Do you want to start a business from home or high school as a teenager? If YES, here are 50 best small business ideas for teens & young adults. Being a teenager is not a good excuse to not start making money from your skills or from workable business ideas that are open to all and sundry irrespective of age differences.
As a result, there are loads of teens in the united states and in other parts of the world that have made their marks in the world of business and inventions. There are loads of opportunities waiting for you to exploit and start making money.
Here are 50 highly thriving and profitable business ideas that a teenager who is serious about making money from business should consider choosing from;
Business ideas for Teens and Young Adults
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Open a Video Game Center
Although adults also enjoy playing video games, but the largest group of people that play video games fall within the teenage age group – hence it is pretty much safer for a teenager who is looking towards starting a business to open a video game center.
It is easier for teenagers to relate with fellow teenagers; which is why if a teenager opens a video game center, he or she can easily relate with his or her peers who are the largest market for video games. A standard video game center is a place where people pay to play various video games and also rent video games cartridges et al.
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Open a Video Rental Shop
Video rental shop is another easy to set up business that a teenager who is looking towards starting a business should consider. This type of business will not in any way distract a teenager from studying his or her books; it is a kind of business that can easily be combined with schooling.
So, if you are looking to begin a business as a teenager, a business that you can comfortably operate from your compound, then you should consider opening a video rental shop. You may also consider asking one or two other persons- preferably an adult who is already in the trade about how the business operates. This is so vital so that you will be able to learn the ropes from there.
Another easy to setup business that a teenager who is interested in making money and exploring his creativity and marketing skills can start is making and retailing of throw pillows. Throw pillows are part of what people use to decorate their houses; they are placed on sofas and beds.
If you are creative with colors and designs, then you should consider making and retailing of throw pillows. It is a cool way of making money and if well managed, it won’t affect a student from concentrating on his or her schooling.
You may require garnering some sewing skills as you will be required to make the sack in which the pillow fibers would be contained in. However, if you do not want to be saddled with the sewing task, you may consider having another person do the tailoring, whilst you do other stuff.
Mom and pop Grocery Store is yet another easy to set up business that a teenager can successfully start in their neighborhood.
If you are looking for an ideal retailing business to start – a mom and pop style of business that requires low start – up capital to set – up, then you should consider opening a grocery store in an ideal location within your neighborhood. People visit grocery stores to re – stock their homes from time to time.
This type of business is simple to set up and it is indeed a profitable business. You might not make huge profits from this type of business, but you are sure of maintaining steady cash flow on a daily basis.
If you choose to start this type of business, ensure that you conduct market survey in order to know the types of products to stock your store with. This type of business is likely not going to take the bulk or your time; you will sure have time to study your books.
You don’t necessarily need to start a big and well-structured cleaning company before you make money from the cleaning industry. As a teenager who is interested in starting a business, you can start a small cleaning business; a business that offers cleaning services in and around your neighborhood.
You don’t need to compete for cleaning jobs from corporate organizations with big time cleaning companies; home cleaning jobs will guarantee you steady cash flow.
Just ensure that you aggressively market your cleaning services in your neighborhood and you will be amazed at the numbers of cleaning jobs you will get. From starting as an individual and perhaps an only employee of your business, with tome, you will be able to expand.
Laundry business is another thriving and profitable business that a teenager can successfully start and manage. A laundry business is a business that a teenager can successfully operate from his or her home.
All you need to do kick start this type of business on a small scale are at least a washing machine, a dryer, pressing iron, ironing board and supply of detergents and bleach et al. In starting, you can take permission from your parents to make use of the washing machine, dryer, pressing iron, ironing board, etc. – that is if it is available in your home.
If not, you can source for a startup capital from your parents, uncles, aunts and other family members. One of the good things about this trade is the fact that you can go into this business with little or no experience at all.
Baking and selling of cookies is yet another thriving and profitable business that a teenager who is interested in making money should consider starting; it is easier to learn how to bake cookies. All you need to do is to ensure that your cookies taste good and are well packaged.
With that you are likely not going to struggle to sell your cookies especially to your friends and other kids in your school and neighborhood.
It is a business that a teenager can successfully combine with his or her studies without stress. The cookies market is a very large one, as there are a whole lot 0of people who eat cookies. Whilst some have cookies as a staple food, yet others would ensure that they have it as breakfast.
Baking and selling of cupcakes is yet another thriving and profitable business that a teenager can successfully start. As a teenager you can easily learn how to bake cake from your mom; it is a skill that can easily be learned. You can comfortable sell your cupcakes to your family members, friends, and people in your neighborhood and other kids in your school.
So, if you are looking towards starting a simple business as a teenager, then one of your options is to start baking and selling cupcakes. There are kids and also adult who cannot but want to have a taste of cupcakes. As such, these are the kinds of people that you have got to position your business for at all times.
As a teenager one of the easiest means of making money – especially during holidays from school is to offer babysitting services. There are working class parents who would be more than willing to hire your services especially if you are known to be level headed, focused and caring.
You don’t need any start – up capital to start making money offering babysitting services; all you need is how to successfully take care of babies. All that is required of you as you start this business is to have the penchant for kiddies. You would be amazed at the type of clients that you could possibly attract when you turn your likeness for kiddies into a trade.
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Video Coverage Business
If you are out of high school and looking towards starting a business before proceeding to college, a business that you can successfully build a long term career on, then one of your options is to start video coverage business. Please be informed that you would need to acquire training on video coverage / film making before you can successfully launch this type of business.
You can market your services to those planning weddings, birthday parties, anniversaries, parties and other special events. One of the day through which you can market this business of yours is to have a heavy internet presence. This means that you have got to make your business known through the various social media platforms that is available.
As a teenager it will be nice to organize teen’s programs on television; you will be able to attract sponsorship especially from those who would want to encourage your talent. The reality is that there are loads of teenagers out there who have raw skills in organizing and anchoring television programs.
So, if you know that you are talented in this regard as a teenager, then you should consider starting a program for teenagers on TV.
Organizing radio talk show program for teenagers is yet another means for a teenager who is gifted in broadcasting should consider starting.
If your radio talk show is well packaged and if it addresses pressing issues that affects teenagers, you are likely going to secure lucrative sponsorship deals from the government of your country and also from corporate organizations. It is a cool way to express your broadcasting and organizing skills as a teenager.
If you have penchant for gathering information and disseminating it, then starting a magazine business might be your best bet.
If by chance you belong to press club in your high school, you can successfully leverage on all what you have learnt from such organization to start publishing teen’s magazine. Of course if your magazine covers a wide range of issues and news as it related to teenagers, you are likely not going to struggle to sell every edition of the magazine as long as it is always packed with useful contents.
So if you are considering starting a business a teenager, then one of your options is to start publishing teen’s magazine. Please note that this type of business is demanding; which is why you must be ready to work with other professionals.
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Music, Movies, Computer Games and Apps Download Center.
If you are looking for an easy to setup business to establish, a business that wouldn’t affect your studies and social life as a teenager, then one of your options is to open a center where people can pay to download music, movies, computer games, and apps.
Basically what is needed to start this type of business is a laptop and the willingness to work; it is a business that can be successfully launched with very minimal start – capital. This type of business if well managed will not in any way affect your studies and you can actually run this type of business without renting a shop.
Becoming a virtual assistance is another means a teenager can generate income from. There are several busy business people or organizations that are willing to hire and pay virtual assistants to help to handle some of their job responsibilities.
If you know you have marketable skill sets, then you can earn good money as a virtual assistant. As a virtual assistant you can handle various job roles for loads of clients from the internet; you can handle roles such as responding to emails, online marketing, products listings, webpage editing/ updating, blogger outreaches research and report writings et al.
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Blogging
No doubt blogging is open to all and sundry, as long as you have useful, educative or entertaining contents to share. The actuality of it all is that blogging is all about creating usefully and perhaps educative content for a targeted audience on the internet.
As a teenager if you think that you have good knowledge on a particular subject, you can make money by sharing your knowledge to a wide range of audience via your blog. This is how making money from blog works; if you have good contents on your blog, loads of people (human traffic) will visit your blog.
The larger the traffic that visits your blog, the more money you will make. If your blog attracts huge traffic, you can attract adverts from top corporate organization. You can also earn money from your blog via AdSense, by offering subscription services to members and also selling your products via your blog.
It is common to see teenagers who have mastered computer programming and can successfully build useful software and apps for computers, pads, tablets and smartphones. So, if know you are skilled at developing apps, then you can make good money by developing apps.
Even if you are not skilled at developing apps, it is skill you can acquire within a short period of time especially if you are willing to learn. There are loads of apps that are being sold on apps stores and there is still need for more apps. If you can come up with a unique app, you will be amazed at the amount you can generate from selling the app.
If on the other hand you feel this is something that you might be interested in doing, then you may want to consider going to a school where you can be trained in this regard.
As a teenager, if you have enough time at your disposal and you have good understanding of various social media platforms, then you can start making money by managing social media handles for several busy business executives, politicians, government officials, pastors, celebrities and public figures.
Of course you must display some level of professionalism and expertise before you can be hired to manage social media pages (Facebook pages, Google+, and YouTube et al) and social media handles (Twitter, and Instagram et al) for people, but the truth remains that you can make pretty cool cash from this type of Online business as a college student.
But you must be ready to strike a balance between your studies and this business because it can take the bulk of your time.
Web designing services is yet another highly thriving and profitable business that a teenager who is interested in making money can successfully start.
Statistics has it that there are well over 350 million active websites on the internet and it is not enough to meet the demand of people visiting the internet frequently; there are still pretty much to learn from the internet hence people are opening new websites on a regular basis.
If you know how to design website, you should not restrict the marketing of your website design services to people you can see and visit within your location. There is a large market within the online community waiting to be tapped.
All you need to do is to list your services online and if you are good, you will attract clients from all over the world. Please note that this type of business is demanding and time consuming hence you might want to actively engage in website designing during your holiday periods
The now famous Mark Zuckerberg the founder of Facebook started Facebook in 2004 as a 19 years old lad; so, there is nothing stopping you from launching your own social networking website as a teenager. The fact that there are several big time networking websites does not in any way stop you from starting your own social networking site.
It may take time before you start making money from the site, but with diligence, dedication and hard work, you will sure start generating income from it.
Part of what you need to do is to choose a niche or concentrate on a target audience that can make it easier for you to attract people to you social networking site. For example you can start a social networking site to connect teenagers in your country or teenagers of that share same faith et al.
Graphics designing is yet another business that a teenager can successfully launch even as a student. Graphics designing skill is a skill that any serious minded teenager can easily acquire with his or her spare time. There are loads of people out there who are looking for graphic artist to contract their graphics jobs to.
You just have to be proactive and aggressive in marketing your services. One good thing about offering graphics services is that you can sign a long term business deal with just one clients especially if you are good at what you do.
If you are serious about making money as a teenager, then you should be willing to go all the way to acquire skills that can help your generate incomes during your holidays. One of the skills that you should looking towards acquiring is technical skills; especially in the areas of computers and mobile phones repairs. If you have this skill, you can go into the repair of computers and mobile phones.
It is a highly thriving and profitable business venture that you can successfully operate from a small shop or from your apartment.
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ICT One – Stop – Shop
There are loads of tech inclined teenagers who are active in Silicon Valley; it goes to show that teenagers are highly compatible with technological advancement and innovation. So, if you are interested in the IT world as a teenager, one of the businesses you can start is to open an ICT one stop shop.
An ICT one – stop – shop is place where people purchase their ICT gadgets, download stuffs, buy computers and mobile phones, smartphones, computer accessories, mobile phones accessories repair their computers, mobile phones, cameras and other I.T. gadgets.
The truth is that if your ICT shop is indeed a one stop shop, then you will always smile to the bank because you are sure going to attract loads of clients per day especially if your shop is centrally located in a busy city. Please note that this type of business is capital intensive so ensure that you make plans to generate start – up capital if you want to launch this type of business.
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Sale of Call Cards and Data Bundles
Selling of call cards and data for different network provider is another easy to start business that a teenager can successfully start in his or her neighborhood. Aside from people that subscribe to post – paid packages for their mobile phones / GSM, most people (pre-paid customers) buy call cards and data on a regular basis.
Depending on the country you reside, there are several telecommunications companies that you can deal in their call cards and data bundles. Selling call cards and data bundles is a simple, easy to establish retail business that will not affect your studies as teenager especially if your know how to manage your time.
As a matter of fact, this type of business can thrive in any location as long as there are people who make use of mobile telecommunication and the internet.
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Start an Online Gaming Center
Starting an online gaming center is yet another thriving and profitable business that a teenager can successfully launch. Game lovers all over the world visit gaming sites to register and play various games of their choice. So if you are looking towards making money from the internet, one of the ways you can make money is by starting your own online gaming business; a website where various games can be played by game lovers at an affordable fee.
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Buying and Sell On eBay
Buying and selling happens to be one of the easiest means of making money and one of the biggest online platforms that you can leverage on to make money buying and selling stuffs in eBay. EBay is an internet platform that you can sell your stuffs on.
All you need to do is to sign up for their services, play by their rules in listing selling your products and be extra careful when dealing with your clients.
As a teenager, you can successfully start this type of business with little cash and it could money saved from your allowance. In test – running this type of business, you can start by buying and selling used books that are highly marketable. What is more, be sure that you are over eighteen years of age before you delve into this trade.
Forex trading is perhaps one of the technical and money spinning businesses that a teenager can start especially if they have relevant trainings and exposure to currencies trading. Trading currencies online could be a risky venture but it is indeed a very rewarding online business that is open to all and sundry especially if you have what it takes to engage is such a sensitive business venture.
If you have good analytics skills and you have sound knowledge on cash flow and the exchange market, you can do well as a forex trader. You can Google forex trading platforms and tutorials to learn how to become a professional forex trader.
Freelance writing is yet another easy to launch business that a teenager can successfully. So, if you are a skilled and a creative writer and you have enough time at your disposal, then you can earn good income from freelance writing business.
There are loads of websites you can secure high paying writing jobs from. Some of the sites where you can bid for freelance writing jobs are freelancer.com, upwork.com, guru.com and elance.com et al. From these sites you can get writing jobs that can comfortable pay your bills while you are still schooling.
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Editing and Proofreading Business
Editing and proofreading is yet another easy to start business that a teenager can start during holidays. If you have a good grasp on writing error free English language, then you can start this business. It requires little or no start – up capital to launch this type of business.
The nature of this type of business makes it easier to work from home and for clients who are thousands of kilometers away from your country.
If you are a good editor and you have eyes for details, then you should consider visiting freelancer.com, elance.com, oDesk.com, and tons of more freelance work sites to enroll and become a member. From such platforms, you can get high paying editing and proofreading jobs.
If you are looking towards starting a business as a teenager, a business that will not in any way affect your studies and as a matter of fact a business that will serve as a booster towards your education goals, then you should consider starting a book club.
As a matter of fact, you can conveniently combine a book club with your schooling. Book clubs is basically all about a group of people coming together to discuss a book or books that they have read or the books they are currently reading. It is cheaper to start and to run a book club, but you have to be creative if you want to make money out of your book club.
Aside from the membership fee you will collect from people who want to join your book club, it is important that you design strategies on how to generate income from members of your book club and from other related areas.
If you want to make money from your book club, then you should consider starting a sales book club; with a sales book club, you will be able to sell books at a discount prices to your members and of course your members will be the first set of people to get newly released books from your stable.
Another easy to start, and profitable business that a teenager can successfully launch, a business that requires little or no start – up capital is home tutors services. A teenager can conveniently start home tutor services during his or her holidays, particularly if he or she has flair for teaching and imparting knowledge.
Parents engage teachers to teach their children at home hence there is need for the services of teachers. So, if you are good at teaching, then you should consider starting home tutor services during your holidays. You don’t necessarily need to teach high school students, you can start with elementary school kids in your neighborhood.
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Sell eBooks
Selling eBooks from various authors or books that you authored is another easy means a teenager can earn extra income. If you are good at writing books, there are countless numbers of subjects that you can write about and of course there will be ready market for such subject.
One of the easiest ways to generate money from selling eBooks is to start writing self – help books or books on ‘How To’. For example, if you are good with graphics, you can write a book on ‘How to create your own logo’ there are loads of people out there that will be willing to pay for such book especially if they are affordable and easy to download.
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Sale of Tickets for Events
Selling of tickets for sports events, comedy show, music concerts and other events is another easy and profitable business that a teenager can successfully start with little or no startup capital. People usually purchase tickets in order to watch live sports events.
You can engage in the sale of tickets for football matches, boxing matches, athletics events, rugby events or any event as longs as people are ready to pay to watch the events. This type of business is based on commission; the amount you are expected to make is dependent on the numbers of tickets you sold. It is a business that a teenager can successfully combine with his or her studies without hitches.
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Car Advertising Business
Another cool way of making money from the automotive industry as a teenager is through car advertising business. If you have a valid driver’s license, a car and you love driving around town, you can turn this hobby of yours into a money making venture.
There are loads of advertising agencies looking for cars that can serve as their moving billboards and they are willing to pay pretty well for that.
The innovation in the advertising industry is evolving and new windows for both conventional and unconventional style of advertising are opening up. Advertisers will do all they can to catch up with their target market and branding cars is one of such option.
Another easy to establish but highly thriving and profitable business a teenager who is all out to make money should consider starting is to open a car wash.
The market for car wash is driven by the purchase of cars and the increase in consumers’ spending – in essence, as the general economy of a country grows, more people will buy cars and more people will patronize the services of car wash on a regular basis especially if their driving habits encourages them to do so.
Just ensure that you locate your car wash in a location that is easily accessible by drivers; a busy location in your city will make good business sense.
Photography business is an added highly thriving and profitable business that a teenager who is interested in making money should consider starting.
The basic thing that you would need to launch this type of business is a good camera, laptop, good editing software and good photography skill set. So if you are looking towards starting a business as a teenager, then one of your options is to go into photography business.
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Become a Voiceover Artist
Becoming a voiceover artist is one of the means a teenager can generate income with little or no stress. Your good voice and excellent diction is an asset; with it you can generate extra income for as long as you are willing to work. It is simple, all you need to do is to Google voiceover outsourcing jobs and you will see loads of them.
Ensure that you read through them source for the ones you feel you can handle. As a voiceover artist, you can sign up with an advertising company and they will help you secure voiceover jobs.
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Creating and Selling Online Wall Papers
Creating and selling online wallpapers is yet another easy means a teenager with good graphic skills can make additional income. Although you are not likely going to make huge money from this type of business, but at the same time it is a business that will not take your time. It is a business you can comfortably combine with your education.
Landscaping and lawn care business is one of the businesses a teenager can engage in during holidays; it is an avenue to generate extra income as a student. Landscaping and lawn care business is not one of those businesses that someone can start and make big money from without truly working pretty hard and smart.
If you are looking towards starting this type of business, then you should start with residence in your neighborhood. You can as well offer tree cutting, and snow plowing services alongside your landscaping and lawn care business.
Dogs breeding business is yet another profitable business that a teenager who love dogs can start. Amongst domestic animals, dogs are considered to be one of the closest companions to human. Dogs breeding business is a lucrative business especially in countries where people value dogs.
Dogs are used for hunting, for security as pets, for games and in some climes as a major source of protein. In essence there is a global market for dogs howbeit different breeds of dogs are used for different purposes.
If you are looking towards setting up your kennel, ensure that you source for dog breeds that are highly marketable in your area. It is important to state that it is easier to sell puppies than to sell adult dogs and you can earn good money from dog mating.
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Parrot Breeding Business
Breeding and selling of parrots is business that a teenager can successfully start and manage during holidays. Parrots are interesting birds that are loved by many because of their display of intelligence. Starting a parrot breeding business might not be easy initially-expressly when it comes to sourcing for parrots.
But one thing is certain, if you are able to kick start the business with good spices of parrots (the talking species especially) then you will not struggle to sell and make good profits off them.
There is a large market for parrots although it is rear to see people who eat parrots, but almost everybody that purchase parrots keep them as pets, they are funny and interesting pets to keep as companion. If you are lucky to have an intelligent and lively parrot in your home, there won’t be any dull moment.
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Rabbits Farming
Rabbit’ farming is yet one more highly thriving and profitable livestock breeding business that a teenager who is interested in the agriculture business should consider starting during holidays. There is no law prohibiting that the keeping of rabbits in towns and cities is wrong.
For this reason, Rabbits are good source of protein especially in Africa, Asia and south africa, hence rearing rabbits is a good source of making extra income as a teenager.
Another highly thriving and profitable business venture a teenager who is interested in making money from the agriculture industry should consider starting is to go into fish farming. Fishes are consumed in all parts of the world hence there is a large market for fish.
Over the years, quite a few people have made fortunes from fish farming, as the population is swelling and protein needs are far outstripping the available supply.
Before now, people found it easier to rear only catfish, but in recent time fish farmers can comfortably rear tilapias, trout and salmons fish et al. All you need to get started is a space, tanks or ponds, fingerlings and fish feeds et al. As a teenager, you can successfully combine this type of business with your studies
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Sale of Children’s Educational Materials (Toys, DVDs, CDs and Pads et al)
Another profitable and thriving business in the education industry that a teenager can successfully start during holidays without any form of technical skills is retailing of children’s educational materials.
Materials such as kids learning pads, story books, Lego, jigsaw puzzle, educative video games, educative CDs and DVDs et al are highly sellable as long as you position the business is a location where there are loads of children. You can as well take your goods to schools to market.
Retailing children’s educational materials is indeed a profitable business and anybody can start this type of business. As a matter of fact, you would not need any specially license or permit to run this type of business and it is a business that you can successfully combine with your studies.
It is observed that ladies spend more on shopping when compared to their male counterparts; which is why any business that is geared towards ladies are known to thrive.
As a teenager if you are looking for a profitable business to start, a business that is easy to start and manage, then you should consider retailing hair extensions and a wide range of hair care products. It is a thriving business and profitable business that a teenager especially a female can comfortably start.
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Retailing of Soft Drinks
Retailing of soft drinks is yet another thriving and profitable business which any teenager no matter the part of the world they live in could securely start. There are various brands of soft drinks (Coca Cola, Fanta, Spirit, Pepsi, Schweppes et al) all across the world and companies that are into the production of these soft drinks rely greatly on retailers to help them sell their drinks.
So as a teenager, if you are looking for a means of making money, then one of your options is to go into the retailing of soft drinks. Beyond every reasonable doubt, there is a very large market for soft drinks; and its consumer cuts across people of all age groups.
Some of the major things you need to do to make headway in this type of business is to choose a location where you can easily attract consumers of soft drinks and also to ensure that you have assorted chilled soft drinks for sale at all times. Locations such as; sports centers, public facilities, school and campuses, religious gathering et al. are suitable for this type of business. You can as well run this type of business in your house.
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Ice Block Making and Sale Business
Ice Block making and sale business is one of the retailing businesses that is easy to start and manage; it is a business that won’t take your time as teenager. With effective ice block making machine, all you need to do is to employ a sales girl or sales boy and they will help you handle the business if you aren’t going to be around to sell the blocks yourself.
So if you are looking to start a retailing business that won’t take most of your time; a business that will allow you concentrate on your studies or even keep a 9 to 5 job, then you should consider starting an ice block making and sale business. It is a business that you can successfully operate from your home.
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Start a Gourmet Business
Gourmet business is another stress-free business that a teenager who is serious about making money should consider starting. So, if you are looking for a simple but highly thriving small business to start, then you need to consider starting a gourmet retailing business.
It is indeed a profitable business and if you want to make the best out of this type of business, then you should position your gourmet outlet around a cinema, football viewing center, sports center and outdoors event centers et al.
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Sale of Customized Greeting Cards and Flowers (Bouquet)
As a teenager, one of the suitable businesses that you should consider starting is to go into the sale of customized greeting cards and flowers (bouquet). During valentine, Christmas season and Easter period et al, customized greeting cards and bouquet are always in high demand. You can leverage on such celebrations to sell your customized greeting cards and flowers.
During festive seasons especially Christmas and New Year period people and organizations go all out to appreciate their family members, friends, business partners and customers et al. It is a period where people exchange gifts amongst themselves especially hampers.
There is always a large market for hampers during this period and you intend making extra income during holiday period as a teenager, then you should consider selling hampers during festive periods.
As a matter of fact, if you are able to secure a contract with a corporate organization to supply hampers, you will definitely make huge money from the deal. Selling of hamper is indeed a profitable business that will not in any way affect your studies or social life as a teenager.
Being a teenage could actually in the long run cause you to hit wealth at an early stage in life. Why is this so? Well, this is essentially so because there are lots of folks out there who would be willing to do business with you because you are young and ambitious.