Edwards is home to the Valley’s newest kindergarten through fifth-grade school, Vail Valley Unbound. This summer, Edwards will also be welcoming curious minds at the second annual Children’s Business Fair, presented by Vail Valley Unbound.
Applications are open for kids ages 3-15 — the younger kids can have support from their parents, but the event planners encourage parents to step back and let the kids thrive (or fail). While it is certainly about making a profit, it’s much more about the love of learning that comes from the process.
Young entrepreneurs will submit an application that asks them to develop a business plan that will be evaluated and approved by local entrepreneurs. The business plan must be complete, have thoroughly answered questions and be a viable business. Questions get kids thinking and include, What do you plan to sell? At the end of the fair, how will you determine if your business was a success? and How will you pay for your startup costs? If someone is helping you with your startup costs, how will you pay that person back?
The morning of the event, children arrive at the fair early to set up their business. Each business is expected and encouraged to create signage, decorate their “shop”, display their goods/services and be ready for a fun and busy day of shopping from community members!
Vail Valley Unbound co-founder, Cassie Boca, and her husband Zak Boca are spearheading the event along with a team of passionate entrepreneurs, teachers, mentors and parents who want their own children to learn about entrepreneurship in a practical and fun way.
“As two entrepreneurs, encouraging creativity and fostering ideas is so important to us. As we got more involved in the Eagle County community, we realized that where we would best be able to contribute authentically is by not just starting a small school but by serving all youth with an entrepreneurial mindset,” Cassie Boca shares, “We started the kid’s business fair because we wanted to give entrepreneurial-minded kids an opportunity to not just sell something, but develop a thoughtful business plan that includes costs, marketing plans and many things that go into starting a small business. We have a community that revolves around small businesses, entrepreneurs, flexible work schedules and creative careers — and that’s our world, so we want to bring that into our community from a young age and encourage the creativity!”
