Young entrepreneurs gather at Shawnee Civic Centre to ‘do big things’ in business

The Shawnee Civic Centre filled up with entrepreneurs selling their wares Sept. 9, and those attending could find products as varied as gourmet popcorn, origami art, crochet work and stationery.

What made this room a bit unique, however, was not the products sold. It was the entrepreneurs: All were 16 or younger.

It’s the fourth year for KidsFest Business Fair, and it’s becoming a popular ticket for kids who want to try out their business savvy. This year, organizers hit their capacity on the number of booths for the fair.

“Now we’re four years in to where little siblings who were maybe 4 or 5 (when it started) have seen their older siblings having a lot of fun, and so they’ve started signing up now, too,” said Matt Mann, recreation manager for Shawnee Parks and Recreation.

That was true for 8-year-old Ian Solis of Shawnee, who was selling bags he had sewn in a booth right next to his older sister.

“I wanted to sew like my sister, so I decided to start a business,” he said.

Mann views the experience as educational for the kids. It allows them to figure out what they want to sell, what goes into making a budget, how to set their prices and how to present themselves. He’s worked with Junior Achievement of Kansas City and Startland to provide business coaching for the kids.

“It’s creating opportunities for these kids. We’re their biggest cheerleaders here by putting this on and giving them the opportunity. … This is just another angle for us to provide recreational opportunities, and for some kids, that’s recreation. They love to sell. That gets them fired up,” Mann said.

Mann said some of the business coaching for the event focused on the value of the entrepreneur’s time, and helping them figure out how to network with both adults and other kids.

Although many of the businesses were of the sole proprietor variety, some kids worked together to make a group business. Khloe Pyron, 12, was there with Ali Smith, 12, and Lydia Eberline, 13, to promote a crochet business they started with two other friends.

“We like crocheting, and this is a good way to show everyone,” she said.

The five friends all learned jpw to crochet together and now make stuffed animals to sell.

“It’s something fun to do with your friends,” Lydia said.

They’ve been to one other fair besides this one. Others have already established their place in numerous local craft fairs and online.

Shawnee resident Ada Knechtel, 14, has had her stationery business for three years. She found herself bored at the start of the pandemic and decided to spend her time doing market research on manufacturing and selling her watercolors in the form of cards, notebooks and stickers.

“Everything I hand design and print myself,” she said.

Now that she’s in high school and participating in several sports, it’s a little more challenging to find time for her business.

“I’m still trying to figure out a balance. I’m really utilizing the weekend,” she said.

Ada likes that the event encourages young entrepreneurs like her.

“Even if you’re younger, you can still do big things,” she said.

Many of the young innovators were selling things you might not find just anywhere. Lenexa resident Coleman Zenter, 10, was selling his origami medicine balls and cranes, while Shawnee resident Matthew Chapman, 12, sold string art in two forms: assembled by him or in a do-it-yourself crafting kit.

Matthew enjoys the carpentry needed to set up the boards for the string art. He decided to try his hand at business 18 months ago after reading a book on string art from his grandparents, then attending a similar business fair at his school.

“I encouraged him to do it,” said Lindsey Chapman, Matthew’s mom. “It helps him to learn to manage money and time and build confidence as he sells.”