Not just lemonade stands: How a new wave of ‘kid-preneurs’ are making their

At six years old, Jayden Karlee Castillo started running a business selling toys in front of her house.

Three years later, she’s still at it, even adding new products to her lineup and taking them to more customers.

In July, Castillo joined the first Kids Markets event held in Millarville, Alta., near Calgary, selling a variety of items including bracelets, earrings and 3D-printed toys she makes herself, as well as hand sanitizers and squishies she sources from wholesalers.

So far she’s saved hundreds of dollars for a trip to Japan and the Philippines, and has something else planned, too. 

“I really wanna treat my parents to a good dinner,” Castillo told CBC’s Cost of Living.

The Kids Markets initiative, which gives children ages five to 17 a chance to sell their own products, isn’t the only program helping young entrepreneurs take their ideas to market.

In B.C., kids can sell their products through BizKids Market, while in Toronto there’s an annual marketplace called Kid2Kid. There’s also Children’s Business Fair in Brandon, Man., along with similar initiatives across the country.

Jodi Letkiewicz, an assistant professor of finance at California State University, says kids have been starting their own small businesses for generations, but there’s been a noticeable uptick in recent years.

“There’s always been kid-preneurs out there … but now it’s sort of exploded.” 

Why are there more kid entrepreneurs? 

Lemonade Day Calgary, an initiative that supports kids to operate their own lemonade stand, drew a record 792 young participants this year. That’s up from 164 when the U.S.-born program launched in Calgary in 2023, says Chantelle Little, who brought the initiative to Canada.

According to Letkiewicz, who researches how kids learn about money, there’s no single reason why more young people are getting interested in entrepreneurship, but social media has made it easier for children to see others their age running their own businesses. 

Through accessible platforms such as YouTube, kids can also learn how to start a business, while AI tools can help with everything from coming up with an idea and creating a business name and logo to researching customers, setting prices, building a website and doing basic bookkeeping. 

For some kids, the rising cost of everyday life may also be putting money more firmly on their radar, says Letkiewicz. They’re becoming more aware of what things cost, and curious about ways they can earn some money of their own.

“If you think…