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Please stay tuned for the announcement of our next fair this spring at Westminster Woods.
Acton Children's Business Fair Jacksonville, FL
Monday, January 28, 2019
12:00AM - 12:00AM
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About the fair
This one-day Business Fair is a culmination of ideas and hard work from great young minds. Kids develop a brand, create a product or service, build a marketing strategy, and then open for customers at our one-day marketplace. Experience young minds marketing, selling, counting money and feeling accomplished!
What is the process?
Young entrepreneurs first make an important decision: they hire themselves! They’ll apply through the business fair website, and begin to launch their product or service. The children plan their business at every level: product, service, marketing, accounting, cost of goods, pricing, profit, etc. Through this process, children learn a sense of wonder, the importance of hard work, taking responsibility, and gaining confidence in the next challenge.
General Information
Applicants must be between the ages of 6 – 17 on or before the DATE OF THE EVENT.
Each business must bring their own table and chairs. Tents are permitted but not provided. Extra chairs, tables, signage, are permitted, however we ask that you please be considerate of your space and do not impose on your neighbor.
No more than 4 participants per booth/business.
Vendor entry fee for each child is $20 per participant which will be paid at the time of registration. This is to reserve the entrepreneur’s spot at the fair and hold them accountable to attend, as spots are limited. Please note that you may help your child fill out the application, depending on their age, please promote that they complete as much as possible on their own.
We will attempt to limit the number of businesses in specific categories, so that you will have the most profitable experience possible. This will be determined on a first come, first serve basis.
All entries will be automatically entered in the business competitions:
Booths will be voted on by fellow entrepreneurs and attendees in 4 contests:
Most Original Business Idea, Highest Business Potential, Most Creative Presentation and Children's Choice. Booths will also be judged by the “Judges Panel” together with the children for First, Second and Third Place overall awards within each the FIVE age categories: Ages 6-7, 8-10, 11-12, 13-14 and 15-17. Awards will be presented at the end of the fair.
Electricity is extremely limited. If power is necessary, please request in advance and we will make an attempt to locate a source. First come first serve. No generators are permitted. No animals are permitted. No open flames are permitted.
Parents of younger children may sit in their booth, but the children are to be responsible for the setup, sales and interacting with the customers.
This event is designed to give children a taste of selling a product. Please let them have that experience.
Any parent seen selling to the customer or promoting the child’s product will result in disqualification from the competition.
Setup & Teardown
Set up will begin at 12 PM and must be complete by 12:30 PM. NO vendor will be permitted to participate if they show up after 12:30 PM (being on time is part of good business). Please be considerate of the other vendors as well when you are dropping off/loading in.
Do not begin to teardown your booth until 4:00 PM. The fair is open to the public and will run until 4:00 PM.
Awards will begin around 3:45 PM and teardown can begin at the end of the awards presentation.
Please be sure to clean up all of your items, trash, and leave the space as it was when you arrived.
“Parent Partner”
We believe in partnering with parents, however, parents may unintentionally tend to make children’s events stressful. What is needed from parents are clear boundaries and backstage organization. Then, let the children flourish. Remember its all about their opportunity.
Parents may tend to get ahead of their children in passion. There is great value in your child not getting everything done in time. This will help them learn. Make sure they create a product or service they are excited about. Remember the parental adage that “there is blessing in a skinned knee.”
Though there are awards, remember that the goal of this event is to encourage and empower their desire to be creative, establish good work ethic, learn and grow from the experience.
Do not do the work for the children. If the product or service looks messy, that is ok; in fact, that is great! Encourage your children to make a valuable product or service, but never take the role of manager or owner. Your child is the Chairman, CEO, and owner. Let your child be those things!
Be the Cheerleader
Wonder: There are so many opportunities. Allow your child the gift of wonder. Ask open-ended questions.
Industriousness: Allow your child the gift of seeing the fruit of hard work.
Responsibility: Treat your child as the sole owner. Let the child make the plans and the decisions as much as possible.
Encouragement: Provide encouraging communication.
Enthusiasm: Provide passion for the Children’s Business Fair.
What is the process?
Young entrepreneurs first make an important decision: they hire themselves! They’ll apply through the business fair website, and begin to launch their product or service. The children plan their business at every level: product, service, marketing, accounting, cost of goods, pricing, profit, etc. Through this process, children learn a sense of wonder, the importance of hard work, taking responsibility, and gaining confidence in the next challenge.
General Information
Applicants must be between the ages of 6 – 17 on or before the DATE OF THE EVENT.
Each business must bring their own table and chairs. Tents are permitted but not provided. Extra chairs, tables, signage, are permitted, however we ask that you please be considerate of your space and do not impose on your neighbor.
No more than 4 participants per booth/business.
Vendor entry fee for each child is $20 per participant which will be paid at the time of registration. This is to reserve the entrepreneur’s spot at the fair and hold them accountable to attend, as spots are limited. Please note that you may help your child fill out the application, depending on their age, please promote that they complete as much as possible on their own.
We will attempt to limit the number of businesses in specific categories, so that you will have the most profitable experience possible. This will be determined on a first come, first serve basis.
All entries will be automatically entered in the business competitions:
Booths will be voted on by fellow entrepreneurs and attendees in 4 contests:
Most Original Business Idea, Highest Business Potential, Most Creative Presentation and Children's Choice. Booths will also be judged by the “Judges Panel” together with the children for First, Second and Third Place overall awards within each the FIVE age categories: Ages 6-7, 8-10, 11-12, 13-14 and 15-17. Awards will be presented at the end of the fair.
Electricity is extremely limited. If power is necessary, please request in advance and we will make an attempt to locate a source. First come first serve. No generators are permitted. No animals are permitted. No open flames are permitted.
Parents of younger children may sit in their booth, but the children are to be responsible for the setup, sales and interacting with the customers.
This event is designed to give children a taste of selling a product. Please let them have that experience.
Any parent seen selling to the customer or promoting the child’s product will result in disqualification from the competition.
Setup & Teardown
Set up will begin at 12 PM and must be complete by 12:30 PM. NO vendor will be permitted to participate if they show up after 12:30 PM (being on time is part of good business). Please be considerate of the other vendors as well when you are dropping off/loading in.
Do not begin to teardown your booth until 4:00 PM. The fair is open to the public and will run until 4:00 PM.
Awards will begin around 3:45 PM and teardown can begin at the end of the awards presentation.
Please be sure to clean up all of your items, trash, and leave the space as it was when you arrived.
“Parent Partner”
We believe in partnering with parents, however, parents may unintentionally tend to make children’s events stressful. What is needed from parents are clear boundaries and backstage organization. Then, let the children flourish. Remember its all about their opportunity.
Parents may tend to get ahead of their children in passion. There is great value in your child not getting everything done in time. This will help them learn. Make sure they create a product or service they are excited about. Remember the parental adage that “there is blessing in a skinned knee.”
Though there are awards, remember that the goal of this event is to encourage and empower their desire to be creative, establish good work ethic, learn and grow from the experience.
Do not do the work for the children. If the product or service looks messy, that is ok; in fact, that is great! Encourage your children to make a valuable product or service, but never take the role of manager or owner. Your child is the Chairman, CEO, and owner. Let your child be those things!
Be the Cheerleader
Wonder: There are so many opportunities. Allow your child the gift of wonder. Ask open-ended questions.
Industriousness: Allow your child the gift of seeing the fruit of hard work.
Responsibility: Treat your child as the sole owner. Let the child make the plans and the decisions as much as possible.
Encouragement: Provide encouraging communication.
Enthusiasm: Provide passion for the Children’s Business Fair.
Hosted by
Mary Shaeffer
🗓️ Started hosting in 2017
✅ Identity verified
⭐️ 5.0 (3)
We are a team of passionate entrepreneurs, teachers, mentors, and parents, who want our children to learn about entrepreneurship in a relevant and meaningful way.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Acton Children’s Business Fair?
The Acton Children’s Business Fair inspires ch ildren 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:
- 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 outdoor event. Each business be responsible for providing a 6-foot table , full-cover tenting (optional), 1-2 chairs and table decorations or signage.
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.
