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 36 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?
Your booth will be provided a table for the day of the fair. The tables are 6ft x 2.5 feet. You must provide any decor, table cloth, & signage. Most people opt to bring a canopy, the size limit for this is a 10x10 canopy.
Bring camping chairs to sit on. 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 by themselves.
How much help can a parent or adult helper provide?
Parents are encouraged to let their children do as much as possible with the preparation for the fair and their child’s business. It is your judgment when a child should have assistance. A child may HIRE PAID outside help for the DAY OF THE FAIR at a wage of $15.00/hour or more. (minimum wage)
They are an employee for the DAY of the fair, not a business partner and cannot sell the product for their child.
During the Fair, parents of younger children may sit in their booth, but the children are to be responsible for the setup, sales and interacting with the customers. This event is designed to give children a taste of selling a product. Please let them have that experience.
Any parent seen selling to the customer or promoting the child’s product will result in disqualification from the competition. (This excludes parent’s that are PAID and HIRED for the day of the fair.)
Does my child’s product need to be handmade?
No. The business/booth product does not need to be handmade, but it is encouraged. However, regardless of the product the business and owner must know their product inside and out and create their own unique business around this product rather than simply reselling.
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.
