đź“Ł Applications closed on Oct 31. Accepted applicants to be announced around December 1. Thank you!
Hosted by

Dan Rozycki

🗓️ Started hosting in 2023

âś… Identity verified

🚀 Has hosted 1 fair

We are a team of passionate entrepreneurs, teachers, mentors, and parents, who want our children to learn about entrepreneurship in a practical and fun way.
đź“Ł Applications closed on Oct 31. Accepted applicants to be announced around December 1. Thank you!

Gullett Children's Business Fair

Saturday, April 5, 2025

10:00AM - 12:30PM

Gullett Elementary School

6310 Treadwell Blvd, Austin, TX 78757, USA

Applications are closed

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About the fair
On Saturday, April 5, 2025, come watch Gullett Elementary students launch their very own startup business!

Kids develop a brand, create a product or service, build a marketing strategy, and then set up a booth and open for customers at our one-day marketplace. 

We will host about 30 booths at the second annual event at Gullett Elementary on Saturday, April 5, 2025 from 10:00am to 12:30pm.  

How it works:  
1. A Gullett student decides if they want to start their own business and sell their product or service at our one-day marketplace on April 5, 2025.  All current Gullett students are eligible.

2. IF THEY DO, THEY MUST TELL THEIR PARENTS THEY ARE GOING TO DO IT WITH NO PARENT OR TEACHER INSTRUCTION, ADVICE, OR ASSISTANCE.  Parents can help a tiny bit if needed, but the spirit of this event is to give kids the chance to do it themselves and have the experience of being in charge of and responsible for their own business.  Up to three students can team up to run one business together.

3. The student should read the FAQ part of this site to preview the questions in the Application.

4. The student should complete their application before October 31, 2024.

5. Accepted applicants will be notified by early December 2024.  At that time, accepted applications will be asked to pay a $20 deposit to hold their booth.  Applicants will be refunded their $20 on the day of the event if they fulfill their commitment to set up a business at their booth and sell their product or service.

6. Students will make their product, figure out the pricing, decide if they wish to advertise before the fair to get more traffic to the fair, and design a retail display for their booth which is a six foot folding table.  They should think through product development, marketing, and their sales pitch.  

7. Students will set up and run their business at the fair on April 5, 2025 from 10am until 12:30pm.  

8. The reward of participating in the Gullett Children's Business Fair is the students' personal achievement of having started and run their own business.  As an added bonus, we will invite local business owners to volunteer their time and visit all the students' booths and select booths that stand out to them.  Each local business owner will evaluate the booths on real-world business criteria: which students do they believe have a great sales presentation, which booths have a great marketing presentation (which is how the students deliver their message in the way they decorate their booth and present their product or service), and which booths are businesses that the judge believes (based on their own business experience) would overall be most likely to succeed as a business.  These are the judges' subjective opinions based on their business ownership experience; let's not overvalue their opinions. 

Note: if a parent is seen running the business or selling the product or doing a large part of any of it for the student, then the student will be disqualified from the fair.

A common question is: “What do we mean by NO parental help?”  We mean this is an opportunity for a student to learn the hard way, be independent, succeed or fail on their own.  If they need help spelling a word or lifting a heavy box, that’s ok for a parent to help them.  If they need the parent to make a third of the student’s product, that’s not ok.  If they need the parent to figure out the pricing or marketing or sales pitch for the student, that’s not ok.  If a parent helps a student think up a better business name than what the student thought up, that’s not ok.  We want the student to be challenged, take risks, rely on their own skills and creativity.  There is no consequence if they totally fail at this, so let them be free and use their own brains and ability.

Here's a video from a Kansas City news station, covering their local Children's Business Fair:
https://youtu.be/BHC-Xz4NGdI?si=8dxPGQPYIkYLVTD0

This event is sponsored by Acton Academy, the Acton School of Business, 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 Oprah Winfrey or 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

Dan Rozycki

🗓️ Started hosting in 2023

âś… Identity verified

🚀 Has hosted 1 fair

We are 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 Acton Children’s Business Fair?

The Acton Children’s Business Fair inspires children 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 30 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 a tented outdoor event with about 30 businesses. We will provide one 6-foot folding table and two chairs for each business. Table cloths will not be provided. We are not able to accommodate businesses requiring electricity.  Please do not bring additional tables.

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.

Our incredible sponsors

Children's Business Fair

Acton Academy

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