GETTING INTO THE GAME
Teens starting their own business can take a tip or two from the movie Napoleon Dynamite. Being popular, teamwork and doing good deeds most definitely has its rewards. And being outgoing is a great quality to have if your business requires you to interact with people. Before you get started figure out whom your audience is and what skills are needed to be successful. Once the business is up and running you have to be responsible and reliable.
WAZ UP?:
Parents need to monitor kids and their businesses because some of the consequences they may face if things go wrong can be pretty serious. For example, if a teen is a tutor and they don’t fulfill their obligation the child they are tutoring runs the risk of failing in school. Or, with a pet sitting business, neglecting an animal could cause a pet to get sick.
GETTING STARTED:
Teens and their parents will find tremendous value when they use reliable resources in their search for quality information. My favorite resource (included in Weekend Entrepreneur), is a website created by teen guru Jill Sanborne called www.mycoolcareer.com. This website is busting at the seams with audio interviews from people who excel in their industry as well as ways to find jobs, identify careers, assessment questionnaires to help you figure out what you are good as well as how to find internship opportunities.
Finding out what you have a passion for during the teen years will give you an opportunity to test-drive your dream by starting a part-time business. Also, there is a national organization called Junior Achievement and their website is www.jr.org. They teach you to create a company and how to work with other teens. Teens are mentored by a businessperson and it teaches them to be entrepreneurs.
COOL & EASY TO-DO BUSINESSES FOR TEENS:
Teens can use their skills and abilities to start a variety of businesses including babysitting, tutoring, mowing lawns, errands for senior citizens, car detailing, helping paint houses, cleaning pools, designing jewelry, and creating websites. And, mowing lawns during the summer can turn into shoveling snow during the winter months. The nice part is the flexibility of having your own business and making money.
CHALLENGES:
One of the biggest challenges teens may discover is having an understanding of sales and marketing. Parents need to help their teen figure out what price would be fair to charge and to make sure people don't take advantage of them.
