In a world where innovation is at the forefront of everything, young entrepreneurs are proving that you can start a successful business at a young age. From lemonade stands to online ventures, kids are unleashing their creativity and entrepreneurial spirit to make a mark on the world.
Let’s explore 15 kid-friendly business ideas and inspiring success stories that showcase the incredible potential and determination of our youngest entrepreneurs.
Start a Lemonade Stand:
The classic lemonade stand has been the launching pad for many young entrepreneurs. Although it is a simple concept, a lemonade stand teaches the fundamentals of business really well. From marketing, finances and selling face-to-face with customers, a lemonade stand is a great place to start.
One amazing success story from a lemonade stand is Mikaila Ulmer and her business Me & The Bees. After starting her own lemonade stand and creating a signature drink, her product is now stocked in hundreds of stores today. Not only that, but Mikaila was able to secure a huge investment from Daymond John of Shark Tank which has led to even more success.
Kid-Friendly Treats:
Most kids love a sweet treat, especially during events like Halloween and Christmas and as a kid entrepreneur, these products are sure to be a success.
One young entrepreneur took her sweet treat to another level and created healthy, sugar free lollipops. Alina Morse started Zollipops when she was just 7 years old! In just 9 years, she has expanded her product range to many sugar free treats and even sells at Costco Wholesale.
Crafty Creations:
Young artists and crafters often find success by turning their hobbies into business ventures. Whether it’s handmade jewellery, custom bookmarks, or handmade candles, these creations become not just products but expressions of a child’s passion and talent.
One successful crafting entrepreneur is Hart Main, the founder of Mancan scented candles. These candles started from a simple idea of making manly scented candles, gives back to people and communities in big ways and makes big bucks!
Environmental Initiatives – Recycling or Upcycling Projects:
Eco-conscious kids can turn their passion for the environment into a business. From recycling programs to upcycling projects, our young entrepreneurs are the future for our planet.
Ryan Hickman realised how important recycling was and also how much fun it can be when he started collecting his family’s and neighbours recycling. He now runs two non-profit businesses helping to raise money and recycle over 1.5 million cans and bottles.
Illustrating and graphic design:
Young wordsmiths and illustrators can channel their creativity into illustrating all sorts of products like children’s books, t-shirt prints, and stationary. Kids have such wonderful creativity and imagination that their designs can be truly original and impactful.
One such kid is Kamaria Warren, who at the age of 7 started her own stationary line to increase representation for children of colour. She now stocks a huge range of products from notebooks, to backpacks, to party stationery with her brand Brown Girls Stationary.
Fashion designers:
Kids need clothes too! And it would come as no surprise that kids can be just as passionate about what they wear as adults are. With their creativity at hand, kids can pick up a pen and design some beautiful fashion statements and with the help of sewing machine, bring them to life.
Moziah Bridges did exactly that when he couldn’t find a bowtie that really spoke his language. Now, Mo’s Bows has sold over $700,000 in handmade bow ties and accessories.
Baking:
Budding bakers and food lovers can turn their love for the kitchen into a sweet business. There are lots of baked goods that kids can easily learn to make for their friends, family, bake sales at school and neighbours.
But the fun doesn’t have to stop there as Vinusha MK has showed India with her Four Seasons Pastry business. She now interns for famous chefs and her business has helped hundreds of other children learn how to bake with her kits. Proving that a business doesn’t have to be limited to the product itself but can also teach.
YouTube Kids Channel:
Young content creators have found success on platforms like YouTube Kids. With the right guidance and supervision, kids can create engaging content about their hobbies, games, or educational topics, reaching a global audience and making plenty of money.
One of the most well-known kids Youtuber is Evan Moana of EvanTubeHD. Who began making videos testing out kids toys but now has a huge channel with his sister and family included. His channel has grown to over 7 million followers and he was named Youtube’s youngest millionaire in 2016!
Making and craft Kits:
Most kids love being creative and making all sorts of things. One such craze, was slime. Slime is a great way for kids to have fun and has been a hit product for young entrepreneurs.
But when Maddie Rae couldn’t find any glue to make her own slime, she decided to make her own especially for slime. With her invention, lots more kids could learn and love to make slime just like her. She now offers plenty of slime products and even held a slime conference for all the slime lovers.
Transportation Services:
Even kids understand the need for getting around more easily. Whether it is to and from school or around the local town, everyone needs to get around making this a great business venture.
Caleb Nelson, age 14, and his dad knew exactly that when they set up Romeo’s Rickshaws in 2017. Their small pedicab business is now flourishing with multiple drivers and offering city tours and private event transport in Utah.
Career Development for teens:
Even from a young age, kids know that their future is extremely important. They begin by making big decisions about their career and education in high school. Kids might get some help from teachers and parents but really knowing what they want to do can be difficult which makes career coaching a great business opportunity for kids.
Miracle Olatunji saw the lack of support and career development available to her and her high school friends so founded OpportuniMe. This is a platform for students to network and find career opportunities for their passions. Now, Miracle offers coaching and consulting for students with self-care as the focus.
App Development:
It comes as now surprise that kids will be great technology developers and tech entrepreneurs. They are able to understand apps and games with incredible speed and perhaps come up with creative ideas that no adult could possibly think of.
Hillary Yip decided to create an app that is educational and fun for kids. Minor Mynas helps kids to learn languages and make friends whilst teaching others their own language. This is truly an inspiration and shows how kids can use technology for their own growth.
Kids websites:
All kids spend lots of time online in todays world but are there many websites that a tailored just for kids? This can be a great business opportunity for kids to create websites and platforms for things they love to talk and read about.
Bella Tipping became frustrated after a family holiday that was great for the parents but rubbish for kids. So she started Kidzcation, a review site where kids voices get to be heard and full of kids travel tips. Now, Bella has made of $80,000 from her website.
Sports Equipment:
Kids who enjoy sports can tap into a whole other market in sports. There are lots of opportunities for kids to a start business in sports, whether is bee cleaning services, designing team uniforms or the sports equipment itself. Sports is definitely an option for the entrepreneurial minded kid.
Rachel Zietz knew she had to do something about the poorly made lacrosse net that broke in her backyard when she was 13. After designing and making a whole new, more durable net, she now has a fully-fledged lacrosse equipment company that made $7 million in 2020.
Baby sitting Services:
A common way for kids to make money is by offering baby sitting or pet sitting services. Although this can be limited to their available time, this business can thrive during the holidays when parents are busy at work.
Noa Mintz didn’t start off baby sitting but instead started finding baby sitters for herself at age 12. This was such a success she began finding baby sitters for friends, family and neighbours and soon turned into a successful business. Now, Nannies by Noa has over 200 clients and reported profits of $375,000 in 2015, just threes years after being founded.
Conclusion:
The stories of these young entrepreneurs demonstrate that age is no barrier to creativity, innovation, and success. These 15 kid-friendly business ideas showcase the diverse talents and passions of children who, with the support of parents and mentors, have turned their hobbies into thriving ventures.
By encouraging our children to explore their interests, we empower them to dream big, think creatively, and embark on entrepreneurial journeys that may shape their futures in ways we can only imagine.
