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A steady income is something a lot of teenagers thrive on, most teens nowadays find themselves doing part-time jobs working for minimum wage in order to make ends meet. The later part of the teenage years is the time when one becomes serious about their goals and decides to invest in themselves and in different ventures. So we thought of writing this article in order to aid you in your journey of being independent and having a solid foundation. So here are our top choices for $100 dollar startup ideas for teenagers.
100 dollars isn’t a significant amount when you compare the long-term results. Anyone would assume that starting a business is something that costs a lot but it is possible with as little as 100 dollars. Let’s take a look at what are some of the start-up ideas.
- Blogging
- Dropshipping
- Affiliate Marketing
- Forex
- Investing in stocks
- Freelancing
- Social media managing
- Event Managing
- Tutoring
1. Blogging
In terms of passive income, this is one of the best methods to earn money, especially as a teenager. There are so many niches out there one can blog about. At the moment the most profitable niches or rather the niches with the highest CPC rate are Digital Marketing, Investing, Personal finance, well-being, etc. So if your passion lies in one of these areas it would be a huge asset to you at present as you can capitalize on these opportunities and start to build your blogging empire.
And if by any chance your passion is something completely different do not be disheartened, as I’m sure if you clearly defined your niche and work hard towards it then you will see the fruits of your labor.
Blogging is indeed one of the most profitable startup ideas for teenagers. It can be done with as little as 20 dollars. The typical initial expenditure would be to buy a domain. (dot com domains are more expensive, they usually are around $12) and the other expense would be the hosting fee. Which is around $4 dollars per month or lower. I recommend Bluehost for anyone who is starting out as it is affordable and has one of the most excellent customer services I have ever encountered. The hosting service provider for both my blogs is Bluehost, and they have helped me countless times whenever I experimented and my blogs crashed, so I highly recommend Bluehost to any beginner.
2. Dropshipping
Dropshipping can seem like quite a cliché at this point in time, but it hasn’t died out yet. It still thrives with profitability. It can definitely be started with an initial investment of fewer than 100 dollars. The only way to stand out in this industry is by having a unique product that is very rare or solves a problem. By sourcing such a product with a good overall demand it is possible to make a significant ROI (return on investment) from this and it is one of the best startup ideas for teenagers in terms of a small capital.
3. Affiliate Marketing
This is a common platform or rather a form of business where a lot of YouTubers, bloggers, and Tik Tok stars all come together. This is basically a business model for content creators to make money. Affiliate marketing is basically promoting another product and taking a commission per sale. It is quite similar to dropshipping although in this instance you won’t even have to set up an online store or anything, it’s based on a unique link each person gets.
Whenever a user clicks on the link or makes a purchase via your link then you will get a commission. The rates will change depending on the product, usually, electronics have a lower commission rate and digital products have a higher commission rate.
The only expense in this industry is the cost that incurs to promote the products. Mainly people with already established platforms who generate hundreds of traffic enter this industry. But don’t let that dishearten you, a YouTube channel, or even a blog is a great way to generate traffic. There are some out there who make a dedicated website per product they intend to promote and do reviews about them on the website as well.
Affiliate Marketing can be done in many ways, so you just need to find the right one for you and stick to it. The entry cost for this business is less than $100 dollars, some can even do it for free (without spending on promotions and websites). This is one of the best startup ideas for teenagers.
4. Forex
Forex trading is another faster way to earn money. Keep in mind this is not exactly a “business” it’s more of investing and it certainly holds a higher risk value. The Forex industry is a 1 trillion dollar market. Hence there are plenty of opportunities to make money from this investment.
You will have to spend quite some time learning to trade, learning the basic fundamentals and the patterns, etc. once you have had a considerable understanding of this you may begin to trade and slowly increase your invested capital and might even earn a living through this trades.
5. Investing in Stocks
This too is similar to Forex, investing in the stock market is a great way to earn some money for any young teenager. By engaging with a lot of company research and analyzing the pricing charts one can determine a stock that has a lot of potentials and invest in it. This can be the first step of any teenager to becoming a successful investor.
6. Freelancing
Freelancing is one of the best startup ideas for teenagers. There are many freelancing websites out there that basically have no setup costs or charges. However, there are some sites such as Upwork and people per hour where we have to apply and try to get a gig.
There are a limited number of free points. These points are used up each time you apply for a gig. So if you are lucky enough you might be able to secure a gig by using the free points you get when you join. If not, you are going to have to pay extra and purchase points. That will be the only cost incurred when freelancing on sites like Upwork and People per hour.
You can list a gig on Fiver but the market there is a bit saturated. If the service, you are providing is done by a lot of people then you might have to promote it. If you are providing a unique service then you have nothing to worry about, you will be able to stand out on Fiver without spending a dime.
7. Marketing Agency
If you are good at promoting, content planning, content creating, and even managing social media profiles this is the ideal startup for you. This business too can be started off with no initial investment. If you are able to secure a client (typically the first few clients are people you know) and after working for them you can build up your reputation and start to poach bigger clients.
This is an interesting field to work in and most of the skills required for this industry are available freely online. Anyone can learn these and get started working on them. If there was an initial cost to be incurred it will only be the cost to promote your agency, because everything else can be done in the comfort of your home.
8. Event Planning
Event planning is one of the best start-up ideas for teenagers. It doesn’t have to be large-scale events with huge budgets. A group of friends can come together and provide an event planning service. This service won’t require a huge initial investment.
A small amount will be required to do marketing (Online ads, printed flyers, etc). Once you secured your very first few gigs the ball will start rolling faster along with the growing reputation. You can start off with planning a party for a friend and slowly develop your skills and go for bigger events. As you grow it will be hard to do things by yourself so have a good team with you. It will set a strong foundation.
9. Tutoring
Tutoring or basically teaching anything is one of the best start-up ideas for teenagers. I’m sure each of you has your own unique skills that you are better at. Why not put them to good use? You can teach them to others. It can be a simple subject like English or it can be software like photoshop, it can even be a sport. Basically, anything you are good at.
You can put your money where your mouth is and use all the skills you have to make some money with it. You can even record yourself teaching them and upload courses on websites such as Udemy or even Youtube. if you are interested in reading more about how to make money online as a teenager and expand your financial literature join us along with the ride.
These few ideas are only a very few ways you as a teenager can do. The potential and the opportunities you have is unlimited. We are fortunate to be at a time where we can basically turn any hobby or skill into a lucrative income stream.
So take risks, learn new skills, experiment with new things, believe in yourself, and take a leap of faith. There is a world full of endless possibilities awaiting you, go ahead and claim what is yours!
Amazing article! Super useful. I specifically like how you linked the subtopics to the specific sections. Thank you!