Sioux Falls kids bring their business ideas to life

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — When you were a kid you may have thought about owning your own business.

Kids will be demonstrating their entrepreneurial skills at a business fair Thursday afternoon. They have spent lots of time coming up with business ideas, strategies and marketing plans and are excited to show their products to potential customers.

The Acton Children’s Business Fair is a place where you can buy anything from caterpillars to protein snacks.

Twelve-year-old Ailee Johnson is hoping her protein based business “Eat Good, Feel Good” inspires customers to eat healthy, just like she was inspired by people she saw on social media.

“I found this lady on Instagram who makes protein treats and she inspired me to and that made me want to eat better,” said Ailee.

But the business fair is about more than coming up with an idea. Kids have to be able to do a cost analysis and create marketing strategies, all while making sure they have their products ready in time for sale day.

“We did a e-ship quest and we went through a process where we had to find the materials, how much we used, how much the bag cost, and how much was in it. Then we calculated the math,” said Ailee.

“There’s a learning by doing component here as well and those failures are opportunities for growth and with this being our second year we’ve already covered a few things where we and especially the learners are improving on mistakes they made last year to improve on their product this year so it’s awesome to see,” said Aaron Johnson, co-founder and head of school Acton Academy.

Aspyn Johnson says after last year’s fair, she learned how to better manage her time to make sure her products were ready for the fair.

“Last year, I wasn’t ready on time, so I had to scratch a lot of my things, so this year I learned that I have to start earlier and do a lot more stuff,” said Aspyn.

Giving kids the space to make their ideas come to life.

“Our children are far more capable than we know and if we give them the tools and the platform and the opportunity to pursue what they are passionate about, let them be in charge, they will far exceed any adult expectations,” said Aaron.

“I think it’s really fun to sell these products to people and to give them options for healthier foods,” said Ailee.

The Children’s Business Fair takes place Thursday afternoon from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Lake Lorraine Farmer’s Market.