7 Business Ideas for Teens That They Can Start Now

By: answerout

Already planning on how to spend your next school break? Why not engage in money-making activities? How about starting your own business? Does this sound too adult to your teen ears? Teenagers can start their own business too, you know!

Here are seven low-to-no-cost business ideas for teenagers who want to earn extra bucks on holidays and long breaks.

Sitting Services

This is probably one of the easiest businesses to start, and it doesn’t require capital. It doesn’t have to be a big-scale business (for now). Ask for your parents’ or other relatives’ help for referrals. Print out some cards they can give out to their friends, so they’ll know you mean serious business. Over 40% of American households have below 18-year old children, and 70% own a pet. No doubt, babysitting and pet-sitting services can be lucrative businesses, given these statistics.

When parents need a night to themselves to unwind, go somewhere to relax for the weekend, or attend to some important matters for the day, they would need someone to look after their kids, pets, or just the house while they are gone. You can charge hourly or daily, depending on whether your sitting services are needed for only a few hours or the whole day. 

Laundry and Other Housekeeping Services

In a household where both parents work, some basic chores are often neglected. Grab this opportunity to come in at least once a week to do the laundry, clean the house, or mow the lawn. Only your hard work is needed, no cash capital required!

Working parents would be more than happy to shell out a few dollars if it means they do not have to think about doing these menial but necessary tasks during the weekend.

Car Washing

A bucket of water, soap, sponge, and some towels are all you need to start your carwash business. Some car owners are too busy or lazy (do not put this in your business card!) to wash their cars. You can always offer home service if you do not have enough space to conduct your carwash business.

Arts and Crafts 

For the artsy teens out there, it’s time to turn that hobby into actual cash! Roll up your sleeves and start advertising your artistic services to your friends (personal or virtual), relatives, and neighbors.

In this age where everyone has already seen almost everything, people always go out of their way to impress their loved ones with personalized gifts. You can make money from customized handmade jewelry; personalized, handwritten greeting cards; and original sketches and paintings.

These require a bit of cash capital for the materials, but if you have the right amount of artistic skill and price your merchandise right, this type of business can be quite profitable.

Online Selling (Reselling, Drop-shipping)

E-commerce is probably today’s fastest-growing industry. One of the main reasons for its popularity is convenience: everything is done online, from product selection and product reviews to payment. Almost everything is just a click away. Consumers do not need to leave the comforts of their homes to buy what they want, whenever they want. It’s due to this that online selling became a huge hit. 

One way of selling products online is to become a reseller. This requires a bit of capital to acquire and store the products, but this can become a financially enriching endeavor with proper planning and management. How does it work? Generally, you buy a certain product and resell it on online shopping platforms with a reasonable profit margin.

Another option is drop-shipping. Being a drop-shipper needs very minimal capital. It works differently from reselling. For one, you do not need to purchase the products you are selling online. If a customer places an order for a certain product, this order is forwarded to the distributor or manufacturer, who will then ship the products directly to the customer. Another thing that sets drop-shipping apart from reselling is that there is no need to spend on warehousing the products since you do not have stocks to begin with.

Blogging, Vlogging

An average teenager spends about 3 hours daily on social media, though some reports claim it goes up to 9 hours. If you spend this much time on the internet, then you might as well make money out of social media.

If you have really interesting things to share that you feel like your fellow teenagers or even adults would enjoy reading or watching, then why not start a blog or a vlog? There are so many types of content to choose from, such as the following 

• Do an interview with interesting but less known people you know, 
• Shoot popular product unboxing or review videos,
• Post educational content such as sharing mathematical tricks, best studying practices, etc.,
• Make videos or blogs documenting your day-to-day life with your pets
• Showcases your artistic talents

With billions of social media users nowadays, creating and sharing quality content can be a lucrative endeavor. You can monetize your blog by displaying PPC ads, taking sponsorships, and trying affiliate marketing. YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram also allow content creators to monetize their accounts. If your initially chosen content does not attract many followers, you can always choose a different one. The possibilities are endless!

Errand Service

If you do not want to limit your business to a certain type of service, start an errand service company.Most working adults do not have the time to perform menial tasks, such as dropping off or picking up laundry, grocery shopping, or standing in lines (yes, that’s a thing!).

There is a lot of money in this type of business. You cannot believe how many little but very important things extremely busy people forget to do in a day. And there’s no reason why you should not step in and make a profit out of that.

Wrapping Up

These are just a few of the many business opportunities an average teenager can get into these days. But before investing in any of these ideas, remember that safety comes first in any situation. While earning a good amount of money is attractive, be cautious with your dealings. Most of the suggestions here require personal contact, so you should always know the people you are dealing with.

When it comes to business success, there is no sure way to achieve it. All business endeavors always come with risks. But proper planning, research, and valuable business advice from your parents and people with experience in this field increase your chances.

Do not sell yourself short! Always do a cost-benefit analysis before diving into a specific business undertaking. Some of these ideas do not require cash capital, but your hard work should not come cheap. Always do proper analysis or have someone do it for you so you don't price your services too low.