The Atchison Children’s Business Fair inspires children to discover their inner entrepreneur. This one-day market gives children the opportunity to showcase their very own businesses.

We will accept up to 20 businesses this year.

If you haven't decided on your business, need ideas, or aren't sure whether your business idea is profitable, we can help! Just use the Contact form to send us a message, and we'll send you a helpful PDF booklet, including some free ideas, forms for refining your ideas, and other resources.
If you have your business and are ready to begin, go ahead and fill out your application!

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.

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?

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.

The fair will be an indoor event with tables. Each business will be given a 6- to 8-foot table (if less space is needed, two businesses may elect to share a table), chairs for participants (and a chair for parental supervision, as needed), and an ad space on the brochure. Solid-colored, thin plastic tablecloths (such as those sold in party supply stores) will be available at our cost of $1 each, or you may bring your own table covering. There is limited access to electrical outlets for businesses requiring electricity.

Yes; however, we are not able to provide electricity directly to all of the booths, so please request early if your business requires electricity. Requests will be accepted in the order they are received, until all available spots are filled.

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 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 and read through the information, but we encourage and 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, as well as other Children's Business Fairs starting up around the country!