Acton Children's Business Fair Houston, TX event image

Acton Children's Business Fair Houston, TX

Saturday, May 4, 2019

4:00PM - 6:00PM

4820 Strack Rd,

This fair has ended

Find another fair
About the fair
Welcome to the 6th Acton Academy Houston Children's Business 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. 

On May 4th, we will host 50 booths at the 6th event at our new school location, 4820 Strack Rd, Houston, TX, 77069. The business fair will run from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm. Set-up may begin at 3:00.

The cost to enter the Children's Business Fair is $5 for ages 5-11 and $10 for ages 12-18. A booth with multiple children running the same business (maximum 3 children) will cost $10. Booth fees are waived if participant(s) can prove that they marketed the fair (eg. on social media, radio announcements, etc.)

You must provide your own table, chair and tent (if desired). Your entire set-up must fit within a 12 ft x 12 ft space. Most businesses use a standard folding table (72"x30"). Sorry, but no electricity will be provided. In the event of rain, we will host the fair indoors. In that case, your space may be contained to a 72" x 30" table. Please plan accordingly.

This event is sponsored by Acton Academy Houston, 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.
Hosted by

Jonita Colling-Holland

🗓️ Started hosting in 2018

🚀 Has hosted 4 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.

78 booths participating

Tornado

Sweet Art

And 76 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. To access this page, visit the Children's Business Fair main page.

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?  

We will accept 2 businesses per category (eg. 2 baking, 2 pet supplies, etc.). These are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.

How will the fair be set up?

The fair will be an indoor event with booths. Each business is responsible for providing their own table and chairs. The set-up must fit within a 10x10 space. Sorry, but we are not able to accommodate businesses requiring electricity.

Will electricity be available?

Unfortunately, we are not able to provide electricity to the booths.

On the day of the CBF, what time may I set-up?

Set-up begins at 5:00 PM.

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

Sponsored by Acton Academy Houston