Oxford Children's Business Fair
Saturday, July 20, 2024
9:00AM - 2:00PM
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 50 booths at the 1st annual event on July 20, 2024 from 9:00 am – 2:00 pm.
This event will be at the Davis Family Farmer's Market, at Seymour Lake Park, in Oxford and is being coordinated by Lisa Jendza, from Freedom Kitchen Kids, and Sara Wright from F2 Sports.
Sponsors include the 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.
Sponsors include the 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
Lisa Jendza
🗓️ Started hosting in 2024
✅ Identity verified
⭐️ 4.5 (6)
Empowering Future Leaders...
Lisa uses cooking classes and entrepreneurial fairs to empower our youth, with beneficial experiences.
The Freedom Kitchen approach fosters values, such as: Curiosity, Creativity, Courage, and Critical Thinking, as they assess the broader impact of their contributions and choices on their community.
Hosting the Children's Business Fairs at local Farmer's Markets serves a greater purpose to connect our kids to their community with a focus on local, in-season food.
Get involved! Visit the market. Take a cooking class. Reach out for more information.
Blending her 25 years as an IT Consultant with her 16 years as a Functional Nutrition Coach, her programs teach kids essential leadership principles through hands-on experiences.
Lisa uses cooking classes and entrepreneurial fairs to empower our youth, with beneficial experiences.
The Freedom Kitchen approach fosters values, such as: Curiosity, Creativity, Courage, and Critical Thinking, as they assess the broader impact of their contributions and choices on their community.
Hosting the Children's Business Fairs at local Farmer's Markets serves a greater purpose to connect our kids to their community with a focus on local, in-season food.
Get involved! Visit the market. Take a cooking class. Reach out for more information.
Blending her 25 years as an IT Consultant with her 16 years as a Functional Nutrition Coach, her programs teach kids essential leadership principles through hands-on experiences.
30 booths participating
Natalie Joy Watercolor
Beautiful Arts and The Fresh Stand
And 28 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.
How many businesses will you accept?
We will accept up to 50 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:
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 a tented outdoor event with booths. Each business will be provided 8' of space. At this time plan to bring a table and we will let you know if we end up securing tables in advance. 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.
