For several years the Town of Neepawa has held an event to support local entrepreneurs with new businesses, but this year they’re turning their attention to youth in the community. Marilyn Crewe, Economic Development Officer for Neepawa, is working in partnership with the Acton Children’s Business Fair to hold Neepawa’s first Children’s Business Fair.

The idea, says Crewe, is for the children to come up with their own business ideas and do the bulk of the work, including pricing, marketing, and other logistical planning in addition to producing and selling the product or service they’re offering. The fair encompasses ages 6 to 15, so while younger participants might need some extra help with the numbers and the heavy lifting, they’re still expected to do most of the decision making by themselves. Past fairs in other areas have included businesses such as handmade jewellery, palm reading, and on-the-spot photography, but the event is open to any business ideas that can be conducted within the fair itself. In addition to any proceeds from the business, prizes will also be awarded in various categories.

The same independence principle applies to assistance from the office of the economic development officer. Crewe says she’s happy to provide the same resources to the young entrepreneurs as anyone else who approaches her office, but what they do with that assistance and information is entirely in their hands. Small businesses like these, whether started by adults or youth, are the lifeblood of a community and the office of the EDO is there to provide the support that it can.

Crewe has reached out to the local schools to promote the event, and suggest local groups such as the 4-H club also encourage members to participate. Registration is through the website only, at https://www.childrensbusinessfair.org/neepawa, and is limited by space to just eleven participants this year. Crewe hopes to see the event grow in subsequent years, but if it does it will definitely have to seek a more spacious home.

The Children’s Business Fair will be held in conjunction with the August 10 Farmer’s Market at ArtsForward, which provides a ready-made customer base for the products and the services that the children will be offering, but community members are all encouraged to come out and support the young entrepreneurs.

While the fair is a one-day-only event, the start-up businesses created by the youth, and certainly the skills they have learned, can last much longer than that.