Youth Business Fair Southport-Oak Island Bookmark this

March 18, 2022

The Southport-Oak Island Youth Business Fair inspires children to discover their inner entrepreneur. The Southport-Oak Island Area Chamber of Commerce has partnered with Acton Academy to bring our area, this one-day market which gives children the opportunity to showcase their very own businesses.

The young entrepreneurs will create a product or service, developed the brand, and on a Saturday, May 4th from 10am -1pm in Middleton Park Extension, on Oak Island (4610 E. Dolphin Drive, Oak Island) they will market and sell it at the Youth Business Fair. The public is encouraged to attend the Fair and “Shop Small” while supporting area youth. 

There will be several young entrepreneurs participating in the one-day market. Ages of the participants are 20 years of age and below. The products and services vary widely.

These bright entrepreneurs will run the booths without adult assistance ensuring they practice skills necessary for professional and personal growth such as creative and critical thinking, math and communication skills. To ensure success, the participants are required to attend two workshops organized by the Chamber, led by Jay Schach, Sea Grass Consulting.

The participants will be judged, and awards given for Most Original, Highest Business Potential, Best Presentation & Overall.

Age Group Sponsors:
Kindergarten to 2nd Grade -
3rd Grade to 5th Grade -
6th Grade to 8th Grade -
9th Grade to 12th Grade -
17-20 years of Age -

For more information contact the Southport-Oak Island Area Chamber of Commerce at (910) 457-6964 or visit the website at www.youthbusinessfair.com


What is the Youth Business Fair?

The Southport-Oak Island Youth Business Fair inspires children to discover their inner entrepreneur. The Southport-Oak Island Area Chamber of Commerce has partnered with Acton Academy, the Acton School of Business, who organizes 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 25 businesses.


Where should I begin?

Start with Acton Academy & Acton Children's Business Fair. 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 an outdoor tabletop event. Each business will be given an area for a 10x10 tent. Tents, Tables, chairs or cloths will not be provided. We have limited access to electricity. The Youth Business Fair will be part of the Coastal Home & Lifestyle Showcase. This event will create more foot traffic for the young entrepreneurs.  

Will electricity be available?

We will have limited access to electricity. Make sure to indicate if you need access to electricity on your application.

Will there be any Workshops?

There will be two Workshops for the participants -March 13th and March 27th both from 6pm - 7:30pm at the Southport-Oak Island Area Chamber of Commerce.

Workshop One:: March 13th

  • Can your Business Generate Revenue, tomorrow?
  • Price your product/service to sell.
  • Sales Pitches That Win (5 key ingredients, Entrepreneur Student Pitch Demonstration, Pitch Assignment for Workshop Two).

Workshop Two: March 27th

  • Panel of Stories - Young Entrepreneurs and their Ventures
  • Pitch Your product/service - 60 second sales pitch to panel and video posted on Facebook.
  • One Panelist Critiques on Pitch.
  • Certificate for Workshop attendance.

 

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.

How did the Southport-Oak Island Youth Business Fair get started?

Southport-Oak Island Area Youth Business Fair is one of two youth driven expos/fair in Brunswick County. The Southport-Oak Island Area Chamber of Commerce organizes the May Youth Business Fair in Oak Island. The North Brunswick Chamber of Commerce in Leland also organizes an event in the spring.

The introduction of this new event was brought to Brunswick County to provide a forum for the next generation of entrepreneurs to showcase their passions and talents.

 

For more information contact Southport-Oak Island Area Chamber of Commerce (910) 457-6964.   Application available now!
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