Moose Jaw event helps kids test their entrepreneurial skills

An event in Moose Jaw on Saturday helped kids from age six to age 16 test their entrepreneurial skills by selling their own products.

Held at the Town N Country Mall, 32 contestants participated in the trade show, which was organized by Gail Hoffos.

“This event is supposed to help kids learn how to sell their products and just teach them awareness, build your own product, sell your products, and maybe bring their future ahead,” she explained.

Some popular items were baking, bookmarks, clay, and jewelry.

During the six hour event, three contestants earned some money as an award for their business.

Krosby Jackman, a 13-year-old who created LID Golf, a business that sells hats, earned first place. An avid golfer himself, Jackman started his business about two years ago. “LID” stands for “let it develop,” which preaches calmness in the sport.

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“Whenever you hit a not as good as a shot, you would say, ‘Let it develop’ and hopefully it turns out better because the golf game needs patience,” he said.

Jackman is a skilled golfer himself, hitting three hole-in-ones in the 2025 season, an extremely rare accomplishment.

Starting a new business, he was a bit nervous, but after the first batch of 80 hats was sold, his confidence grew. He says his mother, Jasmine, has been a huge help.

“She got me going the best that she could, and she made it turn out the best that it could,” he said. “She helped me more than anybody did, she reached out to a lot of people.”

As first place, he won $100, which he says will be put towards apparel, coming out soon.

11-year-old Shae Siebring won second place, with a variety of items. She sold plants and stickers, but her biggest hit is her book called “A Horse Called Phantom.”

Released last year, the book focuses on her ideal dream horse, a Black Arabian Stallion who’s captured into the world of humans. She says it took about a year to release the copy. Two hours into the day, she had already sold seven of 10 copies.

When “A Horse Called Phantom,” was released, Siebring was pleasantly surprised on the first batch being sold, at around $70.

Winning $50 as second place winner, she hopes to use this money to buy a pet rat.

“When she [Hoffos] came up to me and just started talking to me, I was like ‘Oh, it’s just normal business,” said Siebring. “Then she said, ‘Well, I’ve chosen you for a second place,’ and I was like, What?’ My response was, grab a copy of my book, sign it, and give it to her.”

In third place, Camryn Alice Michener won $25 for her polymer clay earrings.

At 13-years-old, Michener got a kit for her birthday and never looked back.

“It was just a really cool way to express myself, and I found myself getting creative with different designs and patterns and shapes,” she said.

She says the earrings take about a day to make, roll out the clay, and cut them into little pieces. After 20-minutes in the oven, they’ve fully solidified. Like all three contestants, her mother has played a big role in her business.

“She was the one who saw me making the stuff, and she was like, ‘Hey, wouldn’t it be cool if you could do this for a business?” Michener said. “She helped me get some tools, and she got me started on it, and she’s just been a really big support throughout.”

In the first few hours of the day, she made $145, including the $25 won in the contest.

She hopes to keep the creativity going, now making flowers in the Moose Jaw area.

With the oldest contestant born in 2010, Hoffos says it’s a great opportunity for those to have an opportunity to sell face to face.

“Everyone’s not face to face anymore, and this actually teaches them how to interact with everybody from adults to kids.”

Hoffos thought the event would get 10-15 contestants originally but was pleasantly surprised with the 32 contestants. The event has been a great opportunity for kids to build confidence.

“There’s definitely been some that I thought ‘Oh, they might not do so well’ because they’re hiding, and now they’re like talking because the other kids are helping them beside them. It’s great interaction for them,” she said.