Acton Children's Business Fair San Diego, CA event image
📣 We are now accepting application's for August 2019 fair

Acton Children's Business Fair San Diego, CA

Saturday, July 7, 2018

12:00AM - 12:00AM

675 Convention way , behind the convention center

This fair has ended

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About the fair
This event is a great  opportunity for children to launch their very own startup business!

Kids ages 5-17 would be able to develop, create a product or service, build a marketing strategy and then open for customers at our one-day marketplace. 

Location: South embarcadero 575 Convention way  San Diego Ca 92101 on August 2019.

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.
Hosted by

Yolanda Siordia

🗓️ Started hosting in 2018

🚀 Has hosted 3 fairs

We are a team of passionate entrepreneurs, teachers, mentors, parents and community leaders; who want our children to learn about entrepreneurship in a practical and fun way.

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 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.

Is there a cost to participate?
Yes there is a $10.00 fee for each booth and $7.00 for each other participant. Up to 3 participant's for each booth.   

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 an out outdoor event with booths. Each business will be provided a space and a 6-foot table and up to 3 chairs. Tent, and  tablecloths are not provided, but extremely recommended. If your businesses requiring electricity please let us know in advance to accommodate  your booth.

What are the rules? 
This event is designed to give children the experience of selling a product or service.

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.