Aryaman Sinha, a 13-year-old from Bellevue, earned his entrepreneurial stripes selling balloon animals at a park.
Sinha, who said he could make about $100 in a single afternoon, came up with his nascent business after attending a Redmond business fair a few years ago. Deciding he wanted something similar for the Bellevue community, Sinha on Sunday put on the inaugural Bellevue Children's Business Fair at the Bellevue Downtown Park.
"It was kind of just an idea, and then I called the park's reservation office of Bellevue. This was back in May, and I was like, 'I need to reserve a park for one day for this fair,'" Sinha said. "They were completely booked entirely for all the weekends in July, so I settled for Aug. 6."
The fair, which was free for participants and attendees, drew more than 600 people, including 51 businesses and 85 youth participants. The fair was open to kids ages 6 to 16, and Sinha said more than 100 kids are already interested in doing next year's fair.
Bellevue Councilmember Janice Zahn kicked off the fair with some opening words. Molly Moon Neitzel, founder and CEO of Molly Moon's Homemade Ice Cream, gave the closing speech. Molly Moon's was also a sponsor, along with InterContinental Bellevue at the Avenue and the Bellevue Chamber, among others.
"You all should value your own ideas as valuable as the money you get to start your business or grow your business," Moon Neitzel said at the event.
Sinha attends Eastside Preparatory School in Kirkland, where he'll start eighth grade this upcoming school year. In addition to his balloon animals, he is trying to start a business selling murder mystery kits in a box. He wants to either start a business or be a lawyer when he grows up, and his favorite subjects are math and history.
