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Thank you for the robust response! The 2023 Fair Applications are officially closed. We are not accepting any waitlist applications either.
Loudoun Children's Business Fair
Saturday, September 16, 2023
10:00AM - 12:00PM
This fair has ended
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About the fair
What better way to build confidence and self-esteem in children than to nurture their entrepreneurial spirit and help them create a business.
By taking part in the Children's Business Fair, kids will develop a brand, create a product or service, build a marketing strategy, and then open for customers at our one-day marketplace.
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.
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.
Registration:
Registration will open up on April 18th, and close once a substantial number of applications are received. So please submit your application early to book space and showcase your children-run business at this annual event in Loudoun County.
Registration Fee: $20 per business
Set Up:
The fair will be an indoor event, hosted at the Claude Moore Recreation Center in Sterling, VA. Each business will be assigned half of a 6-ft table and 1 chair to setup their displays.
Eligibility:
- All kids, ages 6-14, can setup a booth at the business fair.
- No more than 3 participants for a business.
For more information, please visit us at:
LCBF Loudoun Children Business Fair (loudouncbf.org)
Hosted by
Shirali Patel
🗓️ Started hosting in 2022
✅ Identity verified
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The Loudoun Children's Business Fair is a non-profit organization owned and operated by a volunteer team of passionate entrepreneurs, teachers, mentors, and parents. Our goal is to provide a marketplace platform for our community children where they can learn about entrepreneurship in a practical and fun way.
For more information, please visit us at:
LCBF Loudoun Children Business Fair (loudouncbf.org)
For more information, please visit us at:
LCBF Loudoun Children Business Fair (loudouncbf.org)
118 booths participating
Monsy’s Creations
S.A.Y
And 116 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.
Where should I begin?
Where should I begin?
Start with our resources page. Read inspiring stories about other young entrepreneurs and play games to hone your business skills.
Who is eligible to participate?
All kids, ages 6-14, can setup a booth at the business fair.
How can children run and own businesses? Is it legal?
In Virginia, under Code of Virginia § 40.1-79.01, children of any age, are allowed to “work for a business owned entirely by their parents" as long as it is not in mining, manufacturing, or other hazardous occupations. Their "children-run business" can be considered under their parent's sole-proprietorship or a branch of their parent's business.
How do I apply? Can I apply as part of a group?
Application must be submitted online by May 15th, 2023. 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 are the application guidelines?
- 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.
- Applicants must be between the ages of 6 and 14 on the date of the business fair.
- Parents may help their child fill out the application, but we expect the children to do as much as possible by themselves.
- You will receive an email confirming that we received your application. If you don’t receive an email confirmation it means that we either didn’t receive your application or that your email address was incorrect.
- We will collect a $20 registration fee from all accepted businesses. This fee covers the facility rental and provides a table and 2 chairs for each business booth.
What are the selection criteria?
When selecting businesses to participate in the business fair, we look for:
- Complete applications, with all questions answered.
- Evidence that the application and the business are the work of the child and not the adult—we don’t expect polished applications!
- Plans by the young entrepreneur to pay back any loans/financial assistance he/she may receive.
- If we receive more applications than we have space for, we will employ first come first basis, as much as possible, but also strive to maintain diversity in age, gender, and race at the fair.
- Children that participated at previous fairs will be prioritized.
What if someone else has the same business idea?
Two cupcake businesses? Not a problem. In general, we will let market forces play out, and encourage children to think of unique ways to appeal to the customers.
How will the fair be set up?
The fair will be an indoor event, hosted at the Claude Moore Recreation Center in Sterling, VA. Each business will be assigned "booth" space which include half of a 6-ft table and 1 chair. Businesses need to bring their own decorations for their tables.
Will electricity be available?
Unfortunately, we are not able to provide electricity to the booths.
Are there permits required to sell food?
The Loudoun Children's Business Fair will apply for a Temporary Food Vendor Application and receive a blanket permit from the Virginia Department of Health.
We urge all children planning to setup a Food business, to submit for their own Temporary Food Vendor as well.
Event-Coordinator-Registration-and-Information-Packet (loudoun.gov)
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.
