“Welcome to the Pop Shop!”
With this friendly greeting, my daughters happily welcomed customers to their booth at an Acton Children’s Business Fair several years ago. The “Pop Shop” featured popcorn, popsicles, lollipops, cake pops, soda pop … you get the idea.
The fair was started in Texas by Acton Academy founders Jeff and Laura Sandefer to spark “a sense of wonder and entrepreneurship” in their own children. Now the largest entrepreneurship network for children in North America, the Acton Children’s Business Fair gives young entrepreneurs the chance to gain first‐hand knowledge of running a business—things like having a good plan, ensuring an adequate inventory, setting prices, and providing good customer service. Many of these skills will be useful no matter what path the participants take in the future.
While most fairs are in the U.S. (with more than 150 currently on the map), there are fairs being planned all around the world—Africa, Asia, South America, and Europe, along with our neighbors in Mexico and Canada.
Hosting a fair is definitely a commitment, but the Acton Children’s Business Fair team offers a lot of support, including a website, planning kit, and money toward prizes for participants. Fairs are hosted by parents, business owners, community leaders, and educators—anyone with a passion to create an entrepreneurial spark in young people in their area. You can apply online if you’re interested in bringing a fair to your town.
My daughters came away from their Acton Children’s Business Fair experience with grand plans to open a booth with more food options at our local farmers’ market. Then they started looking into the rules for selling non‐prepackaged food and realized their profit margin was too small for it to be worth going through the process. But that was another important lesson—government regulations often squelch businesses before the first step is even taken.
The entrepreneurial spirit is essential if we want our families, communities, and country to flourish. Programs like the Acton Children’s Business Fair help keep that spirit alive.
