Kidpreneurs in Action: Our Experience at the Children’s Entrepreneur Market

May 19, 2025

There’s something incredibly special about watching kids turn their ideas into reality—and that’s exactly what the Children’s Entrepreneur Market is all about. This past weekend, we had the chance to attend one for the very first time, and it was nothing short of inspiring. Dozens of young vendors set up booths to sell everything from homemade baked goods to hand-crafted art, learning real-world business skills along the way.

My oldest daughter was one of those vendors, proudly selling her homemade brownies after weeks of preparation. It was her first experience running a business, and she left feeling empowered, confident, and already dreaming up her next venture. In this post, we’re sharing a look at our day at the market—from set-up to sales—and including tips straight from my young entrepreneur for any kids or families thinking about participating in an upcoming event.

What Is the Children’s Entrepreneur Market?

The Children’s Entrepreneur Market is a one-of-a-kind event where kids become business owners for the day. Open to young entrepreneurs ages 5 to 16, the market gives children the opportunity to create, price, and sell their own products while learning real-life skills like money management, marketing, and customer service. It’s a fun, empowering way for kids to explore their creativity and build confidence—all while running their very own business.

Our Experience

Leading up to the event, I received quite a few emails filled with tips, checklists, and anything else we may need to know leading up to the market. We found these super helpful in creating our own packing lists and making sure we had everything we needed. I also sat down with Allie to over these emails with her so she knew what to expect

The morning of the market, we arrived early to check in and set up. The process was smooth and well-organized. Parking was directly across the street and a portion of the road was blocked off for vendors to easily drop off their things before parking. We opted to park and make a couple of trips back and forth.

Once we got the tent and table all set up, Allie carefully arranged her brownies, laid out her homemade sign, and got everything just how she wanted it. She looked so proud of herself when she took a step back to look at her set up.

Her first customer stopped by about 5-10 minutes after opening and, as a parent, it was tough to not swoop in to help her with the money aspect. Counting money is something new she learned at school in the last couple of months and doing it in the moment with people watching you is a whole different ballgame than doing it in a text book.

We practiced this at home beforehand, even showing her how to input it into the calculator, and do basic multiplication. The first customer was so kind and patient and it melted my heart watching him work through the math problem with her. As a parent, I appreciated this tremendously and I loved watching her learn from others.

After these first few customers, it became easier for her to do the math on her own and it was rare she needed to ask me for assistance. It was so fun watching her confidence grow with each transaction. She felt defeated when sales got slow, but the moment someone new stopped by, her excitement would come right back.

Leading up to the market, I shared it online with friends and family in case anyone wanted to surprise her and stop in. She ended up with 8 surprise guests throughout the day and she loved each and every one (check out our reel on Instagram to see these reactions). Multiple family members drove almost an hour to visit so I know she appreciated all the love and support.

By the end of the day, she had not only sold out of her product but also gained real-life skills that the classroom just doesn’t teach. She was doing the math in her head, thanking customers, and even talking about what she’d do differently next time.

After she sold out, she was dying to wander the market and check out other vendors. With her own money in hand, she supported five other small businesses and even went home with a birdhouse (her most exciting purchase)! She’s a give back to the community kind of kid and it was so heartwarming seeing her interact with other kids and raving about how much she loved what they had made. She’s a ray of sunshine and I know she made their day with her purchases.

As parents, it was one of those experiences where you get to stand back and watch your child grow right in front of you—and we’re already looking forward to doing it again.

What My Kid Learned from This Experience

Basic Money Skills. Real life experiences like these really helped her piece it all together in a way the classroom just doesn’t teach and by the end of it, she was feeling a lot more confident in this skill.
Customer Service Skills / Social Skills. Both my girls are pretty social but I know it probably added another layer of difficulty having me off to the side with minimal interactions of my own. She rocked it nonetheless and it was really fun watching her learn from others and get to know new people.
Confidence. I’m always surprised by how much confidence is gained by each and every activity I sign the girls up for. It was hard not to support as much as I had wanted through this process, but Allie’s confidence grew every single time she successfully made a sale and I loved watching that growth.
Problem Solving. This is an area we’re constantly working with her on at home so this was just another opportunity for her to learn how to figure it out (mostly on her own) in the moment. There were little hiccups throughout the day (like adjusting pricing or managing the setup) and she got to practice how to think on her feet and make quick decisions.
A Sense of Ownership. I’ve always been a business owner in some capacity throughout my adult life so Allie’s seen glimpses of that with my own businesses. This, however, was all hers and she really loved it. The product, the pricing, the packaging, her business signs, the setup, the money. All hers. And now she’s already talking about the idea of having her own business someday.

Tips For Kids Who Want to be Vendors

(all the following tips are straight from Allie herself! – I just worded her thoughts in a way that actually makes sense)

Find a good way to organize your money. We used a money cup for this market and it was hard to organize money in the moment so you need a good system that works for you.
Make a checklist. We made a list of all the materials that needed to be bought as well as what we needed to pack for the market. This made it super easy to pack and make sure nothing was forgotten. The market coordinators send out a ton of emails leading up to the event with their own checklists as well. Take note of what they have listed!
Ask for help when you need it. Parents can’t talk to the customers but they can answer questions from their kids and offer support as needed. Kids should know when to ask for assistance and feel comfortable doing so. It’s okay to not know something or to need help counting money.
Bring snacks and entertainment. Allie says it “gets boring in between customers”. We had rainy conditions so this may have contributed to the longer breaks in between sales but having snacks and entertainment for everyone can be helpful. I brought some work for myself and Allie brought a book.

Tips for Parents Supporting Young Entrepreneurs

Let your child lead. Behind the scenes, this was super easy. Allie chose her product, she set her pricing, she made her signs, she set up her displays. But in the moment, day of, it was so tough to fully take a step back. Kids are allowed to ask parents questions as needed, but parents are not be interacting with customers or managing sales or any of that so it was hard to sit back and wait for her to ask me for help.
Practice customer interactions at home. Allie is super social but some reminders of pleases and thank you’s and how to ask for help when she needs it were all helpful for her going into the day.
Practice basic money skills at home. Make sure your kids know how to count money and give change back as independently as possible (basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, calculator usage, etc). Allie is learning this a bit in school, but the schools teach it so differently compared to what it actually looks like in real life. So it doesn’t hurt to practice it beforehand.
Take lots of photos and videos. This is a big milestone moment! Document the process—from prep to proud vendor moments—and share their story to inspire others.
Be their support, not their boss! Encourage and assist when needed, but avoid taking over (this is easier said, than done!). The best part of this event is watching kids figure things out on their own (and we were so fortunate to have some great customers who helped her out along the way). I promise they’ll surprise you and you’ll feel so incredibly proud of them by the end of it!

Final Thoughts on the Children’s Entrepreneur Market

We loved our whole experience! Watching her take the lead, talk to customers, and proudly sell her product was one of the most rewarding parenting moments I’ve had. The Children’s Entrepreneur Market is more than just a fun day out—it’s a chance for kids to build confidence, get creative, and develop real-world skills in a supportive environment. Whether your child has a big idea or just wants to try something new, I can’t recommend this experience enough. We’ll definitely be back for the next one!