Does your child often talk about having their own small business, even at a young age? Ages 6-7 is the average age when children often start thinking as a young entrepreneur!
Do they love to read about new business ideas and/or enjoy watching shows like Shark Tank or Lego masters?
As a Career Coach and Writer/Publisher, I love to talk with children about careers and also write about Entrepreneurship. It is especially exciting to discuss, when those qualities show in children as early as elementary school!
I believe people are never too young to start their own businesses. The size and scale of the business is not as important as is helping your child further develop his/her brainstorm business ideas!
Here is my top 5 list of great businesses your child can start today!
1) Blogger
Does your child love to share their ideas with others? Perhaps they are better at coming up with ideas, vs implementing them. They can start a blog all about fun business ideas for other kids. This will require the help of a parent or tech savvy friend to help set up the site and monitor feedback to ensure they are speaking in a safe space and with real readers.
2) Elder Care Helper
If you have a child who is very close with an elderly relative or neighbor and you see them helping the person often, this can also be a good small business for them! They can offer to help with light chores in the home or help make phone calls for senior citizens or just sit and read with them. The intergenerational aspect of learning from one another is very rewarding. Why not make it a service also?!
3) Jewelry Maker
With so many DIY projects and options out there, budding artists can make a business out of making jewelry and crafts. You can find materials in both craft stores and believe it or not, local hardware stores such as ACE Hardware (Mahwah NJ) and True Value stores.
A great, fairly simple yet unique DIY jewelry idea: Metal Washer Necklaces
Gather washers of varying sizes from the stores above or online and order cotton or leather cord necklaces (often sold in bulk and low cost on Amazon). Buy non-toxic acrylic paint which adheres to the metal and your junior jewelry designer will have a ton of necklaces made in no time!
You child can sell at local holiday markets and flea markets throughout the year or online!
4) Musician
Does your child love to sing/dance and/or play an instrument? This is best for tween age and up. They can perform at local fundraisers for a fee and also build their musical presence online. Think of starting their own You Tube channel for kids. Safety measures are already in place but you can add more parental controls. If your child is truly serious about acting and singing they should enroll in a local theater group such as Curtain Up Studios ( http://curtainupstudios.com,) which offers amazing opportunities to perform in workshops and full stage productions. He/she can look into working with a respectable agency which may offer opportunities for paid singing/acting gigs.
5) Tutoring Service
Is your child academically inclined and possibly even gifted? While many may find a stigma attached to giftedness, there is nothing to be ashamed about. Your child does not want to brag. They are simply advanced for their age in a variety of subject matters. Great areas to offer tutoring in could be: math, reading comprehension and a foreign language! Math is very individualized and works well in a tutoring setting.
Tutoring services work best for the tween age and up. They can meet at a mutual location/cafe/library if you/they are not comfortable meeting at the "client's" home. Tutoring can be offered online as well. Children are so computer savvy these days, they often help parents with tech related "stuff." Rates can be flexible and determined by the number of sessions created.
While there are seemingly unlimited businesses for kids to start, the above are my favorite 5.
It is also a great idea to review the infamous Occupational Outlook Handbook, found in your local library or bookstore. Children have numerous ideas and this will help narrow them down in order to try their hand at a side business.
I would love to see Home Economics and "shop" taught in more schools today. The young entrepreneur would greatly benefit from more business related classes. If they do choose to pursue a small business, it is also a good idea to look into Greenlight, the debit card for kids.
Reinforcing your child's imagination while also making money in the process is winning combination. A combination which leads to long term positivity and independence.
Good luck!
Elisa
