Small businesses are more popular than ever in 2022, and people all over the world are starting businesses in areas that we never thought were possible five or ten years ago. With more and more people starting their own businesses this year, the economy is booming and people everywhere are finding more and more ways to support themselves financially or make more money on the side.
Teenagers are some of the most hardworking, resourceful, and motivated people on this earth. However, if you’re a teenager reading this article, chances are that you want to start a small business but don’t know where to begin. We’re here to give you some ideas.
In this article, we will take you through a list of 20 small business ideas for teens to make money that require little to no money to start. While some of the jobs don’t require a specific skill set, others rely on a skillset that you probably already possess!
Nowadays, when many teenagers setting up businesses, we are recommending all of these small business ideas to you because they allow you to remain in charge of your own schedule while maintaining flexible work hours, and many of them can be done from the comfort of your home.
Getting a job at a young age is a wonderful thing, because it allows you the chance to learn responsibility, while also earning your own money. However, if you’re in a position to maintain a good balance between your work and home life, we’d recommend that you remember to take time off, so that you don’t feel overworked and exhausted all the time.
On that note, let’s take a closer look at some small business ideas for teenagers to make money!
Table of Contents
Here are the Best Small Business Ideas For Teens to Make Money
Academic tutor
Our first idea is to become an academic tutor. By becoming a tutor, you’re giving yourself the chance to use the knowledge you’re gaining at school to help other students gain knowledge themselves! One of the best things about becoming a tutor is that you choose which days of the week you’re available to teach other kids, while still making sure that you have enough time to focus on your own studies. We would highly suggest that you choose only one or two subjects to tutor other kids in, because you might find that you’re spreading yourself out too thin otherwise. For instance, if you’re good with math, you could tutor someone in trigonometry and calculus. If you’re good with language, you could stick to those. You may also find some excellent tutors in Sydney to help you with your maths learning.
Car washing
Car washing is one of the easiest jobs to do! If you live in a neighbourhood where you want to get to know people a bit better, you could consider going to people’s houses and asking them if you could wash their cars. One of the best things about starting your own small car washing business is that you can charge different amounts of money based on the sizes of the cars in your neighborhood. If you have a printer at home or lots of spare time, you could put together a few fliers and distribute them among people so that they know about your pricing rates and what time you’re available. All you need to wash a car is a big bucket, some window cleaner, and a sponge. After that, you’re all set to begin.
Child care
If you’re someone who loves to play with children, then this small business idea might be right up your alley. You could start a small babysitting business! Babysitting is one of the more inflexible jobs out there, especially if you are a full-time student. However, if you have the time and energy to take care of young children, then you’re all set. If you’re not comfortable with young kids but still need to make some money quickly, we would suggest that you start with babysitting only one child at a time. Taking care of two or more young kids can be challenging, especially if you aren’t comfortable with kids.
Pet sitting or dog walker.
Some of us prefer dogs over people. They are sweet, loving, and fun animals who are always willing to play with you! If you have many pets, you could sign up to take care of them by taking them for a long walk. Dog walking is great because you get lots of exercise, and you can run other errands!
Web designer
If you are comfortable with a computer and enjoy working with web design, this small business idea is excellent. To begin with, you could create a professional-looking website that will give clients an idea of what to expect from you if they choose to hire you. After that, all you need to do is promote yourself and your skills on social media, and you’re all set to get started.
Social media influencer
All the teens of today have an incredibly powerful tool at their disposal: the internet. While the net has, admittedly, been around for several decades, the social media websites that require the internet have grown in ways that we would never have thought were possible a few years ago. If you’re interested in becoming a social media influencer, all you need to do is figure out your niche online and start creating a space for yourself.
House sitting
Our next pick is house sitting. It’s important to note that this small business idea is perfect for those who want to make some money during the summer months or other times when you have a vacation period. Most house-sitting jobs don’t involve any specified tasks, which is why we’re recommending it as part of our top ten small business ideas! You’ll only need to do jobs like watering plants or collecting packages. If you’re older, you might be tasked with the responsibility of living at the house you’re house-sitting for. Overall, we’d highly recommend this small business idea.
Errand-running
If you’re a teenager who has access to a car for several hours a day, then errand running is perfect! You can do things like pick up dry cleaning or groceries, fill someone else’s car with gas, or simply help others out with whatever tasks they need to get done. Errand-running is perfect because you can both earn some good money while also helping people who might have limited mobility. A good thing about errand-running is that you can work according to your schedule as well.
Seasonal chores
If you’re someone who has free time during specific periods of the year, you can help people out with various seasonal chores. For instance, if you have time during the holiday season, you can shovel snow, help your neighbors put up their Christmas lights and decorations, or even help them wrap gifts! Seasonal chores are a great way to earn money when you have free time while also being able to give back and help other people out.
Selling handmade crafts
Selling crafts that you’ve made by hand is another great way to make money. For instance, if you’re a knitter or crocheter, you can start selling your knitwear to people. You could also keep an eye out for craft fairs and exhibitions and rent a stall to sell your crafted items there as well.
Photographer or videographer
If you’re a talented videographer or photographer, then this one’s for you! You could start by taking photographs of children’s birthday parties or other special occasions that a family might want to remember forever! Once you begin to build a name for yourself, you can start to take photographs of weddings and other high-profile events!
Art Teacher
Art is something that brings people together all over the world. If you consider yourself a creative person, you can teach others about art. A wonderful thing about art is that it doesn’t always require fancy materials or lots of expertise. As long as you and your students have some paper and a pencil, they’re all set to get started on their artistic journeys.
Musician
If you’re a musically talented person, then here’s your chance to teach other people. You can teach young children or even adults to sing, play the piano, or use whatever instruments you’re skilled in. Depending on what level you’re at, you can charge students fees based on the number of lessons they take with you, or you can charge by the hour.
Music lessons
Music lessons aren’t always limited to singing and playing instruments. If you know people who want to learn how to read music, you can charge them a certain amount of money and teach them how to read sheet music.
Farmers market vendor
Farmers’ markets are often the perfect places to find fresh produce, but they are also great places to sell things you’ve made. If you’re a creative person who likes crafting, you can sell your arts and craft projects. On the other hand, if you’re a home cook, you can make a few big batches of an edible product and sell it at the farmer’s market!
Candlemaker
Making candles is a lot of fun and a fantastic way to make some money. You don’t need to put in a lot of money to buy candle wax, and once you’ve bought some, you can use old crayons or food coloring to dye. Don’t worry too much about making scented candles because essential oils can cost a lot of money.
Retail arbitrage
If you’re not familiar, retail arbitrage is simply the process of buying something for a low price and then selling it for a higher price. You can keep an eye out at thrift stores and purchase various goods for low prices and then resell them at farmer’s markets or craft fairs for a much higher price.
Graphic designer
Graphic design allows you to put your creative skills to good use. You can design anything with some image editing software. Once you start to put your work out there, the sky’s the limit.
Podcaster
Over the past year or so, podcasts have grown in popularity, and many people have started to start their own podcasts on a variety of topics. You could start your own podcast and charge money for people to listen to it.
Blogging
The last time on our list is blogging. You can earn lots and lots of money from blogging, especially when it is something that you can do from the comfort of your own home.
Conclusion
In this article, we took you through a list of 20 different small business ideas that are perfect for teenagers.
A great thing about a lot of the jobs mentioned above is that they are perfect for all kinds of teenagers with varied schedules. We hope that they help you the next time you or your teenage child needs a job!
About Carson Derrow
