While most eyes were on the annual Formula One night race at Marina Bay two weeks ago, a less glamorous—but no less meaningful—event was happening further down south of Singapore on 4 and 5 October 2025.
At the Harbourfront Centre, the Singapore Kidpreneurs Bazaar was in full swing. Taking centre stage were over 15 stalls run by kid entrepreneurs aged four to 16, hawking wares like bracelets, toys, books, caricatures and even food. There were also stage programmes, including a talent quest!
With DollarsAndSense being one of the Singapore Kidpreneurs Bazaar’s media sponsors, I dropped by on the bazaar’s second day to catch the action.
First Up: Self-Introductions And Pitches
When I arrived at noon, most of the kidpreneurs were already putting the finishing touches to their stalls, eager to welcome customers.
Some of the kidpreneurs went onstage shortly after to pitch their products. Most of them shared their names, what they were selling and where their stalls were, but a few pitches were more elaborate.
For example, eight-year-old Liam Chua read off a prepared script to plug the benefits of the bath salts and essential oils that he and his sister, 15-year-old Chua Xin Huei, were selling.
Despite being a first-time seller, Liam read the script without missing a beat, while Xin Huei held up a pack of bath salts for all to see.
Another kidpreneur team, 11-year-old Alveena Binte Abdul Rahman and 10-year-old Darshini d/o Suresh, were dressed in an attention-grabbing yellow. As they pitched their accessories, they finished each other’s sentences, showing their strong teamwork.
Strutting Their Stuff At A Talent Quest
With the pitches done and dusted, the stage was cleared for the grand finale of a talent quest organised by stage sponsor Tiara Society.
On its website, the royal-themed indoor playland described the talent quest as “a joyful journey of self-expression and celebration, where every child takes centre stage and leaves feeling like a winner”. And that’s exactly what happened.
After getting dolled up in sparkly dresses, tiaras and makeup, girls as young as five took the stage, showing off their talents in singing, dancing, modelling and more.
Whether they were belting out Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb”, busting a move to “APT.” by ROSÉ and Bruno Mars, pulling off a side split or doing an impromptu back walkover because another contestant’s song started right after theirs ended, every girl was a star.
Proud parents madly snapped away with their camera phones—especially after the girls were each awarded a trophy and a title like “Miss Grace”, “Miss Personality” and “Miss Star”.
The talent quest’s finale? The girls grooving along to ABBA’s “Dancing Queen”.
I Said Hi To Some Friends
While the talent quest was going on, the kidpreneurs’ stalls were buzzing with activity. I flitted between the stage and the stalls to check out what was on offer.
During my time there, I headed to O & E Books and Toys and said hi to nine-year-old Oliver Lee, seven-year-old Elliot Lee and their dad Lee Shao Rong, whom I’d previously chatted with for a promotional article about their stall.
Shao Rong shared that the boys had sold about $50 worth of pre-loved books and toys so far, and he believed they’ve started to learn that making money isn’t easy.
I also visited the Guilt Free Food cinnamon rolls stall run by nine-year-old Siena Xin La Tona, six-year-old Venezia Heng La Tona and their mum Joyce Chung—another kidpreneur team I’d interviewed earlier.
Venezia was handing out cinnamon roll samples, so I tried one. It was delicious!
Turning A Hobby Into A Business
But there were many other talented kidpreneurs to talk to.
At the Grow a Succulent stall, for example, 10-year-old Yeo Hao Rui launched into his well-practised story of how he came to sell succulents at the bazaar.
“When I was seven, my parents bought me my first-ever succulent plant. Since succulents were very easy to take care of, they decided to buy a pot of three of them for me,” he said.
“I had a lot of fun taking care of them. Even though the requirements for them were very low, it was fun to just watch them grow over time. So, because of this, I would like to spread the joy of gardening.”
Also present at Hao Rui’s stall was his cousin, 10-year-old Darryll Ong, who helped sell the succulents and advise customers on how to care for them.
Artists And Crafters
A little further away, seven-year-old Stuart Tan was busy drawing the faces of a couple, his face a picture of concentration.
He and his four-year-old brother, Gareth Tan, were the artists behind Amazing Caricatures, where customers could get caricatures of themselves drawn for $5 per person.
“We like to draw,” Stuart said shyly, when asked why he and his brother were selling caricatures. He also mentioned that he was feeling excited about being part of the bazaar.
After completing his drawing, Stuart signed it, and his mum helped insert it into a plastic sleeve before passing it to the pleased couple.
I also swung by D&A Crafts, a stall run by Alveena and Darshini—the girls dressed in bright yellow. I’d overheard their passionate selling while passing by earlier, so I was keen to pay them a visit.
The girls were first-time sellers, but they showed off their bracelets, chokers, waterproof pouches and charms with confidence and enthusiasm. As part of her sales pitch, Darshini also let me try on a bracelet.
Darshini shared that sales had been good so far. The girls plan to give some of their earnings to charity and spend the rest on useful items. “Like school stuff,” said Darshini.
“And clothes,” added Alveena.
Some Kidpreneurs Are Seasoned Sellers
While many kidpreneurs were new to selling, a handful were not. In particular, I spoke to Xin Huei before she and her brother Liam went onstage for their pitch.
The siblings run Alluring Essentials, and this was Xin Huei’s fourth time exhibiting at the Singapore Kidpreneurs Bazaar.
Her first was when she was eight—coincidentally, the same age first-time seller Liam is now—and the ability to earn money from her efforts keeps her coming back.
“When we started using the essential oils at night, we liked them a lot. Then, we started putting them in bath salts and dissolving them,” said Xin Huei, explaining how her family got into using and selling essential oils and bath salts.
Meanwhile, Liam admitted feeling “very scared” because “I’m talking to strangers”, but he had no trouble introducing his products.
“My favourite is lavender,” he said, referring to the essential oils. “A lot of people buy lavender. Just now, I got two people buy lavender.”
Xin Huei is open to continuing the business in the long run.
“Yeah, I don’t mind,” she said. “It’s quite fun anyway.”
Singapore Has An Entrepreneurial Spirit
Walking the bazaar, I was impressed by the kidpreneurs and their stalls. In primary school, I dabbled in selling items, but didn’t get much further than drawing up a price list and deciding on a shop name.
In contrast, these kids were light-years ahead of my younger self. They had clearly put in a lot of time and effort to decorate their stalls, create their signs and practise what they wanted to say to customers. And their dedication was rewarded—they were making money.
Jolene Ang, organiser of the Singapore Kidpreneurs Bazaar, similarly had nothing but praise for the kidpreneurs.
“After running this for six editions over six years, I remain amazed and fascinated by how our young Singaporeans can really transform their first ideas into businesses,” she enthused.
“Seeing them talk to people confidently and put themselves out there, I feel that Singapore really has an entrepreneurial spirit!!”
