What is the Children’s Business Fair?
As one of the largest entrepreneurship events for young people in North America, the Children’s Business Fair inspires children to discover their inner entrepreneur. During the one day marketplace, children have the opportunity to showcase their very own businesses to the public!
The crafts fair/marketplace will have 40-50 child created businesses that will be selling their products and services to the public.
Is the fair/marketplace open to the public?
Yes, the fair/marketplace is open and FREE to the public to attend!
If you want to participate as a business, you will need to submit an application.
Does my child need to attend Ascent Academy in order to participate as a business at the fair?
No, attending Ascent Academy is not a condition to participate. Any child between 6 and 14 years old can submit an application.
What if my child wants to participate as a business at the fair? How does my child apply to have their business at the fair?
During open registration, applications must be submitted online. Once registration is open, click the "APPLY TO THE FAIR" button on the homepage of our website. Please only submit one application per business.
When does business registration open?
Registration for business applications are now open!
When does business registration close?
Registration for business applications will close on November 1, 2023. Applications will not be accepted after this date.
Are their age requirements for the businesses?
In order to participate as a business owner, all entrepreneurs must be between 6 and 14 years old.
Can children apply as a group?
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. All business participants need to be between 6 and 14 years old.
Is there a fee to participate as a business?
Yes, each business is charged a $20 participation fee.
What is on the application?
The application asks children 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 are the application steps and when can I expect to hear back?
Before submitting an application, please thoroughly review the entire FAQ section.
- Step 1: Submit your application online to have your business reviewed. You can expect to hear from the CBF team within one week of submitting your application.
- Step 2: Additional information submission. Pay attention to your email for any messages from the CBF team. They may have questions or request additional information in order to complete the business review. If at any point your application is denied, you will be notified via email of the reasoning. You have the option to make any necessary changes and have your application reviewed again.
- Step 3: Submit your $20 participation fee. If the CBF team has no further questions about your application, they will send you instructions on how to pay your $20 participation fee.
- Step 4: Approval. Once the above steps are complete and your participation fee has been processed, you will receive an approval email with additional information about the fair. Please allow up to 5 business days for your participation fee to process.
- Step 5: Continue to monitor your email. As the fair date approaches, the CBF team will email out additional information to approved businesses.
What if someone else has the same business idea?
Two cupcake businesses? Not a problem. In general, we will let market forces play out.
How will the fair be set up?
The fair will be an outdoor event with booths. Each business will be given a booth with a 6-8 foot table, full-cover tenting (possibly to share with another business), and 1-2 chairs. 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 on their own.
Is there a competition this year?
Yes, vendors will be put into different age categories and multiple $50 prizes will be awarded. Winners will be announced on our website a few days after the conclusion of the fair.
What are the rules for the t-shirt contest?
Participation in the t-shirt contest is optional. It is just one more option available to help get those creative juices flowing.
- Anyone between the ages of 6 and 14 can submit a design
- Designs need to be submitted by October 31, 2023
- Designs should be submitted by email to the CBF Team at CBF@ascentacton.org
- Be sure to tell the CBF Team your name and age when you email them your design
- Designs must incorporate the words “Ascent Children’s Business Fair”
- Designs should be appropriate for a community event
- Designs can include drawings, words, and/or phrases that you feel best represent the Ascent Children’s Business Fair
- Copyrighted materials or images cannot be used
- T-shirt design must be able to be printed in 1-2 colors
- Design should be for the front of a t-shirt only (no design elements can be on the back of the t-shirt)
Do I have to participate in the fair in order to submit a t-shirt design?
No, any child between 6 and 14 years old can submit a t-shirt design.
When will the winning t-shirt design be announced?
The winning design will be announced on our website in November.
I am an adult entrepreneur and/or business owner, can my business participate in the fair?
We do have a few promotional booths available to certain levels of sponsors. Please email us at CBF@ascentacton.org for more information.
If the business is selling food/drinks, is a permit required?
No food permits are required for this event.
Can I bring my dog?
Please leave your furry companions at home as dogs and pets will not be permitted. Thank you in advance for your cooperation and understanding.
How did CBF get started?
Jeff and Laura Sandefer and a few other families wanted to spark a sense of wonder and entrepreneurship in their children. 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 Children's Business Fairs all over the United States!
