Business ideas for teenage entrepreneurs

[Tate Briggs]

Hello,
I am fourteen years old and am looking to enter the world of entrepreneurship. I do not have a lot of money so I would like to start a business with a low initial investment.
I am eager to learn and have plenty of time to put into the business because I am home schooled.
Any ideas?

 

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[Michael Burgess]

I would suggest starting a service business - something like lawn care, gardening, painting, house cleanups, car washing, or something else you are willing to work hard on.

Service business are good because you can start them for a VERY LOW cost (yes, you will eventually want to put more money into the service business - but usually you can get started for free or close to it!). It also teaches you a lot about business fundamentals, that you can apply to ANY other business in the future. Service businesses will teach you about sales, business licenses, bookkeeping, marketing, networking, professionalism, etc.

I actually have a landscaping company myself and have been really happy with it thus far. It's not "fastlane" in the truest sense of the word - it's still tied to my time, and is limited to a certain area - but is definitely a real business and can be a great start in your business career.

Get out there and start cutting some lawns for your neighbors and family friends... if you try to do a great job and admit to mistakes when you make them, I'm sure people would be delighted to support a young aspiring entrepreneur!

Good luck

 

[ZCP]

Hi, Tate! Have you read the book? Start there. Then read this forum like crazy.

In the meantime.... What would be a list of value, special skills, connections, etc. that you might have? What ideas have you already come up with? What interests do you have? What experience do you have?

 

[Daytraderz]

Yeah, go read as many books as you can right now about positive mindsets, entrepreneurial mindsets, life lessons, literally anything that will give you a greater thinking process in terms of an entrepreneur. You have to be determined, passionate, and confident. I would highly recommend reading "The last lecture" by Randy Pausch, "The 5 lessons a millionaire taught me" by Richard Paul Evans, "Money: Master the game" by Tony Robbins, and if I think of anymore must reads i'll let you know.

I am not saying you're too young to start, but you have a unique opportunity here like I did at your age. You can get completely ahead of the game in the long-run by using this time to build your brain, not your brand. Research and figure out as much as you can until you feel 100% confident in your abilities. Then start with getting YOUR OWN ORIGINAL idea, not by posting on a forums asking others. You have to be passionate about your idea for it to really work and for you to be able to push through the hard times. Start looking for every day opportunities to improve the way you live...

do you get pissed off when you stub your toe on stairs? Oh maybe you can make a rubber piece to go along the edge of stairs (this is a thing, it's just an example of a thought like that).

As you do this more and more you will always be thinking of ways to improve your life and those around you, that's where the idea comes fromm. Then you get a really good idea, and since you already read a bunch of books on starting a business and running one when you were young, you can just jump straight into it. This is a very general response but I hope it helps.

 

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[Vigilante]

If I were 16, I would do this :

https://logistics.amazon.com/

 

[Dwight Schrute]

These threads could be helpful:

https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/getting-started-is-this-simple.63602/
https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/co...ey-for-dummies-and-in-a-crowded-market.63123/

And maybe a job *shudders*

 

[Tate Briggs]

Yeah, go read as many books as you can right now about positive mindsets, entrepreneurial mindsets, life lessons, literally anything that will give you a greater thinking process in terms of an entrepreneur. You have to be determined, passionate, and confident. I would highly recommend reading "The last lecture" by Randy Pausch, "The 5 lessons a millionaire taught me" by Richard Paul Evans, "Money: Master the game" by Tony Robbins, and if I think of anymore must reads i'll let you know.

I am not saying you're too young to start, but you have a unique opportunity here like I did at your age. You can get completely ahead of the game in the long-run by using this time to build your brain, not your brand. Research and figure out as much as you can until you feel 100% confident in your abilities. Then start with getting YOUR OWN ORIGINAL idea, not by posting on a forums asking others. You have to be passionate about your idea for it to really work and for you to be able to push through the hard times. Start looking for every day opportunities to improve the way you live...

do you get pissed off when you stub your toe on stairs? Oh maybe you can make a rubber piece to go along the edge of stairs (this is a thing, it's just an example of a thought like that).

As you do this more and more you will always be thinking of ways to improve your life and those around you, that's where the idea comes fromm. Then you get a really good idea, and since you already read a bunch of books on starting a business and running one when you were young, you can just jump straight into it. This is a very general response but I hope it helps.

Thanks for the advice. I will pick up some books and try to expand my knowledge as much as possible

 

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[Blitz]

Read Arbitrage by Chris Green. Essentially just finding market inefficiencies and becoming the middleman. Little to no capital needed and not very complicated. Very fun, can do it with your buddies like I did. Kinda like a treasure hunt and you can make good money even for an adult.

The most important thing you can do at your age is READ imo. You can soak in the wisdom of people far wiser than yourself and it will put you miles ahead of most kids your age. Stay humble about it though.

 

[becks22]

These threads could be helpful:

https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/getting-started-is-this-simple.63602/
https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/co...ey-for-dummies-and-in-a-crowded-market.63123/

And maybe a job *shudders*

Yes I know having a traditional job isn't fastlane at all but at a young age, you can get valuable skills from a job. My first job was waitressing at 16 which I did throughout high school and college. It was a crappy job but it paid 3/4 of my college expenses and it taught me a ton about working with people, dealing with co-workers and managers, sales skills, customer service skills etc. All skills that I still use now and I can also still carry 5 plates at once too which is a plus at dinner parties.

Also agree with reading TFM which is a plus. It's an easy read and can be done in one weekend if you are really motivated.

Question about being home schooled-- can you add any curriculum and start to focus on business skills? I went to community college for my first 3 semesters and there were quite a few kids who were home schooled and were taking one or two college classes while still only being 16 or so. I would look into maybe taking an accounting class or something like it if you can.

 

[RHL]

14 years old. Wow.

What you have her my friend is an unparalleled opportunity. You're at the age right now that most people are thinking of when they say "If I could go back and do it all again..."

You are in a very dangerous place. This forum will teach you, prod you, torment you into trying things your friends and probably even family would never dream of attempting. You could experience exhaustion and heartache and anger that will beyond what a kid your age is "supposed" to feel, but you could also experience a life that most of us only found out about when we were 10, 20, or 30 years older than you are. This forum has what you need. You are incredibly fortunate. Don't screw this up.

 

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[TedM]

If I were 16, I would do this :

https://logistics.amazon.com/

Amazing.

Same as AirBnB or Uber - utilizing existing excess capacity.

This is also in Tesla's master plan (near the end):

You will also be able to add your car to the Tesla shared fleet just by tapping a button on the Tesla phone app and have it generate income for you while you're at work or on vacation, significantly offsetting and at times potentially exceeding the monthly loan or lease cost. This dramatically lowers the true cost of ownership to the point where almost anyone could own a Tesla. Since most cars are only in use by their owner for 5% to 10% of the day, the fundamental economic utility of a true self-driving car is likely to be several times that of a car which is not.​

 

[TheGrind]

I'd say try freelancing (copywriting?) to get some capital. But also learn copywriting, it's an invaluable skill.

Then maybe look into launching a dropshipping or FBA site. Maybe flip sites.

By now you'll have decent capital and you're at a young age. Launch a startup?

 

[Guest34764]

Best thing to do is get involved.

Yes, reading books and the forums are cool and all, but the only book you could truly need is the Millionaire Fastlane .

If I were you I'd come up with something to sell.

You could try selling candy at school, sell it during lunch time for a 1$ each.

Anywho, bravo for reaching the forums.I'm two years ahead of you but I wish I started at 14.

 

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