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.
Who do I contact with questions?

You may contact Amy Wollenweber on Facebook or via e-mail (2wollenwebers@gmail.com) with any questions.

Troy Park has almost unlimited capacity, but based on the previous years, I expect to have about 20-25 kids participate.

Application must be submitted online. Please submit one application for each business. Children working as a group (up to 3) should submit one application that includes each child’s information.

The application asks kids to think through some 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?

* The above questions are helpful, but not required to submit an application. I know it's very likely that ideas will change between now and November.
How do I pay the booth fee?

The cost for each business is $15. This includes a portion of one booth and the table/chair rental with the park district. (Please bring chairs for adults or additional children, so we can avoid those rental fees.)
You can submit payment via Paypal (2wollenwebers@gmail.com) or Venmo (@awollenweber, last 4 digits 8906).

Two homemade art businesses? Not a problem. In general, each person's product will be unique. However, we will let the 2nd applicant know if another person is selling something similar.

The Troy Craft does include an indoor portion, but Kid's Fest will be outdoors in the adjacent soccer field (not under a canopy). Each business will receive a 6-foot table and 1 chair. You are encouraged to bring shelving, signage, tablecloths, etc. to decorate your booth.
Tables will be laid out in a |__| format, so 2 or 3 businesses can share a 10x10 booth space (although they are usually generous with the space they allot to us). I take the total cost of the booth ($20/space, $5/table, and $2/chair) and divide that up per business.
*Each business spot will come with 1 table and 1 plastic chair. You will want to bring an extra chair for adults or additional children.

Unfortunately, we are not able to provide electricity to the booths, due to the event being outdoors.
Can I sell food?

Let me know if you have an idea and exactly what you'd like to sell; I will ask the Troy Park Director. In the past, the Park has allowed the sale of goods like honey and eggs, but not baked goods. Besides sanitary concerns, they also have a snack booth in the skating rink and don't want products that compete with their sales.

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.

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.