If you are a teenager, you probably are wondering, “The holidays are around the corner; I could use this time to earn some money.” Or, it could be a matter of personal pride, like “I would like to earn some money on the side, to buy the things I want, or simply to have some extra money in the piggy bank”.

You might be contemplating these, or you might be thinking of starting that global multimillion-dollar brand. In this context, you are not alone. A Gallup poll carried out some time back reveals that a large number of teenagers are considering starting a business in their teens. Deductions from the poll disclose that 80% of teens aspire toward being at the helm of their own business, while 40% are considering ideas toward a start-up.

Also, this could be the time to have a go at doing something that you love and get a kick out of being paid for it. You could also consider that since there is no perfect time to get your hands dirty or begin the process of developing those work skills, so you can as well start acquiring them. Also if you do later decide to go down employment route, the skills and discipline are badges you could proudly display to an employer later on.

Mobiles Repair and Utilities

If you do have a passion to repair things, this might presently not be considered an idea for a business per se, but it could be the time to develop the skills to start the business, in let’s say, 8, 9 months, or a year.

As smartphones become the instant go-to communication tool, when we want to reach out to friends, family, colleagues, associates or business partners, these devices are going to be needing some fixing or repair.

You can spend some time scouring the internet for videos on beginners’ guide on how to repair mobile phones or beginning steps to smartphone repairs.

Once you’ve acquired the confidence that you understand the technology behind the putting together of phones, and you’ve tried repairing a few, you can advertise your services to a larger audience. The more clients you get, the faster the word of mouth about how good you are, and the more motivation you would have, to acquire more knowledge in this area.

While making the repairs, you could offer accessories for the smartphones to your customers.

Computer repairs and accessories

Expectedly, teens, these days are more familiar with technology than their parents were. So why don’t we put this knowledge to work. If you are quite familiar with a computer system or laptop and have some knowledge of where the hardware components reside, why not take it one step further, and really learn how computers are put together, and the operating procedures behind them.

While this skill will make you savvy among your peers and the grown-ups around you since computers are going to be around for the foreseeable future, you can be certain that these would be skills that would be in demand for a lengthy period, and you could even grow the business into an empire. Think Michael Dell and Jeff Bezos.

Mobile ICT Instructor

Similar to the opportunity above, however, if you are not inclined to look under the hood to know how things work, you might just decide to focus on the operating use. If you are knowledgeable about the ins and outs of a computer system, and you are timely in knowing what software would be applicable to what task, then you could share this knowledge. The concept of the use of computers to achieve certain objectives is still a novelty to some adults and seniors. This could be an opportunity to show them how it really works. You can create an instruction manual, advertise your services, and schedule periods to teach those who have applied, at their homes or offices.

Online business branding

If you are really savvy with online communication tools, you can use these to your advantage by creating or developing an online presence for small businesses around your locality. Email, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest etc., these are tools that could be used to improve a business product or service offerings. Once you’ve identified prospects that could benefit from this service, you simply draw out a plan on how these can be of benefit to them i.e. improvement in customer communication or increase in sales, and work together toward creating an overall communication strategy.

Social media marketing

Similar to the above, however in the case, instead of facing the challenge of developing an all-around communication strategy for a business or organization, you can offer to assist companies who already have a platform.

As much as you would be a more affordable option to grow-ups who are probably overqualified to handle these jobs, you could be useful in reaching out to a different group of people – customers in your age group.

Mobile Unlocking

How about putting up a service to unlock cellphones that are tied to a particular network? Carrie Green, in her TED Talk, explains how she started an online phone unlocking website, after graduating from law school.

What is required is a laptop, a website, and some partners who would handle the unlocking while you work on the marketing these services to interested persons.

Online Tutor

Do you remember those subjects or courses in school that you were good at, and just stood out from among your peers? Your language lessons, Math, Chemistry, Calculus etc.? You can put the knowledge to use by offering these services to others. What you would need is a laptop, internet connection, and ways to advertise your services. You could have a website built or you search for online marketplaces which are dedicated to advertising the availability of these services.

Another option, if you are quite good in tenses, verbs, phrases and clauses, is to assist to bring foreign students up to speed in their language skills, who are having to learn English as a second language (ESL).

Publish on Amazon Kindle

Some of the time, we do believe there is some sort of knowledge we need to get, so we can get some money. However, the knowledge we need could already be in us.

From guitar playing, to housekeeping, to understanding the nuances on a golf course, cooking and dog walking, some individuals have become famous from being good at one of these.

So if you do identify something you are good at, or you have learnt a novel way to work on a task, i.e. speed reading, cleaning the dishes, knitting or tips to keep your favorite pet happy etc. you can turn this information into a book for sale in the Amazon Kindle store.

Estimates are that the number of books in Amazon Kindle store, in different niches, is about 3.5 million; and that list is growing regularly. You can join the list of published authors, and earnt the right to a residual income.

Mobile App Development

It sure is fun to go through the app store or the play store, and download as many free apps as we want and ‘test-run’ them. What if for one moment, rather than acting the role of the consumer, you choose to be on the providing end?

You might have discovered a niche yet to be filled, in the apps store, or you’ve for long been hoping that a particular app would be introduced to the apps store. Why don’t you have it developed yourself?

You could work with someone who has the necessary skills while you oversee the design and completion of the app.

Having an app in the apps store would not only put you on the map of app developers, but you could be earning residual income for a very long time.

Online tour guide

If you are familiar with the history of your country and you have the inside scoop on the tourist sites, i.e. the monastery, the ruins, the museums, the local cuisines, or unrivalled knowledge of the locality, you can offer to foreigners wanting to visit your country. Websites like Tourbar, PerfectlyDating, Perfectlydate advertise the need for travel guides. So if you are really great at what you do, enjoy meeting people and willing to share your knowledge, you might get a kick from earning some money while at something you enjoy.

The primary objective toward starting the business should be that you simply have a go at it, similar to how the famous quote goes, you simply spelen gratis roulette, which means like playing free roulette. This attitude requires that you view the venture like an adventure. Some businesses out there, presently with a global presence, were begun this way. Michael Dell’s Dell Corporation, Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook and Bill Gates’ Microsoft are some good examples. You simply have a great time running the business or rendering your services, while at the same time, building your knowledge, work skills and your portfolio.