When you were growing up, the options for raising money were: (1) ask mom for a couple bucks, or (2) try opening a miserable excuse for a lemonade stand with three lemons from the tree out back and that leftover school desk in the garage.
How times have changed. Today’s kids have business opportunities coming out their ears, including:
1. Babysitting. Not for the faint of heart, babysitting can be a challenging job, there’s no doubt about it. But if you’re well prepared, and most of all if you have a flexible, relaxed approach to being around younger kids, babysitting can be very rewarding. Today’s parents are willing to pay a premium to ensure that Junior and his kid sister are well taken care of. Put together a baby-sitting kit that includes crayons, some toys that kids of all ages will find interesting, books, and anything else you think might help in a pinch. Make sure you build a good reputation with the people you know, and before you know it the dollars will be rolling in.
2. Outdoor maintenance (including snow removal and landscaping). Okay, so your neighbor next door owns a landscaping company, and he just bought a Ferrari. That might be a bit ambitious for your first business venture, but still, there’s no reason to think you won’t be able to make decent money offering to take care of people’s yards. In the summertime, mow a few lawns, trim the bushes and maybe even some trees. By Halloween, you’re raking leaves up out of people’s yards; and at Christmas, you’re back again shoveling snow (assuming you live in an area that has snowfall). It’s a year round business if you brand it properly.
3. Hi-tech assistant. Is there anyone left that doesn’t know that everyone under 21 knows everything there is to know about technology, and everyone over the age of 65 is hopelessly out of touch? Thought not. Establish yourself as a computer expert, able to do anything with the silicon-based world, and offer to debug or set up people’s computers (for a small fee, of course).
4. Pet Walker. Poor Rex. He’s stuck inside all day, while his owners go off to their workaday jobs, waiting aimlessly for that moment when they walk back in that door and his life is happy again. Why not help his owners see the value in a happy dog by offering to take him for a walk around the block three times a week? He’ll love it; they’ll pay for it; you’ll do it.
5. Car Wash. Perhaps the gateway to business ownership for more current adult small business owners than anyone could guess, a car wash is a great way to earn good money. Get your bucket, suds, and sponges, and you’re good to go. You can either set up a car wash stand along a busy road, or advertise in your neighborhood and wash cars right at the neighbors’ home.