5 (Scalable) Ways to Make Money Online as a Teenager [in 2021]
It is a common misconception that teenagers don’t make good entrepreneurs. In fact, they typically possess five key qualities that actually give them an edge over adults, and these are: having insight on the latest trends; being great at new technology, especially social media; having a lot of knowledge about various academic subjects; having a lot of influential connections with both their peers and teachers; and being more relatable to younger audiences. What’s more, is that starting a business during or before going to college gives anyone a significant head start and opens up additional options for their career.
Extrapolating from these powerful traits, here are five viable and scalable business ideas for teenagers.
At number five, we have starting a business by utilizing connections within your school. Many students don’t realize this, but high schools are filled with teachers who are more than willing to help, peers who would love to support your projects, and tons of resources. Schools also often offer opportunities like science fairs, project-based learning, and pitch competitions. You could use these as a springboard to get funding and support for your business ideas. As long as something is seen as educational for the student, a school will usually be very supportive and encouraging of it. Market research can be done within a school by just surveying your peers and having them test your prototypes. Clubs can be incubators of like-minded talent. So if you’re still in school, try to take advantage of this unique opportunity!
Next, counting down to number four, we have tutoring, though not in the traditional sense if you want to scale it up. Traditional tutoring would be teaching somebody, usually one-on-one, and getting paid by the hour. While this could very well be a profitable hustle, you could also try to leverage the power of the internet to create something more far-reaching, long-lasting, and even passive. Being an expert on any sort of standardized test like the SAT, SAT subject tests, the ACT, Advanced Placement and A-levels can be extremely profitable because they will always be taken by students around the world. Creating posts or even youtube tutorials for difficult topics can be a way to provide evergreen content and earn passive income. You can monetize those videos or your blog through ads and promote affiliate links for the prep books you recommend. You can even develop these as you are studying for the exams you are going to take anyway, which will enhance your learning, help others, and earn you some money. Even if you’re not an expert yet, you can easily become one by utilizing resources at your school or online. If you’re truly confident, you can even try to sell an online course or ebook on the subject or exam of your choice, though not before you have confirmation of the effectiveness and popularity of your content before you go ahead and release something like that.
Number three is becoming an influencer. If you and your friends consider you a trendy teenager, you may very well have an edge over someone who is older because you’ll be more relatable to younger audiences and also a close follower of the latest trends. While you could become a vlogger or entertainer like the Pauls, it’s generally a lot easier to start a youtube channel and Instagram page based on a specific hobby. For instance, Pewdiepie and Markplier rose to fame by playing video games, especially horror games. Fashion and related niches such as makeup tutorials are also popular. Most hobbies will work, as long as they are not too specific, but the hobby you choose to create content around should also be something you see yourself doing well into the future! As for how you will monetize your content, becoming an influencer isn’t usually something that will pay out immediately, but after you gain a respectable following, which takes work, of course, you’ll be able to run ads on your youtube channel and streaming platforms like Twitch, secure brand deals, sell merch and recommend products as an affiliate.
Next, at number two is social media management and marketing. As a teenager, you’re probably quite good at using the latest social media platforms. And With just a little bit of extra learning, you can offer to manage and grow the social media profiles of local businesses. If they are skeptical because of your age or inexperience, offer to do it for free for a few weeks. Once they begin to see results, they should be more than happy to become a paid client. When you first approach them, it also helps to show them a brochure outlining the exact service you’ll help them with and why they should expect to see increased business as a result. If you’re more advanced, you can even learn social media marketing like Facebook ads to help these businesses scale up exponentially. There are many free online resources that you can learn about Facebook ads from, including free courses run by Facebook itself, which I have linked below: https://www.facebook.com/business/learn
Finally, at number one, we have dropshipping custom-designed apparel, also known as print on demand. Dropshipping is essentially flipping products to sell for a profit online, without you having to keep any inventory and while someone else handles the delivery process. Websites like Teespring and Redbubble, called print on demand websites, allow you to design your own t-shirts, other apparel, and merchandise like phone cases and mugs. As these websites also handle production and delivery (all you need to do is upload your designs!), you can just create a social media page or physical stand to promote and sell your items at a markup. As a student, you’ll undoubtedly be involved in lots of events. One great example I have seen is students who designed and made a killing off merchandise based around something to remember their high school by during graduation season. Also, as a teenager, you’ll likely be privy to the latest viral memes and trends, which you can easily turn into a t-shirt design. For example, the Pewdiepie versus T-series trend, as well as the “OK Boomer” trend were some of the most discussed movements in pop culture and in schools! And with websites like Teespring and Redbubble, completely free to set up a print on demand store! I really like this method because of how easy it is to get started!
https://teespring.com/, https://www.redbubble.com/,
And those were five scalable startup ideas for teenagers. As a student, it’s easy to get lost in academic and social life, but if you take action and start a business now, you could be pleasantly surprised by the number of opportunities out there and how capable you actually are. So, which of these are you going to try out?
