Pint-sized entrepreneurs will show off their business acumen March 25

Eileen Zaffiro-Kean, The Daytona Beach News-Journal
·4 min read

DAYTONA BEACH — Could your child one day start a service as popular as Uber, build a multibillion-dollar business empire like Jeff Bezos' Amazon, or develop a new product that becomes as ubiquitous as the iPhone?

Perhaps a local tyke will one day hold a spot on the Fortune 500 list of companies, and he can say it all began at the Riverfront Esplanade during the 2023 Daytona Beach Children's Business Fair.

Former Daytona Beach City Commissioner Kelly White and her triplets took part in last year's Children's Business Fair in downtown Daytona. The little girls sold key limeade and orange cookies.
Former Daytona Beach City Commissioner Kelly White and her triplets took part in last year's Children's Business Fair in downtown Daytona. The little girls sold key limeade and orange cookies.

The business fair for little ones will be held on March 25th, and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. that day young entrepreneurs will fill the north end of the park along the banks of the Halifax River.

2022 Daytona Children's Business Fair:One-day business fair for kids Saturday at Daytona farmers' market

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Here's everything else you need to know about the children's business fair.

Where exactly is the business fair being held?

The fair will take place at the Riverfront Esplanade, which is located at 355 N. Beach St. The event will be held on the north end of the newly reinvented park between International Speedway Boulevard and the Main Street bridge.

The southern end of the Riverfront Esplanade between Orange Avenue and International Speedway Boulevard is still under construction.

Who's eligible to be part of the fair?

Children ages 6-14 will be showing off their entrepreneurial genius at the one-day fair. But anyone of any age is welcome to attend the event free of charge to encourage the kids and check out their mini businesses.

The first Daytona Beach Children's Business Fair last year drew dozens of kids with creative ideas to the city's downtown. The kids' business fair is back for a second year March 25 in a new location at the Daytona Riverfront Esplanade.
The first Daytona Beach Children's Business Fair last year drew dozens of kids with creative ideas to the city's downtown. The kids' business fair is back for a second year March 25 in a new location at the Daytona Riverfront Esplanade.

The fair slots are full now, and those running the event can't accept any more kiddie business booths.

"After a successful first year, we have already exceeded our capacity for this year with 90 children's booths," said fair organizer Jack White. "Unfortunately we just can't handle any more this go-round."

But there will be another children's business fair in about six months.

"We are looking to do it again in the fall because of the interest," White said.

To add your name to the list for future business fairs, visit www.childrensbusinessfair.org/daytonabeach-fl

What will the young participants be doing?

Kids will create a product or service, develop a brand, build a marketing strategy, and then open forcustomers. For five hours they'll get a glimpse of what it's like to run a business – minus the taxes, employee problems and other real-life business headaches.

Each startup business will also pay $15 fee for a booth space.

"This goes back to learning the costs to operate a business, and most locations charge rent," said White, a downtown Daytona property owner and residential developer.

Last year's Daytona Beach Children's Business Fair drew a crowd to Magnolia Avenue downtown. This year's fair for budding entrepreneurs will be on the riverfront a little south of the Main Street bridge on March 25.
Last year's Daytona Beach Children's Business Fair drew a crowd to Magnolia Avenue downtown. This year's fair for budding entrepreneurs will be on the riverfront a little south of the Main Street bridge on March 25.

The children are also responsible for the setup, sales and interaction with customers.

White's daughters, 7-year-old triplets, took part in the inaugural Daytona Beach Children's Fair a year ago and they'll be back at it this year.

Last year the blonde trio had a Florida-themed booth with painted oyster shells, orange cookies and key limeade.  This year they have a French-themed booth called Cafe de Fleur, and they'll be selling chocolate croissants, strawberry lemonade, cafe au lait and French-themed artwork.

Why is the business fair important?

White said the children's event is a learning opportunity for kids, and a chance for everyone to get a reminder of how important businesses are.

"Whether an entrepreneur is famous, like Elon Musk or Oprah Winfrey, or one of the thousands ofunsung business owners across this country, these entrepreneurs are the people who make sacrifices toinnovate, create jobs and serve their communities," he said.

Pint-sized entrepreneurs got to be business owners for a day at last year's Daytona Beach Children's Business Fair. The fair is being held again March 25 at the Riverfront Esplanade.
Pint-sized entrepreneurs got to be business owners for a day at last year's Daytona Beach Children's Business Fair. The fair is being held again March 25 at the Riverfront Esplanade.

"This annual event promises to be fun for young and mature folks alike," said Hyatt Brown, who grew the Daytona Beach-based Brown & Brown insurance brokerage into a company currently worth $16 billion. "The entrepreneurial ideas of young people are astounding and refreshing."

Anything else I should know?

The business fair is getting a helping hand this year from officials with the Riverfront Esplanade, Daytona Chamber of Commerce and Halifax Health, Acton Academy and Next Great Adventure.

For more information, contact White at jack@jackwhitelandco.com or call 386-257-5105.

You can reach Eileen at Eileen.Zaffiro@news-jrnl.com

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Daytona Beach's Children's Business Fair is back for a second year