classes which as our future leaders . . .a great connection.
This event has grown and the team is extremely grateful that the Stoughton Chamber of Commerce has recognized the success and value of this program to take it under their umbrella of programs.
29 booths participating
Aurora’s Funky Monkey lip Balms and Fabulous Fragrances
Happy Jewelry by Ryne
And 27 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?
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?
The fair will be held indoors at River Bluff Middle School. Vendors can pull up to unload near the front of the building between 8:30-9:00 but building cannot be entered until 9:00 a.m. Each vendor will have a six foot table provided and and 1-2 chairs. Vendor must provide their own table coverings. PLEASE NOTE: 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.
