What kind of jobs can a 14 year old get where he/she makes 10+ dollars and hour?

One of the most popular questions on this forum is how young people (12-17) can make money. If you want an easy or fast way to make millions of dollars, this reply is not for you. If your inquiry is genuine and you are looking for genuine ideas … read on. This may just be voted “Best Answer.”

My first suggestion is for those of you who are over 15 (or whatever legal age in your state allows you to work for companies with a work permit). It’s how I earned money through high school. My school had an educational program called Distributive Education in which the students in the program were assigned to jobs working for pay for companies that hire teens. In some cases we worked at retail stores or fast food stores or offices. We were taught to stock shelves, operate cash registers, perform inventory, etc. Not only did we get paid for the work but we also received school credits and had a nice start on our entry-level resumes after high school. Might I suggest that you consult your guidance counselor’s office to see if they have job referrals that you might qualify for? If not, ask how you could start such a program for the school. There are a lot of teens out there with goals for college, cars, and just spending money. Let it be known that you are one of them.

If that type of thing doesn’t appeal to you or you are under that age for legal employment in your state, you are not out of luck. There are plenty of ways that you can make money. What ways? Continue reading…

Everyone knows that when a business hires you, they are only paying you a percentage of their profits. That’s common sense. Every business has income but also has expenses like the owner’s personal expenses and the costs of conducting business, which includes salaries, benefits paid to employees, advertising costs, rents, utilities, and more. If you are going to work, why work to make someone else rich when you can work for yourself and take 100% of the profits from your sale of products or performance of service? Most people (young or old) don’t go further with the ideas because of the fears and risk. Those who do go further are the Bill Gates and Donald Trumps of the world.

There are a lot of things to learn about your own business and it’s not advised to just print out business cards and start to get customers. There are a number of steps that you must follow, which I will present if I still have your attention.

Have you ever heard the expression, “self made millionaire?” Well, there’s no such thing. Everyone needs other people to build wealth. It starts with the government. The government will help you build wealth but there’s a few involved and that fee is in taxes and legal licensing of your business. Other people you need will be customers and yet other people you need include your parents. If you have your parent’s support of your endeavors your whole family can benefit from the profits from the business as well as some pretty sweet tax credits that will reduce their taxes (and yours) to provide even more income to the family. An accountant (another person who can help you) will be well worth his or her fees in helping you build your business from a financial standpoint. Don’t be afraid to pay for professional services and/or knowledge.

Now, to continue about the things that I feel you should learn about business before you start, the most important lesson is that whatever product or service you decide upon requires a serious look at the need for those products or services. It’s not a good idea to pick a product and then run around to find people who want or need your offerings. You should find the customers and then the products or service to fill or create those needs.

I have a list of a few library books that you should look at to help you determine what type(s) of business you would be well suited for. Ask your Librarian for other books about kids and money. You are not limited to any of the ideas and you can always put your own twist on the ideas you get. We are talking about YOUR business here.

Fast Cash for Kids … Bonnie & Noel Drew
Better than a Lemonade Stand … Daryl Bernstein
50 Money Making Ideas for Kids … Lauree & L Allen Burkett
Jobs for Kids … Carol Barkin & Elizabeth James
The Kids’ Business Book … Arlene Erlbach
Making Cents … Elizabeth Wilkinson

One of the ways to do this effectively is with a business plan. Besides checking out the books above, your local library also has books on how to write a business plan. It is not an overnight process but one of the more important things you can do to make sure your business starts and stays on track. Do something TODAY to start a business plan. You’ll put a few hours into writing it but it’ll show you if your ideas are really profitable. If you cannot put the time into writing a business plan, you most certainly cannot put the time in to conduct business.

Make sure you are legal before you charge your first dime and make sure you get your parents on board with your intentions. Who says that parents have to create family owned businesses? The books that I have recommended provide plenty of case studies on how young people can make more money working for themselves than they can working for others.

Don’t wait for your ship to come in … Swim out to meet it.

Wouldn’t you think this is “Best Answer?” Vote for me if you agree.