I had a chance to learn about a great entrepreneurial event for kids 5-17 coming up in various locations in Colorado (and other states throughout the USA): The Children’s Entrepreneur Market. It’s like a farmer’s market, but every table is a young businessperson selling… whatever they can figure out to try and sell. Working with various non-profits in this space, I can attest that young folk are just as entrepreneurial as they’ve ever been, and modern technology amplifies their interests and abilities.
The numbers are impressive: the organization has hosted over 550 markets in 358 different cities, a total of over 27,000 booths and 54,000 young entrepreneurs. The next local event here in Colorado is on June 7 in Greeley, Colorado, followed by July 20 in Loveland. My connection to the organization is through Verna Wallberg, Northern Colorado Manager for the organization. Here’s our Q&A:
Q: What a great idea! What was the genesis of the Children’s Entrepreneur Market?
A. The Children’s Entrepreneur Market is an award-winning non-profit that teaches kids entrepreneurship, innovation, and leadership by giving kids a platform to run their own small business. It began in Utah, where it sold out for five years before expanding out of state and we’re now operating in 34 states, with plans to be in all 50 by the end of year. We offer children between the ages of 5-17 a safe space where they can run their mini-businesses. We partner with established events that have a lot of foot traffic to provide the kids with potential customers so they can focus on their product, their pricing and their sales pitch.
Q: So entrepreneurial kids buy table space at the event and offer their wares. How much does a table typically cost? Do the children get to keep all of their revenue?
A. That’s right! Parents can purchase a 10×10 booth space for their young entrepreneur for $25. We don’t determine what kids can sell or how they price their items. That is all part of their learning process and Yes! They get to keep everything they earn!
Q: How big are these events?
A: Depending on the space we are given by the partnering organization, we have capacity for around 50 booths. Some events this year, like the Larimer and Weld County Fairs in late July and early August, will be able to host 100 kids booths per day. Kids need to register early for these events as they usually sell out, meaning there are no more booth spaces available. The Loveland Farmers Market and Centennial Chalk days are already sold out! The graphic (above) lists what we have scheduled to date, but more will be launched August 1. There are also markets in southern Denver and the Colorado Springs area that are run by other CEM Managers.
Q: How many people generally attend an event? Is it in the hundreds, or even more?
A. We look for and partner with events that are anywhere from 500 attendees to thousands. We have been at the Denver Garden and Home Show for the last two years and they have 6-8K attendees per day!
Q: Can you give us a few examples of student merchants and their goods?
A. Kids can sell anything from goods to services! We have kids that sell plants, dog treats, jewelry, 3D prints, wood crafts, iron projects, bead art, watercolor cards, and even do performances for tips, like play the violin or sing. The possibilities are endless!
Q: Does the organization offer any coaching or assistance for children who are excited at the opportunity but lack experience?
A. Yes! We have our entrepreneurship curriculum available online. This 150 page self-guided curriculum includes activities and worksheets to help children think through a business idea and carry it through to launch!
Q: What kind of ethnic mix is present at a typical Market event? Does the organization seek to promote itself in Latino and other communities?
A. We use a wide variety of marketing avenues to reach kids and their families including search engines, social marketing, contacts with area schools and communities, radio and print advertising and more so we are seeking to reach all children with a message of doing hard things through a hands-on learning experience, like a real-world classroom. We are empowering all kids with invaluable skills like teamwork and entrepreneurship but they are learning by doing. We are in the planning stages of providing Spanish materials to communities where that would be beneficial.
Q: Any notable alumni?
A. We have kids that not only participate in as many of our markets as possible but also sell in local stores, online through their own websites or Etsy and also attend adult events for booth sales and/or catering services as they have gotten older! You may have run into a few of them at local events or online without even knowing it!
Q: Do you have children who sold goods in a former Children’s Entrepreneur Market? What did they sell, and how did it go?
A. Markets in Colorado have been running since 2023; there are many kids that participate in multiple markets each year. At a typical market about half of the kids are new young entrepreneurs running their business for the first time. The other half have done many over the 2 1/2 years we have been operating in Colorado. Kids continue to participate because their businesses are thriving and they are getting the foot traffic they need for their products to be in demand!
The Colorado market schedule can be found here: Northern Colorado CEM Schedule and if you’re elsewhere in the USA you can find the national schedule here: CEM National Schedule.