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* 8/19 Update - The deadline for the first round of applications was Aug 7, 2024. We are heavily oversubscribed from the first round. Selected applicants have been already notified by email. Due to the volume of applications received, we regret that we unfortunately cannot respond to all applications received *
2024 Santa Clara Children's Business Fair
Saturday, October 19, 2024
11:00AM - 2:00PM
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About the fair
* 8/19 Update - The deadline for the first round of applications was Aug 7, 2024. We are heavily oversubscribed from the first round. Selected applicants have been already notified by email. Due to the volume of applications received, we regret that we unfortunately cannot respond to all applications received *
We will host our 6th annual event at the beautiful Live Oak Park in Rivermark at Santa Clara, CA on Saturday, Oct 19, 2024
This is a special opportunity for kids to be an entrepreneur for a day! Kids can create a product/brand, design the marketing and pricing strategy, and open for business at our one-day marketplace.
Check out http://kidzrule.co for video summaries of past events. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram
A few notes regarding applications:
1) We will continue to accept more applications from Aug 20 for our waitlist, but any availability will be contingent on spots opening up.
We will host our 6th annual event at the beautiful Live Oak Park in Rivermark at Santa Clara, CA on Saturday, Oct 19, 2024
This is a special opportunity for kids to be an entrepreneur for a day! Kids can create a product/brand, design the marketing and pricing strategy, and open for business at our one-day marketplace.
Check out http://kidzrule.co for video summaries of past events. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram
A few notes regarding applications:
1) We will continue to accept more applications from Aug 20 for our waitlist, but any availability will be contingent on spots opening up.
2) We will accept businesses that sell products, as well as businesses that sell experiences (ex: carnival style games)
3) We will limit the number of entrants in the same type of product. To improve your chances of being accepted, get creative and try to come up with something unique and different! For example, we usually get a lot of applications for jewelry, soaps, slime, candles, etc and we can only select a small number of those.
4) Unfortunately, no homemade food or drinks can be accepted due to City of Santa Clara regulations. So no lemonade stands, cookie stands, and those sorts of things. However, if you have a cottage food operations permit (https://cpd.sccgov.org/programs-and-services/cottage-food-operations-cfo) or a temporary food permit (https://cpd.sccgov.org/programs-and-services/temporary-events) you may be able to sell what you make under that permit. Reach out to us with the permit details to confirm if it would work.
5) All products and services must be made/delivered by kids. You cannot resell items bought from stores.
6) Last-minute changes to business plans will not be accepted. If your product does not match your submitted business plan you will not be allowed to sell on the day of the fair.
7) Accepted applicants need to pay a non-refundable $50 participation fee to confirm their booth
8) All accepted applicants will be invited to upload a flyer. You should use these to promote your booth to as many friends and family as possible. We will also be giving prizes for the best promotional materials; more details on this later.
9) There will be an orientation session a few weeks before the event to share more guidelines and details
10) The organizers reserve the right to cancel the fair at any moment due to any unforeseen circumstances including COVID, weather, etc.
11) Due to the volume of inquiries received, we unfortunately are not able to respond to individual queries.
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
3) We will limit the number of entrants in the same type of product. To improve your chances of being accepted, get creative and try to come up with something unique and different! For example, we usually get a lot of applications for jewelry, soaps, slime, candles, etc and we can only select a small number of those.
4) Unfortunately, no homemade food or drinks can be accepted due to City of Santa Clara regulations. So no lemonade stands, cookie stands, and those sorts of things. However, if you have a cottage food operations permit (https://cpd.sccgov.org/programs-and-services/cottage-food-operations-cfo) or a temporary food permit (https://cpd.sccgov.org/programs-and-services/temporary-events) you may be able to sell what you make under that permit. Reach out to us with the permit details to confirm if it would work.
5) All products and services must be made/delivered by kids. You cannot resell items bought from stores.
6) Last-minute changes to business plans will not be accepted. If your product does not match your submitted business plan you will not be allowed to sell on the day of the fair.
7) Accepted applicants need to pay a non-refundable $50 participation fee to confirm their booth
8) All accepted applicants will be invited to upload a flyer. You should use these to promote your booth to as many friends and family as possible. We will also be giving prizes for the best promotional materials; more details on this later.
9) There will be an orientation session a few weeks before the event to share more guidelines and details
10) The organizers reserve the right to cancel the fair at any moment due to any unforeseen circumstances including COVID, weather, etc.
11) Due to the volume of inquiries received, we unfortunately are not able to respond to individual queries.
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
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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 70 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?
How will the fair be set up?
The fair will be a tented outdoor event with booths. Each business will be given a booth with an 6-foot table , full-cover tenting, and 2 chairs. Table cloths will not be provided. We are not able to accommodate businesses requiring electricity, nor can you bring any generators of your own (due to santa clara parks regulations)
Will electricity be available?
Unfortunately, we are not able to provide electricity to the booths nor can you bring any generators of your own (due to santa clara parks regulations)
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.
