By Jenna Sherman (parent-leaders.com)
According to the student-run news outlet The Riverside Eddy, many teens feel as though they have too much responsibility. Making good grades, navigating new emotions, and keeping up with extracurricular activities can at times be overwhelming. If you’ve hit a lull in school and your social life, you may wish to start a side business that could potentially grow with you as you age. You’ll develop financial skills as well as problem-solving techniques that will last your entire life — and you may snag a handful of well-paying clients too.
Because most teens are in school full-time during the spring and fall semesters, potential business ideas are ideally flexible and can grow throughout the years. Eventually, you may wish to turn your part-time startup into a full-time operation. Below are seven options for teen entrepreneurship that can fulfill those criteria and more.
1. Pet Sitting
Care for neighbors’ or family friends’ pets while they are on vacation and branch out from there. If it is possible and you wish to grow your business in the future, obtain a pet sitting license and ask owners for online reviews to prove your competency to new clients.
2. Yard Care
Even before spring comes, offer your services to homeowners with yards. You can weed, mow lawns, trim bushes, or work with the owners on more specialized jobs, such as flower planting and landscape design.
3. Tutoring
Helping others understand the basics of English, math, foreign languages, or history may be a good fit for you if you are a good student. You may wish to offer your tutoring services to parents of younger students at your school or get in touch with former teachers in whose classes you excelled.
4. Writing
If you can grab the attention of your audience with the written word, you might consider making money with these skills. Now that most small businesses understand the importance of websites, you could try your hand at copywriting with Elna Cain’s advice for beginners or start with part-time social media assistance at a local business.
5. Part-Time Assisting
If you’re interested in a business career, you may wish to work as a personal or virtual assistant. This type of job can expose you to specific careers and can either grow with you or gain you a glowing letter of recommendation for a full-time job in the future.
6. Nannying
Build a childcare business while you’re still in school as an occasional babysitter or summer nanny if you’re good with kids and have at least a small amount of experience caring for them. You can ask parents of children you’ve babysat for before for referrals and set up a website that outlines your services.
7. Cleaning
Cleaning isn’t the most glamorous of jobs, but it can be lucrative and extremely flexible if you’re still in high school. It can also grow with you over the years! Be sure to research what others charge in your area before setting an hourly rate that is either too high or too low.
If these ideas don’t resonate with you, tap into your natural talents and see how you could put them to work for you. Whatever you choose, be sure to communicate efficiently with clients — and don’t forget to have fun as you begin the learning process of starting your first business!
(Image via Pexels)
