15 Small Business Ideas for Teenagers & Young Entrepreneurs -

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Have you been thinking about small business ideas for teenagers? Well, you are in the right place at the right time. Here is a full guide

Gone are the days when only adults had the license to start and own businesses. There is no limit to who can bring a business idea to life.

Teenagers are now seeking to start businesses and become young entrepreneurs. Thousands of teenagers have an entrepreneurial spirit; all they need are business ideas to get it going.

Some teens also look forward to making extra money and need business ideas.

Different businesses are perfect for teens, and some businesses are best for adults, considering the mental and emotional stress and hard work of running such businesses.

In this article, we will be considering 15 small business ideas for teens and young entrepreneurs that would assist them in making extra cash and launching their entrepreneurial spirit in them.

Let’s go!

Why Should Teens Start Small Businesses?

There are so many reasons a teen should start a small business. There are lots of things a small business would help a teen to achieve and build. For instance:

1. It helps them to build Entrepreneurial skills.

For teenagers aspiring to enter entrepreneurship, starting a small business would help them build relevant entrepreneurship skills that would help them maintain their businesses when they are older.

2. It Teaches Teenagers the Art of Critical Thinking.

When teenagers set up a small business, it teaches them how to think deeply to solve problems that might arise in setting up their business. By starting a small business, they would be able to identify their strengths and weaknesses, view issues from different points of view, and analyze them.

So, starting a small business helps teenagers develop critical thinking skills early enough, which will help them when they grow older and find themselves beyond just owning small businesses.

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3. It builds the Growth Mindset of Teenagers.

When teenagers start building small businesses, they would like to believe that their businesses will thrive and survive amidst all odds. This belief would fuel their growth mindset and help them build resilience through the mixture of failure and success they would face. By doing so, they are less likely to give up when they face worse problems in the future.

4. It Helps Them to Save For College.

Asides from building skills, teenagers could save for their expenses at college by starting a small business. This would help parents to cut down on the amount they are likely to spend on college expenses.

5. It is a Way for Teenagers to Build Something for Themselves.

One can never tell where the small business a teenager starts up will lead. For one, it could help teenagers build a million-dollar business. A teenager’s small business or startup could blow up to become a company that would eventually be worth millions of dollars.

Qualities of Good Business Ideas for Teenagers.

Sometimes, when teenagers and young entrepreneurs are on the verge of starting a new business, they get confused about what a good business (idea) should look like. The following are qualities of good business ideas for teenagers:

1. Flexibility of working hours.

Teens should remember that they are also schooling in addition to a small business. They spend at least eight to ten hours each day of the week in school, cutting down on the number of hours they could use to do other things.

So, a good business idea for teens would allow them to work and have time for their educational activities too

2. Low Financial Requirements

Considering that teens do not have much money to throw at a business and that the idea behind starting a business is to make money, an ideal business for teens should not require so much money to begin. The less money teens spend on a business, the easier it is to start and operate.

3. Low Risk Involved

As there is no business without the tiniest of risks, a good business idea for teenagers should involve low risk. That way, it would be easier to succeed at whatever business they run.

15 Business Ideas for Teens and Young Entrepreneurs.

With the above qualities put into consideration, the following are business ideas that teens and young entrepreneurs could try out:

1. Tutoring.

This is one of the easiest businesses that teenagers can start. If they are very good at a subject, they could offer to teach other students who have issues with it. They could find clients in their school or head to certain sites where they could offer tutoring services for money.

2. Cleaning.

Aside from tutoring, house cleaning is another easy business idea that teenagers could start. They only need to replicate the cleaning they do in their respective homes in other people’s houses.

Just like tutoring, teenagers could get to clean the houses of some families in their school or sign up for some cleaning jobs available on some websites.

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3. Photography

Yes, photography might require a huge amount of money for a startup considering the money one would use to purchase equipment, but teenagers do not necessarily need to start the hard way. If they love photography and are sure it would earn them some extra cash, they could begin by renting equipment. And then, when they are sure they can buy the needed equipment, they may do so.

On the flip side, they may choose to venture into photography using just their smartphones with the touch of little, basic editing skills.

4. Pet Grooming.

Many people own pets but have little or no time to care for them. Looking after their pets and helping to groom them is a business teenagers could choose to try out. It is even more fun if the teen is a pet lover. They must pick a flexible schedule and agree with their clients on providing pet supplies.

5. Arts and Crafts.

For teens who have artistic skills and are good at crafts, they could choose to start a business revolving around arts and crafts. They could go ahead and sell whatever crafts or artistic creations they make.

6. Transcribing.

Many business officials need the help of people to document what is being said at meetings, interviews, and all. Teenagers could offer to transcribe for such people for a fee.

7. Proofreading.

Teens could choose to become proofreaders for their colleagues or college kids. They only need to be grammar-savvy to get started. It might not look so promising at first, but it would pay off with time.

8. Writing of Greeting Cards.

This is another idea that teenagers could turn into a business. They could create or write greeting cards and sell them through sites such as Shopify or Card-Isle.

9. Dog Walking.

This business idea is similar to the pet grooming service, except that the pet in question here is limited to dogs. Teens could start a business of taking dogs for a walk. All they need is to understand dogs and be patient with them.

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10. Delivery Service

With the boom of the food delivery industry, teenagers can take on delivery jobs and deliver food to clients who make an order. This is a good business idea for teenagers who need to make extra cash.

11. Recycling

Considering the excess waste that can be found in the environment and around the neighborhood, recycling is one business that teenagers can easily start. They could choose to recycle construction materials, plastics, and the like. They would only need space to store their recyclable materials. The recycling business is highly profitable and remains one of the best picks for teens seeking to start a business.

12. Gift Wrapping.

Creative teenagers can be glad that their creativity is no waste after all. Teenagers and young entrepreneurs could decide to start a gift-wrapping business for any occasion and present. This business is quite profitable.

13. Laundry Service

These days, people are so busy with their businesses that they don’t even have time to carry out their laundry activities by themselves. Teenagers could start a business to help people carry out their laundry. If they don’t have enough space, they may choose to go from house to house, assisting people with their laundry.

14. Baking and Catering services

Teenagers could choose to start a food-related business like baking or catering. This is perfect for teenagers who love cooking, baking, or decorating cakes. They could advertise themselves online or to their friends, relatives, or neighbors.

15. Reselling

Starting a reselling business is also a great idea for teens and young entrepreneurs, considering its ease and profitability. All that is required is that they purchase whatever they wish to sell and resell it physically or through online stores and websites. This would go a long way in building their spirit of entrepreneurship.

Conclusion.

It’s encouraging to see teenagers who want to start their own businesses. The 15 ideas above are great business ideas that teenagers and young entrepreneurs could choose to try out.

However, they should bear in mind that starting a business comes with challenges and stress. But with the necessary energy and patience put into the business, they would get profits.

Not only do teenagers stand to enjoy profits from starting a business, but they are also building their entrepreneurial spirit and learning the basics of business management and the art of taking responsibility.

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