Inside: How to become a teenage entrepreneur in simple steps you can start today.
Now that the internet exists, there are so many more opportunities for teenagers to create streams of income online. From creating an Etsy shop to running a blog, these new business options are amazing. The best time to start is now.
So that is why I thought I would show you how to become a teenage entrepreneur in 12 simple steps! This is your guide to becoming a successful business owner while you are still in your teens. What are you waiting for? Let’s get started!
How to Become a Teenage Entrepreneur Step One: Brainstorm
This is a very fun period. You are still a teenager, and the world is your oyster, so don’t create a business where you spend your time doing something that doesn’t interest you. You have the ability to create a job that you truly love, so do not sell yourself short to succeed.
Take some time to journal about all of the things that you enjoy. Write them all down, and then when you are done, look at your list, go down the line and see if any of these would be something that you could turn into a cash stream.
I know from experience that doing something that you love for a job can quickly take the fun out of it, so I suggest really picturing whether you could see yourself doing this work every single day.
Step Two: Refine
Now that you have your list of hobbies, you can start refining them. As I said above, maybe avoid turning your go-to hobby into your career because it could zap the fun out of it. Instead, choose one that ranges in the middle: you still enjoy doing it, and picturing yourself working on it every day won’t sound terrible.
Keep your favorite hobby in the safe zone.
How to Become a Teenage Entrepreneur Step Three: Research
Now that you have refined your hobbies and hopefully have a few solid ideas, it’s time to get researching. You need to calculate your business costs: How much it will be to make it, how long until you can get a profit back, and how much money you will need to start.
This is also a great time to get to know your audience and customers. You need to find a field that will help them solve a problem(more about this in the next step).
Step Four: Find a Way to Solve Their Problem
Chances are you are going to be starting this business online. This is a golden era of connectedness and opportunities thanks to the internet, but there are certain roadblocks as well.
Since so many people online are trying to start businesses, getting lost in the crowd can sometimes be really easy. To succeed, you need to offer something. You need to solve your customer’s problem…so to speak. This can be with anything, from jewelry to home decor.
They have a need, and you can fill it. For example, you could come up with a way to make a handmade crochet throw blanket that actually holds up in the washing machine. It’s specific, and it solves a problem while still being cool.
How to Become a Teenage Entrepreneur Step Five: Find Your Niche
Like I said above, the internet is vast and full of possibilities…and people. So you are going to want to stand apart from the crowd; this is how you will be seen. The best way to do that is to niche down.
What does this mean? Well, the best way for me to explain this is with an example. Let’s say that you make earrings. You make all sorts of different kinds, from shrinky dink to resin to metal. With your shop trying to hit so many different audiences at once, it will be easy to get lost in the noise.
So instead, choose one main thing to focus on for a while at least while you grow your following and your business. So instead of all earrings, you could make the majority of your earrings resin craft earrings. And you can niche down even further and make floral resin craft earrings. Are you picking up what I am putting down?
Step Six: Come Up with a Catchy Name
This part will take some brainstorming on your part. You want something that is easy to remember, so come up with something good. Make sure it goes along with what your business is about!
Step Seven: Come Up with Your Slogan
Now it’s time for your slogan. This might sound off, but it doesn’t have to be as gimmicky as you think. When you hear the word slogan, you think of something funny or that rhymes. Like how Bounty Paper Towels has ” Bounty, the quicker picker upper.”
Your slogan is basically a one-sentence that sums up your product in a fun way. So think about what yours is and what your slogan should be.
Step Eight: Make Your Product
Now you need to stalk up on your product. Hopefully, you already know what you are doing, but if you are still learning, that’s okay! Take some time to really perfect your craft. It’s always good that it has a decent-sized stock before launching.
If you are going a different route that isn’t about selling something, this is your time to start creating. Whatever it is your business is about, you are going to need to have something to give. So get to work!
Step Nine: Start Engaging on Socials
Next up, we have perhaps one of the most important portions of this article. Now that you have done the other steps, it is time to get out there. It never hurts to have a good following. In fact, it can only benefit you.
So create social media pages and consistently post about your product or business. You can even post about the behind-the-scenes of getting everything put together for launch!
Social media is it’s own beast, and there are tons of tips on how to do this online, here is one of my favorite articles.Â
How to Become a Teenage Entrepreneur Step Ten: Launch
Now is the time to launch. This can be nerve-wracking but also very exciting. Know that this is a big undertaking, but it will be well worth it in the end. The beginning may actually be quite slow, but don’t let that get you down. It is all a part of the process.
On launch day, kick your social media posts up a notch. This is your best option for exposure.
Step Eleven: Be Consistent
I know better than anyone how hard it can be to keep trying when you aren’t getting any sales or any traction. But this takes time. That is why it is awesome that you are learning how to become a teenage entrepreneur this early because, by the time you are an adult, you will be so much further ahead than if you waited.
Step Twelve: Make Money
By being consistent and sticking to it, you are well on your way to becoming quite the successful teenage entrepreneur.
Conclusion
I hope that you found this article to be helpful. I think it is so awesome that you are thinking about starting your own business. This is a very exciting process that I am so glad to be a part of!
I think my biggest piece of advice if you take nothing else from this, is consistency. If you just stick to something and be consistent in it, you are bound to be successful in time. You got this!
I am Natalie, the eldest sister of two teens. I hope to bring not only a fresh outer perspective but an internal one as well when writing here.