10 New Age Ideas for Kid Entrepreneurs Who Want to Make Money
If your kids are anything like mine, they basically came out of the womb with an entrepreneur spirit and a desire to make money. Then again, maybe you’re hoping to inspire them or spark an interest in the idea of making independent money. After all, as parents, the last thing we want is for our kids is to get stuck in some dead end job that they hate. Making money independently has been one of the best things I have done for myself and I have always encouraged my kids to do the same. Now, I’ve put together a list of ideas on how your wannabe kid entrepreneur can start making money. Quick note: instead of giving you a giant list of things kids can do to make money independently, I am going to put together a shorter, more detailed list so you actually have an idea of how to help get them started!
*This post includes affiliate links. I may earn a commission on my recommendations at no additional cost to you.
First off, know your stuff!
If you have kids who are old enough and are ready to seriously commit to a life of working for themselves, the absolute first thing to do is make sure they have all the right information!
We as parents can do our best to help them out and steer them in the right direction, but the truth is, if we ourselves haven’t ever started a business, we might very easily slow down their potential for success.
Thankfully, there are programs like Boss Club that were created by an experienced team of entrepreneurs and business experts.
Boss Club started as a kit that you could buy but has now scaled to offer online classes that you kids can start doing in literally minutes. They offer curriculums for both Christian and secular homes as well — which makes Boss Club a good addition to any homeschool curriculum you might have.
The best part is, each video is about 5 minutes or less, super easy to follow and will flood your kiddo with the information they need to be successful in business no matter what path they choose! Use my code RENEEBENES to save 10% off Boss Club!
Re-selling
My 12 year old recently ran through the front door asking if she could scoop up the free toys that were at the end of our neighbors driveway. I scrunched my face and reminded her that those toys were meant for kids in an age bracket much younger than her.
She insisted that she knew this, but wanted to bring them home, clean them up and sell them online! As per usual, I couldn’t say no to her entrepreneurial spirit. We have a completely unused basement in which to store them in and she could use my Facebook to list them.
Checklist for selling on Facebook Marketplace:
- Clean up your items
- Measure your items
- Photograph them clear and with good lighting
- Know a sellable price range
This is a very easy job for kids to start (maybe after the age of 10). By learning to find quality items that are being discarded for free they can easily bring them home to potentially flip them for a profit.
Flipping for kids is particularly easy but still teaches sales, profits, and showmanship.
If you have older children, or kids who have already started flipping, they might appreciate learning how to up their game! A friend of mine created a course called Trash to Cash that teaches people how to literally make a profit off of their old junk (or free stuff on the side of the road).
Additional resource: How to Make $2,000 Per Month Selling Used Books
Dog care
After starting my Rover side hustle from home, I found that my kids were a great help when it came to taking care of our dogs as well as other people’s dogs.
Dog sitting
Eventually my desire for dog sitting started to fade, but the kids were thrilled to hear that we had a new doggy daycare request. Because they were homeschooling at the time, I told them they could take this dog on as their own project — they would have to feed him, pick up his poops, and take him on walks. If they were willing to contribute these things (under my supervision of course), I would give them half of the profits. They willingly accepted.
While you might not want to do this through a company, you could easily do this for friends and neighbors when you feel your child(ren) is old enough. Even going in to let out a neighbors dog in the middle of the day would be a great way to earn some extra cash during the summer months!
Dog pooper scooper
Around the age of 6 and 7 I helped my kids print up flyers for their brand new dog poop business! They dropped the flyers off, or hand delivered them to the neighbors on our block and lucky them, they got 2 clients!
Every Friday we made our rounds to each house and my 2 kids worked as a team to pick up all the dog poop. They charged $5 per week and accepted payment every 2 weeks!
Starter Tips:
- Join Rover to get practice and see if it’s a good fit
- Get a Dog Sitting Starter Kit.
Start a “blog”
If you have kids who are savvy with writing and tech, starting a blog might be one of the best ventures for them to undertake and you can start a blog for as little as $3 per month!
Now, I won’t lie, learning how to monetize a blog can be complicated and overwhelming, but the first step is just learning how to write!
The best part is, you don’t have to write much! If you have a kid who is great with photography, drawing, or has any skill or talent they could showcase through photos they can do that! There are a bajillion ways to make money with a blog so much so that I could ramble on forever and ever. The possibilities are almost endless.
So, I want you to keep this in mind: If the skills or talents your kid(s) has would be saved on Pinterest or shared on social media, get them a blog.
Everything you have ever pinned on Pinterest (pictures, hairstyles, house decor inspo…) is usually connected to a blog.
When you share articles with your friends, you are oftentimes sharing a blog. The absolute first step is getting your child started with a blog, learning how to monetize it can come later. When you’re ready for that step, check out the links below!
Starter Tips:
- Start a blog
- Learn about blog monetization (See Affiliate Marketing below)
Create digital products
If you have ever purchased something online like a digital template, organizational printouts or even at-home worksheets for your child, then you are familiar with just how beneficial online digital products can be.
This is something you kid entrepreneur can easily sell through their blog, Weebly, or even through a well-managed Pinterest account!
Chances are you have used Pinterest, but you might not know how to use Pinterest for business, if that’s the case, I highly recommend starting with a course called Pinteresting Strategies that teach everything you need to know to use Pinterest to get more traffic to your website.
Best news is, there are more and more options making online digital printouts easy to make and readily available! Canva.com is a great place to get started completely for free!
In fact, Canva is a tool I have let my kids use solely for their creativity. By letting them play around in there they have managed to figure out how to make all kinds of things like movies, playing cards and posters!
If you have a kid who is a natural at creativity and/or organization, getting started with creating digital products might be a great (and affordable) way to start!
Starter Tips:
- Create a free Weebly website or blog to sell products from
- Promote products on social media and Pinterest
Build a YouTube following
Kids above the age of 13 are legally allowed to create their own YouTube channels. Before my daughter even knew what YouTube was she was already making makeup tutorials in her bathroom. I have no clue where the motivation or idea came from but she was loving it. Now she has aspirations to dominate YouTube and one day Hollywood.
Now, I know throwing you kid on YouTube might not be every parents ideal way for their children to make money, but here are some things to consider:
- We are living in a digital age, and them having the knowledge of how to use technology to their advantage can benefit them greatly in the long run
- If they already watch YouTube, they may as well put their skills to use and get paid to create content instead of merely consume it
- Your kids don’t have to show their face! There are so many different styles and forms of YouTube that your kiddos could get away with doing videos where they play, or make their own cartoons etc.
I mean, ya never know, maybe your kid could be the next Ryan. BTW His parents are saints. The effort that must have gone into some of those videos makes my head spin.
Starter Tips:
- Observe YouTube trends
- Look into Best cameras for vlogging
- Just start
- Use Canva to create good graphics
Babysitting
Good old fashioned babysitting. Some things are just still in high demand. But, did you know virtual babysitting is a thing these days? As someone who deeply values human connection, this makes me a little sad, but it is another unique way for future entrepreneurs to make money without leaving their house — and could potentially rake in more clients in less time!
Even though we view babysitting as an old standby way for kids to make money, keep in mind that because we live in an ever-expanding world and your kids are now competing against things like virtual babysitting, there are lessons from the Boss Club curriculum that most definitely will come in handy.
Things like knowing how to position yourself against a competitor can be good for kids to have in the back of their mind, so when they are approached about babysitting they know how to make a good first impression. If that’s not enough, there is an entire section just on marketing! Remember, you can save 10% on Boss Club with code: RENEEBENES
Starter tips:
- Take a class on babysitting, or start by being an assistant babysitter
- Learn how to position yourself as a more desirable sitter
- Set up a Cash App account for easy payment
Let them earn money from you!
Just like we could easily see babysitting as an old go-to way of making money, there are upgraded ways for you to now help your kids earn money from you by doing chores or helping out in other ways around the house!
The best way to do this is through the Greenlight debit card as they have a system set up where you can create certain chores for your children and designate a payment amount for them once those chores are complete.
If you are hoping to help your children embrace their entrepreneurial spirit, you could add your own chores that branch out from the regular list of chores that Greenlight recommends.
For example, if you have $10 designated for chore money and they have 5 chores to do throughout the week, they would earn $2 per chore that they do! The app also allows you to designate money to giving, saving, and spending so that kids learn how to balance their money into adulthood. If you like the idea of teaching your kids to earn money this way, you can try Greenlight free for 30 days to see if its a good fit!
Starter tips:
- Download Greenlight FREE for 30 days
- Set a budgeted amount for your child
- Assign tasks for them to earn money
- See if it works!
Assisting in their community
I could list of about 60 different chores like, rake leaves, shovel snow, mow lawns…but I think it would be safe to say that’s a waste of time and promised you this would be centered around more new aged ways to make money as a kid entrepreneur.
However, that being said, sometimes these helpful ways of assisting and cleaning up your community can be exactly the kind of venture your child is looking to undertake!
Maybe they absolutely love working in the yard and have aspirations of running their own lawn care company — if so, great!
Whatever skills or desires they might have that might be beneficial to use around your local community, let them give it a go! In order to make sure their business runs smoothly, you might want to get them set up with some tools to make the process smoother.
Starter tips:
- Create a Facebook or Instagram page so customers can easily share their services with others
- Get a Cash App account – Cash App works like Venmo in the sense that customers can easily transfer money, but also comes with a debit card that your child can use! How We Use Cash App to Stay on Budget
Sell their skills
Do you have a child who is good at painting, crafting, sewing or maybe even woodworking? Why not encourage them to enter their work in local craft fairs or start selling their products on somewhere like Facebook Marketplace.
Unfortunately, places like Etsy often don’t allow people to open a shop until the age of 18, but that doesn’t mean they can’t get started beforehand. You can start a free eCommerce store on Weebly in minutes!
I am a big believer in encouraging kids to make money in a fun way at a young age so they grow up knowing that they are capable of making a living while still enjoying themselves. If your child(ren) already has a skill they love, why not encourage them to make some money from it?
Starter tips
- Build a site with Weebly
- Learn to promote your products on Pinterest
Affiliate Marketing
If you have a teen who is big into social media, encourage them to look into working with a few affiliate companies! For the most part, affiliate companies don’t have age caps set, so anyone can start making money!
What is affiliate marketing?
I have been using affiliate marketing all throughout this post. For example, I am an affiliate for Boss Club — I love what they stand for and that they are working to create a new age of young entrepreneurs, therefore I promote their course! When I promote their course, and someone purchases it, I earn a commission as their way of saying “Thank You!”
This is also nice because as an affiliate I get to offer you that special discount of 10%!
You may have seen things like this with apps that you use where they say, “Refer a friend and earn $5!” That is a form of affiliate marketing.
If your kidpreneur is big on social media (or if they choose to start a blog) affiliate links can be a great way for them to recommend stuff that they love to their followers and earn a commission by doing so! Places like Target and Amazon have affiliate programs, but I also recommend starting with places that allow you to work with a wider range of brands. ShareASale is always a good place to start.
Starter Tips
- Sign up for an affiliate company like ShareASale
- Learn best practices for affiliate marketing
- Start sharing!
OOFTA! There you have it folks, 10 new ways kids can start making money as entrepreneurs. I really hope you found something of interest and have a jumping off point on where to go from here!
And let me know if I missed something? What did you do to earn money as a kid?
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