60 Small Business Ideas for Teenagers & Kids

Fortunately, the startup culture of today, combined with the many tools and resources like crowdfunding start-ups, have made it much easier than ever for anyone, including kids, to launch their own business.

Now, no one’s pretending that it’s easy, although some things are easier to do than others.

There are tons of online jobs for teens that any kid can pick up. But to be an entrepreneur, you have to be a self-starter, able to triumph over setbacks and have the courage to do things that others may not.

In return, the young entrepreneur will learn many skills that will serve for life, such as being creative, responsible, dealing with finances, and even being a leader if the business grows.

But I don’t have a new business idea!

You don’t need a new idea!

You don’t have to have a new business idea to make it. Sure, having a new and revolutionary idea is great, but it’s also risky.

On the other hand, tried-and-true methods are less risky. You can build upon the experience of people who came before you.

And if you can manage to put your own twist to an already existing idea, it will be even better.

Remember, MySpace existed long before Facebook. But Zuckerberg came along, put a new twist to the idea and created something entirely new that now 1 in 4 people on earth use every day.

Ready to start your own business?

Here is a selection of awesome small (and big) business ideas for kids and teens that can be used as they are, or brainstormed into even better ideas.

1. Selling used books

Student textbooks are particularly sought after, so a teen looking to make some money probably has a good start.

Unless you can find a source of books, this is more of a one-off project to make money, but if you can become the middleman, perhaps selling off friends’ books too, it will be worthwhile.

To make a real business out of this, you have to start buying and selling used books.

2. Creating websites and blogging

If you have a particular passion or are an expert in something that people may want to read about, blogging about it can be a great way to monetize that knowledge.

Doesn’t matter what topic(s) you are an expert on, if you are well-informed about it and can help people understand it, you can blog about it.

There are successful blogs on just about anything you can think of – food, cooking, health, sports, money, education….

But if there are already blogs about everything, I won’t have a chance of making it!

Not with that again!

Remember we talked about creating successful businesses out of existing ideas?

The same principle applies here…

There could be thousands of blogs about cooking vegan foods, but none or very few on how to do it cheap.

There may be thousands of blogs about making and saving money, but not many cover the unusual and crazy, yet practical methods (which is why I started MoneyPantry)

And tanks to the endless number of tools and apps that make it easy and quick to build websites and blogs, you no longer have to know code or spend thousands of dollars to start a blog. In fact, you can start a blog today for free.

You can monetize our blog with ads, affiliate marketing, selling your own eBooks and courses, and so on.

3. Making candles

There are so many different types of candles that you will never get bored making them.

You can start with a basic candle kit, or simply buy the ingredients in bulk. It’s easy to learn how to do it and fun to experiment.

A good place to start is the National Candle Association which is online at candles.org and has all sorts of information about making and selling candles.

You can have floating candles, scented candles, and various types of molded and carved candles too.

Candles sell well on eBay, Etsy, and other sites. They can also be sold at flea markets and craft fairs.

4. Selling handmade stuff on Etsy

For the creative teen, Etsy is a great way to start making money.

Just one look at the website shows the variety of things that you can sell, including jewelry, candles, art, and even jam.

For allowing you to have a virtual storefront on the Internet, Etsy takes a small commission, which is quite a deal if you look at the complication of setting up your own website with a shopping cart online and accepting payments.

Etsy takes all the headache away, leaving you free to pick and sell what you want.

5. Pet sitting/walking

Pet sitting jobs are much easier to find these days thanks to the many websites that match sitters with owners.

You can even start from your own neighborhood. Put flyers out, let neighbors and friends know, put ads on Craigslist, etc.

The best thing about this business is that it doesn’t require any financial investment(though you may be required to have insurance but that comes into play when your business has grown a little) or tools. All you need is yourself, a pet friendly attitude, and a willingness to work hard

6. Becoming a tutor

Another idea for the older teen is to make money as a tutor or instructor in things they have already learned.

Having just been through the system, they are well placed to help younger school kids.

There are even sites where you get paid to do homework for others. But that’s not what we ‘re talking about here. We’re talking about tutoring and helping students, not doing their homework for them.

But this idea does not have to be restricted to help with schoolwork. People will pay to learn how to use a computer better, or how to play the piano. Any skills may be something that someone else wants to pay to learn.

To start, you can use sites that make it easy to get paid for teaching various skills.

Here are a few:

• TutorVista.com
• Tutor.com

7. Babysitting

Baby sitting is another tried-and-true kid friendly business that has been around for years and it still works.

As with most businesses of this kind, getting your first few clients is the hardest part.

You can start with friends and neighbors. But to expand, you can use sites like SitterCity and UrbanSitter to find clients throughout your city.

8. House sitting

Similarly to babysitting, this is another great business for teenagers.

However, because of the responsibility involved, it’s probably best to find clients that are friends of the family. Many people are not going to respond well to the prospect of leaving the keys to the house with an unknown teenager for a period of time.

Housesitting can be quite easy, but requires diligence in order to make sure all the necessary jobs are done. Jobs may include watering the pot plants, bringing in the mail, and sometimes looking after pets which couldn’t be taken on vacation.

Again, there are sites like TrustedHouseSitters and HouseSittersAmerica that you can use to find people in need of house sitters in your neighborhood.

9. Running errands

People are always wanting to get more things done, and having someone to run errands for them will help them to achieve this.

It may be picking up some groceries, or running the kids to their sports practice – for this, a great driving record is required – if the teen is willing to do what’s needed, then there are many opportunities available.

If you don’t know where to start, use the good old Craigslist to place ads, offering your services while keeping an eye on posts from local folks who may need your service.

Of course, being a tech savvy kid, you can also take advantage of apps like GigWalk and TaskRabbit to find clients.

10. Cleanup service

Cleaning business are hot these days thanks to the massive success of startups like MaidsInBlack launched by young entrepreneurs.

The beauty of starting a cleaning business is that it requires very little. With less than $100 in cleaning supplies, you can launch a cleaning business.

11. Social media expert

This is where the old and the new meet.

Many older and more established businesses realize that they need to use social media increasingly to stay current, yet are struggling when it comes to the practicalities.

The typical teen, who is already active on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and whatever the latest social site is, is remarkably well placed to help an established business with this task.

You can either concentrate on one particular media outlet, such as Instagram, or offer to be the expert in all things social media.

More small business ideas for kids

There are opportunities everywhere.

We just scratched the surface when it comes to kid-friendly business ideas. So put your thinking hat on and get to work.

And if you need more ideas and inspirations, here are some:

1. Senior Errand Service
2. Haul-away Service
3. Snow Removal
4. Plant Maintenance
5. Pool Cleaning
6. Curb Painting
7. Small Engine Repair Service
8. Yard Service
9. Web Design Service
10. Paper Routes
11. Freelance Writing Services
12. Translation
13. Laundry Services
14. Virtual Assistance
15. Proofreading and Editing
16. Video Creation
17. Selling Used and Unwanted Stuff on eBay
18. Gift Wrapping Services
19. Device Set Up
20. Washing Cars
21. Jewelry Design
22. Making Greeting Cards
23. Poop Handler
24. Upcycling
25. Becoming an Online Personality
26. Party Animal
27. Photography
28. Pimp My Ride
29. How-to Videos
30. Garage Sales
31. Lemonade Stand
32. Computer Repair
33. Decoration
34. Party Assistance
35. Moving Service
36. Video Blogging
37. Catering Services
38. Making Stickers with Interesting Sayings
39. Lawn Care Services
40. Weekend Window Cleaning
41. Grow Stuff
42. Kids Taxi
43. Language Instructor
44. Music Lessons
45. Construction Cleaning
46. Gutter Cleaning
47. General Maintenance/handyman
48. House Painting
49. Pressure Washing

Conclusion

The job market is still not where it should be. Even after hitting an eight-year low of 4.9 percent unemployment rate (according to The Bureau of Labor Statistics), a lot of people are struggling to find jobs. Some people are finding out that they have to take matters into their own hand and create their own jobs.

Being an entrepreneur and running your own small business as a kid (or an adult) can an extremely rewarding experience.

If it works out well, what you do may even become a full-time career. But in any case, gaining a little independence and getting the experience of different types of work is invaluable.

This type of work develops your patience and perseverance, as not all things work well all the time. There will be successes and failures, and the person who wins is the one who has, at least, one more success than failure.

I hope these kids and teen-friendly business ideas will spark more ideas for you so you can launch your very own small business.