Working in the summer is a smart move for teens. It is the best way to build up some cash for the school year and gain some work experience for future college and job applications. But for some teens, traditional employment cramps their creativity.
Want to make some money this summer without being tied down by a boss and regular schedule? Consider these excellent summer entrepreneurial ideas.
If you’d prefer to find an income online, make sure to check out the extra income sites we use and how you can make a larger online income blogging!
9 Summer Business Ideas For Teens
1. Lawn & Garden Care
Have a lawn mower or a green thumb? Offer services like mowing lawns, weeding garden beds, and pruning shrubs. Teens can often offer lower prices than full-scale landscaping businesses because of lower overhead. Guarantee that you’ll stick it out through the fall, and you may get some customers to switch from their usual provider.
If your neighbor does his or her own work, ask if they will keep you in mind while they are out of town. Someone to keep plants watered and the lawn looking gorgeous while they are out of town might be just the service they need.
2. Pool Maintenance
Everyone loves having a pool, but most don’t like the work it takes to keep it clean and operational. Teens can build a book of business by offering pool cleaning, chlorine or chemical monitoring, and filter cleaning services. Stop by each morning to skim the pool, drop the vacuum in, and check the pumps, then circle back to collect it later in the day.
3. Car Wash Service
While no one likes their car being the dusty, dirty one in the parking lot, few of us make time to drive through the car wash on a regular basis. A door-to-door car washing service removes all the hassle for customers.
Teens can buy a gallon of car wash soap, sponges, and shammies to last all summer. Then bring a hose and bucket and connect to a customer’s spigot. Offer one-time washes or a discount for multiple washings to reduce the time spent finding new customers.
4. Sell Baked Goods
Who doesn’t enjoy fresh baked cookies, banana bread, or strawberry rhubarb pie? If you love to cook, consider starting a small baked goods business. Share pictures and prices of your different products on social media and let your neighbors know you are selling.
Secure larger orders by connecting with people hosting summer parties or events. It is easier to sell three dozen cookies all at once than in ones and twos.
5. Start an Etsy Shop
Have a crafty skill? Consider starting an Etsy shop. Etsy has millions of shoppers and great business opportunities for young artists and creators.
When starting a shop, try to list at least five items, include high-quality pictures, and write detailed descriptions. This will make products more accessible to customers and more likely that they choose to purchase from you.
It is also a smart move to create an Instagram account to go with your shop. Post pictures of your process and completed items, with a link to your shop in your bio. This will give you another avenue to source interested customers.
6. Sell Your Photography (Even From Your iPhone!)
Do people compliment your photos? Take your photography to the next level by selling it as stock photography online. Companies like 500px, Shutterstock, and iStock allow individuals to post their photographs for sale. If someone purchases them, you get paid.
Even if you don’t have a fancy camera, you can now sell pictures straight from your smartphone. Foap is an iPhone app that allows you to upload and sell your smartphone pictures.
Not interested in stock photography? Consider turning your photos into greeting cards or art to sell on Shopify or Etsy.
7. House and Pet Sitting
Summer is the time for vacations. Which means empty houses and dogs, cats, chickens, and other pets that need care while their owners are out of town. Put up flyers in local coffee shops and go door-to-door with your neighbors, letting them know you are offering sitting services.
House and pet sitting services could include collecting mail, watering plants, feeding pets, collecting eggs from chicken coops, and more. Some families may even pay a higher fee to have you stay at the house with their animals. But during the day you could still visit other neighborhoods for daily tasks.
8. Tutoring
School may be out, but many students are taking summer classes, preparing for the SAT or ACT, and trying to develop for the coming school year. Strong students can make $20 to $30 an hour (and sometimes more) tutoring in their best subjects.
Highest paying tutoring gigs tend to be for standardized tests. If you have high SAT or ACT scores or rocked an SAT II test, some parents will pay over $50 an hour for you to help their kids achieve similar results.
9. Clothing Swap
Back-to-school shopping can be stressful for parents, especially those who are watching their budgets closely. Kids have grown out of barely worn clothes, and parents are reticent to buy quality items that they know will suffer the same fate.
Set up local clothing swaps where people can pay an entrance fee to swap their kids’ outgrown clothes with other families. Collect outgrown clothes from participants ahead of time and organize them by size. On the day of the swap, reserve the first half-hour or so for display only. Let swap participants peruse what is available and wait for stragglers. Then let swappers take what they need!
Finding Your Summer Business
Teens should know that starting a summer business doesn’t have to require a significant amount of upfront cost. If they discover something they are passionate about, there are ways to make money at it.
I hope you enjoyed this list of summer business ideas if you’d like to learn how you can make money online this summer make sure to check out the helpful links below:
Do you have any other summer business ideas to share? We’d love to hear about them in the comments section below!
