The Young Entrepreneurs’ Christmas Market inspires children to discover their inner entrepreneur. Tipped to be the largest entrepreneurship event for kids in Accra, Ghana, this one-day market gives children the opportunity to showcase their very own businesses.

Young Entrepreneurs’ Christmas Market is sponsored by Acton Children’s Business Fair, Texas, and made possible by Acton Academy Schools, the Acton Next Great Adventure Program, Accra Parent and Cheeky Monkey Club.

Start with our resources page. Read inspiring stories about other young

entrepreneurs and play games to hone your business skills.

Applications must be submitted online. Please submit one application per business. Children working as a group should submit one application that includes each child’s information. A maximum of three participants per business is allowed.

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 or market your business before the fair?
At the end of the fair, how will you determine if your business was a success?

Each business must focus on one main product or service category. For example, a baking business cannot also sell artwork or jewelry. This ensures fairness to other vendors and allows every participant to stay focused on building one clear business concept.

Two cupcake businesses? Not a problem. In general, we will let market forces play out, though we’ll inform later entrants if a similar business has already applied so they can decide whether to adjust their idea. We will do our best to limit the same type of business to a maximum of two vendors.

The fair will be an outdoor event.
Each business will be given an 8-foot table and two chairs. Tablecloths will not be provided.
Vendors will need to pay a non-refundable commitment fee of GHS600.
The event is free to attend for all shoppers and guests.

Yes. But this must be requested well in advance.

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, that child’s business will be disqualified from the competition.
Parents of younger children may sit in the booth, but children should be responsible for setup, 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.

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 about 25 attendees. Today, there are over 115 entrepreneurs and 1,500 attendees at the Acton Children’s Business Fair in Austin.