Jennifer's Top 10 Teen’s Business List

By Jennifer Dean

1. Teaching Music Lessons to young children (voice, violin, piano, etc.)
2. Homeschool Tudor- help homeschool Mom’s with their young children. Getting assignments done, helping with Math, etc.
3. Lawn Care Business-mowing, trimming, raking leaves in fall
4. Pet Groomer-In home
5. Bread/Dessert Baking- Be creative. It can be whatever interests you. Open a internet store specializing in candies. Make wedding cakes and/ or birthday cakes.
6. Raising and selling AKC dogs
7. Housecleaning
8. Snow Removal- driveways
9. Helping Hand-check with the people of your church, neighbors, your homeschool group. Does any one need some painting done around their house? A garage that needs cleaned out? Yardwork? An unfinished “honey do” list lying around?
10.Farmer’s Market-baked bread, jellies, pies, cookies, fresh eggs, produce, flowers

These were all ideas that I came up with as a teenager. You would have to find out what your city and or state laws would be with some of these business ideas. These ideas can be changed depending on where you live. If you are in the city contact your church, schools, dance studio, pre-schools, and homeschool group to advertise that you are teaching music lessons. If you live out in the country this may not be the best business to try. There may not be very many parents willing to drive to your home.

Lawn Care can be all season if you live in a snowy state. Add driveway snow removal to the lawn mowing, trimming, and leaves raking. If you live in the country and know how to care for livestock or do chores with certain or most animals there’s something you can look into. Try Farm Sitting & Chores Help. I have farm sat for 2 weeks taking care of all the chores and animals that needed fed while friends were on vacation. I live down the road from a diary farmer who hasn’t been on vacation for years. You can’t leave dairy cows alone while you enjoy time off!

If you raise AKC dogs you could also learn how to groom dogs! If you live in the country and know how to ride a horse, or train them, there would be all kind of possibilities of a business to begin. You can teach riding lessons (with a pony) to young children. Train horses. Breed and sell a few foals. Host a “Day at the Farm” where you have a large group (like a homeschool or school group) come to see the farm and animals and go for a hayride. Or have a campfire with singing if you don’t have a tractor and hay wagon around.

With a Helping Hand business you can do the same type of creative thinking. In the city there could be painting, garages, yard work and more. In the country there could be barn stalls to muck out, electric fencing to run up, garden weeding, canning help,summer farm help, and more. With the Farmer’s Market you do want to check into local ordinances about baking in your kitchen for profit. I have several friends who sold at Farmer’s Markets and did well. It seems wisdom to bring a good variety of items. If you can bring fresh eggs, honey from your own hives, and more give it a try.

You can try raising pigs, some beef cows, or have bee hives. Check the market prices in your area before you begin. It can be a good learning experience along with some profit for your teenager. Find something your teenager enjoys and start thinking from there!