28 Profitable Online Business Ideas for Teens: Start Earning From Home Today

Did you know that around 60% of teens would rather start their own business than find a job? There was a time when teenagers had few options if they wanted to start earning their own money, but the good news is that the online world offers more opportunities than ever for modern teens to start a business and earn money from home!

Building an Online Business Foundation

Starting a business is a science that seems to come naturally to some, but there are a few things you can (and should) do to ensure your success.

1. Setting Goals and Objectives

This is a crucial first step that people often fail to take. Before you set off on any adventure, you have to know where you’re headed and how to reach your intended destination, and starting your own business is no exception.

As you sit down to plan your business, set a few SMART goals that are:

Specific: There should be nothing vague about your goal. For example, determine a financial objective like “I want to start earning $500 per month from my online business three months from now.”
Measurable: You should be able to measure your progress towards achieving your goal. In the example above, you should be able to see that you’re on track by noticing that you made $100 in sales in month one and $300 in month two.
Achievable: You must be able to reach your goal while balancing all your other responsibilities. In other words, it must be realistic, not “I want to earn $10,000 in my first month.” That’s technically not impossible, but it is highly unlikely.
Relevant: Your goals must be important to you. You are more likely to work hard to achieve goals that match your values and interests.
Time-bound: There should be a time limit involved. This isn’t carved in stone, but you should have some kind of deadline to work towards.

2. Identifying Strengths and Interests

Starting a business in a field you’re not interested or skilled in is generally a bad idea since it will take you longer to learn the skills you need.

Take a moment to reflect on your interests, passions, and skills that others have complimented you on, and then see how you can use those to earn some money.

Profitable Online Business Ideas for Teens

Maybe you’re stuck and can’t really choose an option to explore, so let’s look at some of the most profitable business ideas for teens to get your creative juices flowing.

1. Graphic Design Services

***Image provided by Shutterstock.com***

If you’re good at drawing and creating new images on electronic devices, you might consider becoming a graphic designer.

In doing so, you will sell your services to businesses by designing logos, editing images, or generating visual website content on their behalf.

Freelancer websites like Upwork are a great place to start finding customers. You can also check out this video by Will Paterson about teenagers that have made it as graphic designers.

2. Content Writing and Copywriting

Many people want to write content like books, social media posts, or text for websites, but they don’t have the required skills.

If you’re a budding young author, you can sell your skills by writing content. You can find jobs by registering with writing agencies such as Dibbly.

Businesses all need social media pages to flourish, but they don’t always know how to manage them.

If you know your way around social media, you can offer to help these businesses manage their online presence. Indeed offers several opportunities for teen social media managers.

4. Virtual Assistant Services

Virtual assistants help businesses on a part-time basis, usually remotely.

As a virtual assistant, you will manage emails, make phone calls, schedule appointments, and perform various routine administrative tasks, freeing up time for the managers to focus on running the company.

Are you unsure if this is viable for you? Check out Le-An Lai Lacaba’s story! There are several virtual assistant opportunities available on The Elite Job’s website.

5. Creating and Selling Handmade Crafts

Are you an artistic person? You can sell your arts and crafts online!

Create a website, add e-commerce, and advertise your products. You can enjoy your passion and earn money at the same time.

Look at this detailed guide from Creative Hive for detailed steps and stories of teenagers that do this successfully.

6. Dropshipping and Print-on-Demand Products

Some businesses offer you the opportunity to sell their products under your own name, but they handle all the shipping and logistics.

Sell the product on your website at your own price, then pay the supplier to send the product directly to your customer.

Check out these guides to find out how to start a dropshipping or print-on-demand business.

7. Online Thrift Store

An online thrift store sells used goods and items. You can either let others do this and take a cut of the sales or buy used products and sell them yourself using an e-commerce website.

It’s not as difficult as it sounds, as you can see in this guide.

8. Custom Merchandise Creation and Sales

Some people earn good money by making and selling custom merchandise (“merch”) for businesses or celebrities.

Be on the lookout for YouTubers, influencers, or local celebs and bands that might be looking for something like this, then offer them a share of the profits.

Printful has this interesting guide to help you get started.

9. E-Book Writing and Self-Publishing

Aspiring authors don’t have to go through the grueling process of finding publishers anymore.

You can write your own book, edit it with the help of AI tools like Grammarly, and then self-publish it using your own website or a platform like Amazon.

Kirstin and Aiyven Mbawa were 14 and 15 years old when they started writing and self-publishing their own books, so it is possible. This guide will tell you how to get started.

10. Online Tutoring and Teaching

If you are or were very good at a particular subject at school, you can offer online tutoring sessions for others that are struggling with it.

Tutoring can pay quite well, and you can advertise your services using online forums or at local schools.

TutorPeers is also a great place to start! And, in case you’re wondering if there’s enough demand for peer tutoring, check out Saru Aggarwal’s story.

11. Creating and Selling Digital Artwork

Are you a budding artist, skilled at drawing works of art electronically?

You can sell those artworks online! Sell them using your own website or online store, or use stock image websites and platforms like DeviantArt.com.

12. Developing and Selling Mobile Apps or Games

If you enjoy coding, you might want to try your hand at developing apps and games to sell or monetize through ads. This doesn’t have to be the next Spotify or Assassin’s Creed; people love playing small games and using small but useful apps.

Hillary Yip was just 10 years old when she developed MinorMynas, a language learning app. This guide by Trango Tech offers some excellent guidance so you can do it too.

13. Starting a Niche Blog

Blogging is a challenging industry, but potentially quite lucrative.

If you find a niche that you’re passionate about and know well, you can start a blog where you share your thoughts and opinions. You can monetize blogs through ads or affiliate links.

This article tells of several teenagers that started blogs and earned a significant income from them, and Wix can tell you how to do it.

14. YouTube Channel Creation and Monetization

YouTube isn’t the easiest platform, but there are opportunities for newcomers to make money.

Find trending topics that interest you, then start making videos. Monetize your content through Google, sponsorships, or affiliate links.

Despite the difficulties inherent in building a successful YouTube channel, several teens are doing it. HootSuite has some priceless tips and advice on how you can do it too.

15. Podcasting and Audio Content Creation

Podcasting is as popular as ever. Though most platforms don’t pay you for podcasts or audio content, you can monetize it by publishing it on YouTube, getting sponsorships or donations, selling memberships and merchandise, or including ads.

Here’s an excellent guide written by successful podcaster Shannon Tayler.

16. Influencer Marketing and Sponsored Content

If you have a sizable following on any social media platform, you can start making money as an influencer by promoting products and services for various companies.

Here’s a list of 17 successful teen influencers and a simple 11-step guide from Coursera that teaches you how.

17. Affiliate Marketing

As an affiliate marketer, you will promote other products through your social media channels or niche affiliate websites.

You will add a link or referral code, and whenever someone makes purchases using those links, you will make money by earning commissions from those sales.

Here’s a pretty complete guide to get you started!

Instead of managing a business’ social media profiles, you can act as a consultant providing social media strategy and management services.

This will help businesses in growing and engaging with their social media audiences and developing social media marketing campaigns.

Indeed has an excellent guide to help you enter this lucrative market.

19. Online Language Tutoring

You can earn a good income by teaching languages through online lessons. You can also offer language conversation practice sessions or provide language learning resources and materials to help people learn.

The YouTube channel “Sonia Teach” made this excellent video on setting up your online tutoring business plan that even encourages teenagers to get started.

20. Website Design and Development

If you have a knack for building websites, you can start designing websites for businesses and individuals or offering website optimization or maintenance services.

If your skills are advanced enough, you can make even more money by developing custom web applications.

You can find some tips for starting your web design business here.

21. Virtual Event Planning

Online events, like webinars, have gained immense popularity in recent years.

You can offer virtual event planning services, which means you schedule events, manage the logistics, and provide technical support for the event.

This is a more complicated field to get into, but here’s an excellent guide to help you get started.

22. Online Fitness Training

If you consider yourself a bit of a fitness guru, why not coach others online? It’s like being a fitness coach, but in the comfort of your own home.

You can also develop personalized workout plans, or create and sell digital fitness-related products as a source of passive income.

Online fitness training is a competitive market, but there are plenty of opportunities out there. Here are some steps to help you find your way.

23. Online Music Lessons

Are you musically inclined? You may want to sell your services as a music tutor online.

Teach people to sing or play instruments, present online theory and composition classes, or offer coaching and feedback sessions.

You don’t have to be an expert; there are always beginners ready to learn.

Preply has some excellent opportunities for aspiring young music teachers, so that’s a great place to start.

24. Website Flipping

Website flipping means buying, renovating, and selling websites for profit. Essentially, it’s about improving the website’s design and functionality to improve its value.

You can make a considerable amount of money this way if you identify lucrative website flipping opportunities to focus on.

Here’s an interesting story about Donny Ouyang, a successful 17-year-old website flipper. You can be like him by following these five simple steps.

25. SEO Consulting

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the process of improving websites to perform better on search engines.

It’s a complex process that involves intensive keyword research and analysis, which few web developers understand.

You can find businesses or web developers to partner with and provide SEO strategy and implementation services.

Muhammad Sibtain is one example of someone who started a successful SEO career as a teenager. SEO is a massive field, and it’s constantly evolving, but SimpliLearn offers this awesome guide.

26. Podcast Editing and Production

Maybe you don’t feel like hosting your own podcast, but you know how to produce and edit audio.

Many podcasters are looking for people to help them edit and enhance their audio recordings, create intros and outros, add music beds, and produce or distribute their podcasts. This lets them focus on creating content, offering you an earning opportunity in the process.

Networking with people is the best way to get into this field, but here are some helpful tips to get started.

27. Online Advertising Management

If you have a basic understanding of online advertising platforms like Google Ads or Meta Business, you can offer ad management services to other businesses in exchange for a fee.

It includes optimizing ad targeting, monitoring ad performance, and providing analysis and reports to the customer, which can give you regular contracts and a fixed income.

The best place to get started is with Google’s own digital marketing certification courses, presented in partnership with Coursera. Most of these courses are free.

28. Resume Writing Services

If you know how to compile a solid resume and find good job opportunities, you can offer to help others by writing their resumes and cover letters, reviewing and editing their existing resumes, or giving them advice and tips on job finding.

Indeed has this resource that can help you get started. After that, you can start marketing your service on platforms like Fiverr.

Tools and Resources for Teen Entrepreneurs

The internet is a goldmine of resources that young entrepreneurs can use to help them get their businesses started.

Website Creation and Management

You don’t need to know coding to build your own website these days since there are various services that can help you do that quickly and easily.

WordPress: This is a free tool that allows people to build websites with various functions and features. It offers a limitless variety of themes to make your website unique, and the WooCommerce plugin makes it easy to create an online store.
Wix: This is one of the easiest web design platforms as it has a simple drag-and-drop interface. Wix also offers domain, hosting, and e-commerce services, but some of them can be a bit expensive.
Shopify: Well-known for its e-commerce capabilities, Shopify is a great platform to build a fully functioning website. It is similar to Wix in its capabilities and ease of use, but slightly more geared toward online stores.
GoDaddy: GoDaddy is one of the most popular domain registration and web hosting services due to its excellent balance of ease-of-use, powerful platforms, and comparatively low prices.

Online Payment Systems

Most websites and e-commerce platforms have excellent integration with payment systems.

PayPal: Almost all platforms integrate well with PayPal. Since PayPal is so widely supported, it’s often a no-brainer for startups even though its fees are higher than some others.
Authorize.net: This payment gateway is supported by Visa, so it offers top-tier security and reliability. It is also one of the most affordable options.
Stripe: Stripe is another affordable option, but it has some of the most expandable features on the market, which is why many large corporations use it.
Adyen: This platform is tailor-made for entrepreneurs. It has an affordable fee structure and even offers a “buy now, pay later” feature so people can buy from you on credit, but you get your money immediately.

Marketing will be one of your most important expenses, but there are many online platforms that can help you with this.

Google Ads: Google’s ad platform allows you to advertise, not just in the Google search engine, but also on Google affiliate sites and YouTube.
Microsoft Ads: Like Google Ads, Microsoft offers you the option to advertise on Bing (which is consistently increasing its market share) and other Microsoft-affiliated platforms.
Meta Business Suite: If you want to advertise on Facebook, Instagram, or any other Meta-affiliated platform or social network, this is where you can get started.
TikTok for Business: TikTok has its own advertising platform, which is a great way to start marketing your business on this popular social media network.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can teens legally start an online business?

In most states, minors (anyone under the age of 18) cannot legally sign contracts. This means you might have to ask a parent or guardian to consent or sign on your behalf.

How much time should a teenager invest in an online business?

This will depend on your circumstances. It’s important not to neglect other important factors, like your education. Even if your business performs exceptionally well, it’s always good to have qualifications you can fall back on if things don’t work out the way you want.

What are the legal considerations for teenage entrepreneurs?

Age is the most crucial legal consideration. If you are under the age of 18, you may have to get a parent or guardian to register your business, open bank accounts, and sign contracts on your behalf.

What are the potential risks and challenges for teen entrepreneurs?

Starting a business is challenging at the best of times. As a teen entrepreneur, you should consider the following:

It often takes money to make money, so unless you have some savings, you may have to ask a friend or family member to invest some cash to get your marketing going.
Time is another risk, since it’s not a good idea to neglect your education. Choose a business idea that will generate money even when you’re in class.
Scams are rampant in all businesses, and scammers often get the impression that young people are more likely to fall for them. Keep your eyes open and handle everything with a healthy dose of skepticism.

Can teens register their online business as a legal entity?

Most states don’t have a minimum legal age requirement for registering a business, so it is possible. At the moment, it isn’t possible to register a business if you’re under 18 years old in Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, and Oregon.

Conclusion

As you can see, the opportunities for teenagers to start an online business are nearly limitless. Whether it’s by selling digital artwork, creating a store for physical products, or offering various services, you can turn almost any skill or talent into a lucrative enterprise over the internet if you know how.

The most important point is getting started. Decide what you want to do, then put in the effort to get your name out there. The sooner you do that, the sooner your business can grow. For now, it might give you some spending money or help pay for your tuition, but who knows—your business just might turn into a long-term career.

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