Young Entrepreneurs To Shine At New Lenox Fair

NEW LENOX, IL — Could a 10-year-old be the next mind behind a great concept? The New Lenox Young Enterpreneurs Fair will showcase creative youngsters and their entrepreneurial genius.

On Satuday, July 8 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the 3rd annual New Lenox Young Entrepreneurs Fair will host 40+ young entrepreneurs at the New Lenox Commons. The NLYEF was started by Chris Arnold who was 9 at the time.

He started his own business Elementary Woodworkers at age 8. He was doing larger craft shows and didn’t see any other kids his own age selling items, and wanted to get more kids involved. Starting this fair was his solution, to give them a safe supportive event to get started. The event is free and open to the public.

Children create a product or service, develop a brand, build a marketing strategy, and then open for customers at this one-day marketplace. The children are responsible for the setup, sales, and interacting with customers, and any parent seen selling to the customer or promoting the child’s product will result in disqualification from the competition.

The event is sponsored by Elementary Woodworkers, Acton Academy, the Acton Next Great Adventure, and the support of donors and volunteers, who all believe that principled entrepreneurs are heroes and role models for the next generation.

Whether an entrepreneur is famous, like Elon Musk or Oprah Winfrey, or one of the thousands of unsung business owners across this country, these entrepreneurs are the people who make sacrifices to innovate, create jobs, and serve their communities, organizers said in a release.

"Today’s youth are tomorrow’s business innovators and leaders," said Je Sandefer, founder of the Acton School of Business, one of the sponsors of the fair. "The Children’s Business Fair gives students the opportunity to spread their entrepreneurial wings and get a head start on promising business careers."