19 Business Ideas for Teenagers (from Actual Teens Making Money)

What if your teen wants to do more than just earn extra cash here and there? Check out these cash-earning business ideas for teenagers.

Business ideas for teenagers – this is an article about more than just ways to earn extra cash as a teen.

<though that’s great, too>.

These are ideas that a teenager could take and potentially turn into a business.

Because actual teens are doing these things, right now as you’re reading this!

I’ve included tons of real-life examples from actual teens who either came up with the idea themselves or stumbled upon it, tried it out, and made it their own.

Business Ideas for Teenagers

A side hustle vs. a business – what’s the difference between these two?

A side hustle is usually a flexible way to earn money “on the side”, or outside of a full-time job. A business is a more intentional selling of a product or a service for a (hopefully) consistent profit.

You’ll hear lots of stories from real teens who started something as a way to make extra cash to pay for something specific they wanted, and then turned that side hustle into a business with repeatable products and a customer base.

Don’t worry – your teen doesn’t have to start out to build a business.

The great thing about these ideas is that your teen can try multiple ideas out, see what they like and where they see a future with, then develop that idea further into a whole business (if they’d like).

1. Sticker Creation & Selling Business

Have you noticed the thousands of sticker choices available on the internet for purchase?

Nothing like when I was a kid, and there was a small stationery area at our local pharmacy shop to pick from.

Lisa from Sticker Guru started her sticker business at the age of 17. After wanting planner stickers but seeing how expensive they were on Etsy ($3-$4/sheet), she was inspired to make her own more cheaply.

Her total cost to start her business was about $200 for supplies.

Just six months into her business, she hired her best friend to help, paying her $10/hour to help with cutting stickers.

You can read more about her journey here.

13-year-old Bradley Page was motivated to start his own sticker business when he wanted to buy more Legos.

Fascinating story!

Here’s a great video on how to start a sticker business.

2. Turning Art into Products

16-year-old Ava founded TheRowdyCowgirlCo, where she turns her own artwork into fun products like stickers, T-shirts, coffee cozies, and more.

Ava’s mother, Emily – who has a passion for teaching and speaking to parents of young or potential entrepreneurs – writes, “She actually started her business journey at just 12 years old, selling handmade jewelry under the name Ava’s Art Jewelry Designs.”

With all that experience in her early teen years, Ava decided to rebrand into a boutique brand and really grow her business. 

She currently sells at local markets and even has her pieces in a shop in town.

Just how much has this teen business idea made her? Well, she saved enough from her profits to buy her first car at just 14 years of age, and she gives 10% of her profits to Operation Christmas Child.

Find out more about her and her products here.

3. CO2 Laser Printing

Have you ever heard of CO2 laser printing? I hadn’t, either.

Basically, it’s a way to engrave different materials.

12-year-old Asher, who began in 3D printing, now has a business using CO2 laser printing together with CAD (Computer-Aided Design) software to create rustic laser-crafted goods.

His mother Emily, who “always taught my kids that if they're going to be online to be creators and not consumers”, says, “his paycheck from the brick and mortar is a consignment percentage and so it’s not as high as outright sales. He probably brings about $200 a month. Vendor markets bring more, but he chose not to sit out in the Texas heat this summer. He has a few planned for this fall that he is currently building up inventory for.”

Learn more about Asher and his products here.

4. Reselling Vintage Clothing

Asa Fletcher has reached around $4,000/month by sourcing vintage clothing at thrift stores and reselling them on both Depop and eBay.

He feels Depop is much better than eBay at this point in terms of fees and getting your listings seen. They charge around 5% on transactions larger than $10 and 10% on transactions under $10.

He finds that older vintage stuff and Y2K stuff sell really well. He keeps a documented spreadsheet of all his business expenses so that he can write those off when doing his taxes.

Other places to resell clothing are Poshmark and Mercari.

5. Worm Farming

One of the most unique home-based business ideas kids can do is to start a worm farm. Your child can sell the worms to bait shops, organic farmers, etc.

I even found this 12-year-old girl who started her own successful worm farm business.

Worms double their population every 3 to 6 months, and you can sell your worms to farmers, fisher people, garden shops, and more.

Here’s a way to set up your first worm farm for just $5.

I’ve seen people selling worms for between $1 and $3.50/dozen.

Hint: Like what you see? Here are 16 kid business ideas you might want to check out.

6. Wig Styling for Cosplay

Sixteen-year-old Natalia has wanted to sell styled wigs for 2-3 years and was given the opportunity to fill out a business plan at her school (love that!).

Her mother says,

“My daughter started cosplaying when she was about 12-13. Harley Quinn from Suicide Squad started it all! We started going to “comicons” and Animethons in our area, and she was HOOKED! She developed a passion for styling her own wigs because when they arrive/or are store-bought, there is little detail. Natalia is a stickler for the finest details when it comes to wigs for characters. She's very precise.”

Her parents bought her some salon-quality cutting tools, and Natalia taught herself some unique techniques in styling.

Natalia wants to focus on cosplay stage play, and teens to adults at the moment. Her strategy to find these clients is through Amazon or Facebook – all online.

She hasn’t nailed down her pricing yet (this will come with experience). She works for either a flat rate or by the hour right now. Her average cost for materials is $80, and she sells the wig for $120. This means her profit is right around $40. This is a profit margin of 33.33% ($40/$120 * 100). Her plan is to invest most of this back into the business until she starts getting steady income from it. 

7. Create and Sell Seasonings Product Line

Lily Bond noticed that most seasonings on the market were overly salty and full of additives and preservatives.

At the same time, she wanted to buy a laptop for high school but had to come up with her own money.

At 13, she began creating and tweaking her own recipes for taco seasoning packets. Spyce Girlz was born.

For the first several months of her business, she sold her taco seasoning at local farmers’ markets.

Within just 3 months, grocery stores were calling to offer shelf space for her products, and she expanded to different seasonings.

8. Create an App Based on a Need

After seeing a need for farmers selling their produce at local farmers’ markets to connect with customers and deliver their product online, 11^th-grader Krishna Mano created an app.

The app, Krishi, allows farmers to create and update their accounts online with their available products. Then local consumers can look for nearby product options, and then drivers will pick up the product and deliver it (sort of like DoorDash).

Psst: You can grab some free printable mobile app creation worksheets here.

9. Amusement Park Mother’s Helper Service

There are tons of Moms trying to take all of their kids (and keep them all happy + together) to amusement parks, splash pads, water parks, etc., in the summertime.

Trust me when I say – it can be exhausting!

Instead of being a “Mother’s Helper” at home, come up with a business model where your child goes to the recreational area WITH a mother and her family, and then help them with whatever she needs to keep everyone happy. Could be taking one kid on a ride while she takes a different kid on a ride. Or watching the other kids while she goes to the bathroom with her little one.

Psst: great thing about working for a mother? If she likes you, she’ll tell all her Mom friends. Referrals are a fantastic way to get more customers!

10. Vending Machine Business

If your child has a bit of money upfront to buy a vending machine (you can get used ones, like the girls in the video did), stuff it full of candy, and find vendors to allow their vending machine in their shop. A great start to creating a vending machine business.

Watch Jade and Jala refilling their vending machine in this video to get an idea.

Their mother got them started in the business by purchasing a vending machine for $40 off of Facebook Marketplace. They put the vending machine in a hair salon, and after two months, they had $137.50. Candy costs were $25 to restock it.

Quite a nice profit!

11. Doggy Treats Bar at the Doggy Park

Lots of people own a dog, and dogs are being treated more and more like human family members.

These healthy, homemade treats could be just the thing a doggy parent would like to buy their friend while they’re on an outing at the Doggy Park.

Plus, they’re cheap and easy to make!

Doggy Treat #1

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Oat Flour
• 1 15-ounce can of sweet potatoes (water and sugar)

Instructions:

• Step #1: Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
• Step #2: Blend Rolled Oats until they turn into oat flour (or just use 2 cups of Oat Flour).
• Step #3: Drain the can of sweet potatoes, then mash them.
• Step #4: Combine the two ingredients until they make a dough.
• Step #5: Either roll it to about ½ inch thickness and use a cookie cutter to make the doggy treat. OR, roll it into 1-inch or 1.5-inch balls.
• Step #6: Bake on a cookie sheet for 20 minutes.  

Creates: 20 doggy treats

Doggy Treat #2

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Oat Flour
• 1 ¼ cup black beans
• ¼ cup applesauce

Instructions:

• Step #1: Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
• Step #2: Blend Rolled Oats until they turn into oat flour (or just use 2 cups of Oat Flour).
• Step #3: Drain the can of black beans and rinse them. Mash the black beans.
• Step #4: Combine the oat flour, the black beans, and the applesauce until it makes a dough.
• Step #5: Either roll it to about ½ inch thickness and use a cookie cutter to make the doggy treat. OR, roll it into 1-inch or 1.5-inch balls.
• Step #6: Bake on a cookie sheet for 20 minutes.

Creates: 20 doggy treats

Hint: Don’t forget to create labels with ingredient information, in case a dog has a food allergy.

12. Sneaker Restoration & Deep Cleaning

People spend a lot of money on sneakers at this point in time. And they want them to last, and have that brand-new look to them.

15-year-old Antonio Davis saw an opportunity while very, very bored during 2020 and started a sneaker restoration and deep cleaning business in his parents’ basement.

Not only does he deep clean, de-scuff, and otherwise make sneaker owners’ shoes shine again, but he also occasionally buys quality sneakers from thrift shops and restores them to sell.

Find his pricing and lots of photos on his Instagram.

Also, here’s a video on how to start a sneaker restoration business.

13. Frozen Cookie Dough Delivery Business

10-year-old Ella created a frozen cookie dough business called Dough at Your Doorstep.

She made new cookie dough batches about once a week, then flash-froze them.

She also made a flyer and a Google form where local people could place their orders and receive free shipping.

You could even sign up for a membership, where you receive a half dozen balls of frozen cookie dough ($16 a month) or a dozen balls of frozen cookie dough ($32 per month).

Pretty neat!

14. Cookie Selling Business on Facebook

Speaking of cookies…

Bethany says, “My 14-year-old took 10 cookie decorating classes with our homeschool co-op. She has been selling cookies since June and making good money!”

Her daughter charges between $18 and $24 a dozen (and more for cookies free from gluten and natural dyes, or if they want them wrapped).

The cost is around $4 – $5/dozen to make (more if they’re gluten-free). The most costly ingredients are butter and meringue powder, and they now buy them in bulk to decrease the cost.

Bethany says, “Right now, she sells to people on my FB – so people I know. But a friend is making her a logo so she can get a FB page running. She plans to expand into cake pops and cupcakes soon. She took a cake decorating course too through our co-op. She does well with my friends alone. She had 6 dozen due this previous week. Her 4th of July special sold 15 dozen!”

15. Creating Roblox Digital Games

Alex started creating his own Roblox games within the Roblox platform that others could play when he was 9.

As a teen, he created a game called Jailbreak, and it really took off.

People can play the game for free, and then they can pay to upgrade things within the game, like their car. When someone buys an upgrade with Roblox currency, they can cash it out.

Alex actually ended up funding his college education from this game!

Here’s another story of a teen getting a $3 million buyout from his soccer-themed Roblox game.

Here’s a beginner’s tutorial for how to create your own Roblox game.

16. Make Homemade Candles

15-year-old Kierra made her first homemade candle as a Father’s Day gift for her Dad.

Which inspired her to start Kandles by Kierra, the business she runs, where she creates and sells dessert and drink-inspired candles.

Here’s the book she wrote, documenting her business journey.

17. Doggy Poop Scooping Business

What makes this a good business for beginners is the potential to do it in your own neighborhood and the relatively low starting costs.

13-year-old Kyle started his $250/month business with some simple tools: a double-layered plastic bag, rubber gloves, a five-gallon bucket, and dog treats.

He charges customers $40/month, or a one-time fee.

So far, all of his customers have been in his neighborhood. However, there’s opportunity for him to be bought out or to expand and franchise his business.

Only time will tell where he takes it!

18. Campground Gourmet S’Mores Kits

Do you guys live near campgrounds (or at least one)?

You could create gourmet s’mores kits, put them in a nice display, and ask campground owners to display them to sell at their front desk. You would want to offer them part of the profit.

Check back in with the owner to see if they need more supplies as the season goes on (hopefully, they will!). And keep good records of how many you drop off at each camp so that you know how many were sold and what you should be owed (minus the cut for the campground owner).

19. Digitize Old Photograph Service

Many people have tons of old photos that need to be scanned and digitized (meaning, scanned and made into a .jpg file).

What a great service your child could work on! Check to see if your printer (if you have one) has a scanner included on it (you can also use a smartphone). Help your child learn how to scan in a photograph, and anything else needed. They’ll also need to learn how to price a project of various sizes.

Market their new service to friends and family first, as they practice and get better at it.

Hint: here’s an article on how to digitize printed photos.

That's a wrap on these business ideas for teenagers list – I hope so much your own teen gets inspired and tries their own business idea. They'll learn so much, even if it doesn't end up creating a profit at first!