40 Best Small Business Ideas for Teens in 2023

Starting a business as a teenager provides immense opportunities to make money pursuing your passions, gain valuable real-world skills, and kickstart your entrepreneurial journey.

I came up with over 40 business ideas across different industries that I think would be perfect for ambitious high-schoolers. From social media management, to reselling sneakers, to offering photography services, there are SO many cool ways for teens to leverage their skills.

I’ll walk through different categories of business ideas, along with tips for starting and promoting your biz. Fair warning, this is a long post but I wanted to be thorough and really provide value. Hopefully you find a business concept that excites you!!

With drive and creativity, teens can launch successful businesses in a wide range of industries both online and locally.

Let’s get into this master list of small business ideas for teens!

Online Business Ideas

Social Media Management

Help other teens, parents, or companies manage their social media presence by creating content calendars, engaging with followers, running ads, and more.

Building Websites

Design professional looking small business websites on WordPress and Wix. Offer your web development skills to local companies.

Selling Online Courses

Monetize your knowledge by creating online courses on sites like Udemy. Teach skills like coding, graphic design, fashion, and more.

Freelance Writing

Make money freelance writing by creating blog posts, articles, ebooks, social posts, and other content for clients.

Graphic Design

Design logos, branding material, marketing assets, and more for small businesses using software like Canva. Build a portfolio to showcase your skills.

Voiceover Work

Provide professional voiceover services for explainer videos, ads, audiobooks, and more. Record samples to showcase your skills.

Transcription Services

Transcribe audio files and meetings into text documents for individuals and businesses in need of transcripts.

Resume Design

Offer resume design and optimization services to help others create professional, modern resumes tailored to specific jobs.

Translate Documents

Provide document translation services if you’re fluent in multiple languages. Translate for both individuals and companies.

Design & Sell Computer Games

Code and develop basic computer or mobile games using platforms like Scratch or Unity. Sell games online.

Printables & Templates

Design printables like wall art, calendars, budgets, planners, and templates for resumes and social media posts. Sell on creative marketplaces.

Creative Service Ideas

Photographer

Offer photography services to take professional portraits, real estate photos, event/concert pics, and images for brands.

Videographer

Create professional videos for businesses including promotional videos, commercials, vlogs, and more.

DJ Services

Provide DJ services for school dances, weddings, parties, corporate events, and more. Cater playlists to the audience.

Arts & Crafts Sales

Make money selling arts, crafts, jewelry, candles, accessories, and other handmade creations locally or on Etsy.

Custom Phone Cases

Use print-on-demand services to upload your original designs to sell on custom phone cases. Promote on social media.

Embroidery Services

Use an embroidery machine to customize shirts, hats, bags, and clothing with original embroidery designs.

Custom Greeting Cards

Design one of a kind paper greeting cards for holidays, birthdays, weddings and occasions. Promote on Etsy, Instagram or local craft fairs.

Gift Basket Assembly

Create themed gift baskets by sourcing and assembling cute containers filled with goodies like candles, snacks, beauty items, and more.

Custom Lego Kits

Buy individual Lego bricks and assemble themed model kits for holidays, TV shows, video games, and more. Sell on Etsy.

Cake/Cupcake Design & Decorating

Sell beautifully decorated custom cakes and cupcakes for birthdays, weddings, parties and other events.

Jewelry Making

Make stylish jewelry and accessories out of beads, precious metals, gems, leather, polymer clay, and more to sell online or locally.

Soap & Candle Making

Craft homemade soaps and candles using ingredients like essential oils, dried flowers, and glitter. Package them up to sell on Etsy.

Henna Application

Learn henna designs and offer artistic henna application services for weddings, birthdays, and cultural events in your community.

Teach Music Lessons

Teach guitar, piano, singing, violin, drums or other musical talents to students looking to develop their skills.

Refurbish & Upcycle Furniture

Find old furniture pieces and refresh them with new paint, hardware, stains, and fabrics. Sell creations locally.

Sell Handmade Hair Accessories

Make hair bows, scrunchies, headbands, clips with ribbons and fabrics. Promote cute creations on social media.

Local Service Ideas

Pet Sitting/Dog Walking

Offer pet care services like dog walking, pet sitting, overnight pet boarding, and waste clean-up for neighbors.

Babysitting

Provide childcare by marketing your babysitting services to family, friends, neighbors, and your local community.

Tutoring/Teaching Lessons

Tutor classmates struggling in academic subjects or teach music, dance, sporting lessons, and other skills.

Lawn Care

Start a summer lawn business offering lawn mowing, raking, snow shoveling, and yardwork services in your neighborhood.

Errand Services

Run errands for busy professionals including grocery shopping, dry cleaning, package shipping, prescription pick-ups, and more.

House Cleaning

Offer cleaning services to local homes and offices including dusting, vacuuming, scrubbing, sanitizing, and more.

Mobile Car Washing

Wash and detail cars on location at people’s homes or offices. Market to busy families and professionals.

Delivery Services

Pick up and deliver groceries, restaurant meals, packages and more for convenience. Market to seniors, busy parents and disabled community members.

Retail & Resale Ideas

Selling Baked Goods

Bake fresh treats at home to package and sell locally or deliver baked goods right to customers’ doors.

Thrift Flipping

Buy and resell thrifted clothing, vintage items, collectibles and more for a profit selling on apps like Depop.

 Sneaker Reselling

Camp out for limited release sneakers and resell the coveted shoes online for big profits to hypebeast collectors.

Textbook Resales

Buy used textbooks at the end of each semester and resell them to incoming students when classes start again.

Flipping & Reselling Sneakers

Buy and resell limited release sneakers in popular styles and sizes. Learn to spot valuable shoes that will sell quickly.

Additional Tips for Teen Entrepreneurs

• Research permits/licenses needed in your state for teen businesses
• Open a business checking account to keep finances organized
• Take a small business or entrepreneurship class
• Find an experienced mentor in your industry
• Leverage free marketing on social platforms
• Start small and reinvest profits into growth

And that’s a wrap on 40+ small business ideas for aspiring teen entrepreneurs!

I don’t know about you, but coming up with this list got me so jazzed and nostalgic thinking about my high school entrepreneur days. If you couldn’t already tell, I am ALL about helping and motivating other young hustlers to start their own ventures.

My best advice is don’t overthink it too much – start small, stick to what you’re passionate about, and put in the hustle. You WILL learn so much along the way. I have no doubt you are capable of being a successful teen founder if you set your mind to it.