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Get ready for the first Southport-Oak Island Youth Business Fair - November 19th 2022
Acton Children's Business Fair Southport, NC
Saturday, November 19, 2022
10:00AM - 1:00PM
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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.
The Southport-Oak Island Area Chamber of Commerce will host the 1st Southport-Oak Island Youth Business Fair on Saturday, November 19th from 10am -1:00pm in the Brunswick Community College Southport Center at 701 N. Lord Street.
This event is sponsored by Acton Academy, the Acton School of Business, Southport-Oak Island Area Chamber of Commerce, Novant Health 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
Karen Sphar
🗓️ Started hosting in 2019
🚀 Has hosted 2 fairs
The Southport-Oak Island Area Youth Business Fair is a Committee of the Southport-Oak Island Area Chamber of Commerce. Our Committee is a team of passionate entrepreneurs, teachers, mentors, and parents, who want our children to learn about entrepreneurship in a practical and fun way.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Youth Business Fair?
The Southport-Oak Island Youth Business Fair inspires children to discover their inner entrepreneur. The Southport-Oak Island Area Chamber of Commerce has partnered with Acton Academy, the Acton School of Business, who organizes 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 25 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 or paper registration. 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 indoor tabletop event. Each business will be given an 8-foot table and 1-2 chairs. Table cloths will not be provided. We have limited access to electricity.
Will electricity be available?
We will have limited access to electricity. Make sure to indicate if you need access to electricity on your application.
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.
How did the Southport-Oak Island Youth Business Fair get started?
Southport-Oak Island Area Youth Business Fair is one of three youth driven expos/fair in Brunswick County. The Southport-Oak Island Area Chamber of Commerce organizes the November Youth Business Fair in Southport. Additional fairs are held by the North Brunswick Chamber of Commerce in Leland and Brunswick County Chamber in Shallotte.
The introduction of this new event was brought to Brunswick County to provide a forum for the next
generation of entrepreneurs to showcase their passions and talents.
How did the Southport-Oak Island Youth Business Fair get started?
Southport-Oak Island Area Youth Business Fair is one of three youth driven expos/fair in Brunswick County. The Southport-Oak Island Area Chamber of Commerce organizes the November Youth Business Fair in Southport. Additional fairs are held by the North Brunswick Chamber of Commerce in Leland and Brunswick County Chamber in Shallotte.
The introduction of this new event was brought to Brunswick County to provide a forum for the next
generation of entrepreneurs to showcase their passions and talents.
