Shawnee County kids bring businesses to Evergy Plaza

TOPEKA ( KSNT ) — One kid starting their own business is $1,000 richer Friday evening.

Shawnee County kids showed off their entrepreneurial skills in the “Young Innovators Market Contest” at Evergy Plaza Friday.

Children from seventh to 12th grade set up booths with their own products to sell to customers. Some of these customers were secret judges who then selected which kids would win cash prizes.

Tonight’s sponsors put this event together as a way to help kids explore careers that could one day help the capital city.

“Small business is the largest faction of working in our community and any community,” Stephanie Norwood with GO Topeka said. “So we want to inspire them to find that inspiration for themselves now and continue to grow. Because what they’re going to bring to our community is priceless. So we should invest in them now.”

Seven kids set up shop tonight. Alayna Ottmanns won the first-place of $1,000 for her jewelry, Katie Hubert won second place, along with $800, for her air fresheners and Abrielle Morgan won the third-place prize of $600 for her pottery. The other competitors each won $250.

“I think it’s important to reach out to youth that young before they can get that minimum wage job at 15 or 16, because all young people want to have money, they want to make money,” Candis Stiles with the K-State Extension Office said. “And so we’re giving them the education on how to do that the entrepreneurial way.”

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