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Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away, and with that holiday comes at least four full days of time off from school. Â Sure there’s still homework to think about, and the “challenge” of eating all that food. Â But how do students spend the rest of that time?
Here’s a thought: encourage anyone ages 6 to 21 to come up with a simple business, create a few products or do a bit of service, and then apply to participate in the Young Entrepreneurs Marketplace. Â You’ll make some cash just in time for the holidays!
Business ideas
Here are a few ideas to pass along to any kids looking to make a few extra dollars this holiday season:
- Computer Tutor – Kids always know the latest sites, tricks, tools — and how to fix these things when they break. Â Spending a few hours learning some basic fix-it tricks can go a long way helping others get their technology in order (for some cash, of course).
- Errand Runner – Forgot the cranberry sauce? Need to pick up a loaf of French bread for the Thanksgiving dinner? Â Think the table needs a bouquet of flowers before the family comes over? Â Send a young entrepreneur down the street to the grocery store or florist — and pay them for their time.
- Moving Assistant – The end of the month is always a busy time for people moving in and out of apartments and condos. Â No one likes to do all those trips up and down stairs alone. Â A young entrepreneur can carry lots of loads, even if it’s the light stuff like towels, pantry items, a lamp, pet items, etc.
- Garage or Basement Clean-Up – Out with the old, in with the new (holiday gifts). Â Young business owners can help customers for a few hours to get rid of old items, sweep a crawl space, and more.
- Leaf Raking – There are plenty of people around the neighborhood who would pay really well to have their yard cleaned up by a young entrepreneur. Â Bonus: they can jump in the leaf piles as many times as they’d like (as long as things are cleaned up in the end).
- Gift Wrapping Services – Fancy paper? Check. Â Tape? Â Check. Â Colorful ribbons? Â Check. Â With just a small upfront purchase of supplies, young business owners can create a whole assembly line for wrapping neighborhood gifts. Â Just be sure to keep track of which gifts belong to which neighbor!
- Pet Sitting – Plenty of people go out of town for the holidays. Â This is the perfect opportunity to learn more responsibility and earn some spending money.
- Greeting Cards – This is big business during the holiday season, and personalized, hand-made cards are incredibly popular. Â Use photos from trips, drawing of the backyard, stamps, or any other creative design. Â Blank cards are available at any craft store.
- Design Holiday Ornaments – Take items from the backyard or a nature walk, or create designs out of craft store clay. Â Personalized ornaments can be sold for even more money.
- Scale up what you love – Whether it’s painting, playing video games, baking, or anything else, take that product or service and turn it into something that makes money. Â Create more paintings to sell, create a class for younger students on secrets behind your favorite video games, or sell your favorite baked good to your neighbors by the dozen. Â You can earn money by doing the thing you love!
What are you favorite youth entrepreneur ideas? Â Share them below!