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.
The Katy Children's Business Fair inspires children to discover their inner entrepreneur. The largest entrepreneurship event for children in North America, this morning-long fair gives children the opportunity to showcase their very own businesses. This will be our first year of having the Katy Children's Business Fair .
The Katy Children's Business Fair will be held on November 10, 2018 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. This year we are accepting up to 40 booths. Children ages 6 to 17 are invited to create a product or service and sell to customers at our morning-long market. Prizes will be given for the best businesses by age and category.
This year’s fair is being presented by KEMET, Inc ,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.
This is an incredible opportunity for children in the Houston area. Past businesses have included handmade greeting cards, a pet-sitting service for exotic birds, a photobomb booth, and a lemonade stand that donated a percentage of profits to protect honeybees. The possibilities are limited only to what children can create!
Originally started in Austin, Texas, the Acton Children's Business Fair has grown to cities including Chicago, Phoenix, Grand Rapids, Dallas, and Los Angeles. This is a welcomed experience for our children.
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.
Hosted by
Mariam Harley
🗓️ Started hosting in 2018
✅ Identity verified
🚀
Has hosted
2 fairs
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. To stay up to date on our event Like us on Facebook !
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 40 businesses.
Is there a fee to participate?
Each participant is required to pay a one time fee of $25. Each participant is required to pay their fee once they receive their acceptance letter. Each participant will receive a Katy Children's Business Fair T-shirt and will receive an option of placing an ad in our digital souvenir book.Once you have received your acceptance letter, you can pay your $25 fee by clicking here
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 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.
Our incredible sponsors
Become a Sponsor
The Katy Children's Business Fair is a project of KEMET,INC . We invite you to celebrate the power of entrepreneurship with the following sponsorship levels. Your sponsorship underwrites the fair, provides resources for young entrepreneurs, and benefits your business through our marketing to parents and the larger entrepreneurship community in the North Houston area.
Please contact us if you are interested in becoming a sponsor !
Benefactor — $ 5,000
Benefits include logo or name on our website, top sponsorship recognition in our marketing, early admissions to the fair, full page ad in souvenir book, write up on your commitment to community service and 5 Katy Children’s Business Fair t-shirts.
Venture Capitalist — $2,000
Benefits include logo or name on our website, recognition in our marketing, early admissions to the fair, 1 full page ad in our souvenir book and 4 Katy Children’s Business Fair t-shirts.
Angel — $1,500
Benefits include logo or name on our website, recognition in our marketing materials with your logo on our T-shirts , early admission to the fair, a half page ad in our souvenir book and 3 Katy Children’s Business Fair t-shirts.
Friend — $1,000
Benefits include logo or name on our website, recognition in our marketing materials, early admission to the fair, and 2 Katy Children’s Business Fair t-shirts.
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Participating booths
Contact us
Have a question for us? Contact us below and we will be in touch as soon as possible with
a reply. Thanks for your interest!
The Acton Children's Business Fair does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin and admits and gives all hosts and participants access to the same rights, privileges, programs and activities.
