Bizness Now! Children's Business Fair  event image

Bizness Now! Children's Business Fair

Saturday, December 2, 2023

12:00PM - 3:00PM

Boys & Girls Clubs of Manatee County

5236 30th St W, Bradenton, FL 34207, USA

This fair has ended

Find another fair
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 30+ booths at the 4th quarterly event of 2023. at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Manatee County -
5236 30th St W, Bradenton, FL 34207. The event date was changed to Saturday, December 2, 2023, vendors sell from 12:00pm – 3:00pm.

Registration fee $10. Please wait for a confirmation email prior to making payment.

This event is hosted by Bizness Now!, Boys &Girls Club of Manatee County, Acton 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.

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

JoOni Jones

🗓️ Started hosting in 2022

Identity verified

🚀 Has hosted 8 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.

35 booths participating

Beautifully & Wonderfully Made Boutique

God’s Little Children

And 33 others.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Acton Children’s Business Fair?

The Bizness Now! 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 35 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 location allows us to hold the fair outdoors under a covered porch or indoors inside a spacious gymnasium, depending on the weather. Each business will be required to bring a 6-foot table, 1-2 chairs and will be given a 10x10 booth space. If you will need to rent a table and chairs there will be a small fee. 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

Children's Business Fair

Acton Academy

Next Great Adventure

Bizness Now!

Boys & Girls & Boys CLUB Club