By Cheryl Mattox Berry
It’s official: Summer is here.
What are your plans? School, travel or work? If you haven’t snagged a job yet, join the club. The summer job market is still tight for teens, but that doesn’t mean you should give up. Don your entrepreneurial cap and think of ways to make money.
There are opportunities around every corner. For real. Someone is always willing to pay for something they hate doing and have put off too long. Consider yourself a businesswoman in shining armor ready to take that task off their hands. If you do this many times over, guess what? You’ve got a business. Here are some ideas I came up with off the top of my head:
- Mother’s helper. Stay-at-home moms have a ton of stuff to do. Offer to run some of their errands or stay with the kids while they do them.
- Clean out your garage. This is a job that no one voluntarily does, so things just keep piling up. Offer to give dad a family discount to get rid of the junk.
- Garage sale. With all the stuff you’ve hauled out of the garage, you can have a Saturday morning garage sale.
- Become a garage sale expert, organizing sales in your area. Charge a flat rate or percentage of the sales.
- Bake sale at church or synagogue after weekly services. Give the church a percentage of your sales.
- Adult day care. Sit with senior citizens while their caregivers run errands or get a cup of coffee with friends.
- Pet sitting. Some folks don’t like kennels and prefer their animals be kept at home while they vacation.
- Movie night for kids/Date night for parents. Invite kids over to your house for movies and popcorn. Charge a flat rate or your babysitting rate for each child.
- Flea market. Collect mom, dad and grandma’s old clothing, jewelry and trinkets to sell at a flea market.
- Clearinghouse for quick jobs. Some of your friends are experts at doing things, such as setting up computers/troubleshooting or explaining how to use a cell phone. You may also know lifeguards, yardmen and party helpers. Book them for jobs and get a percentage of their earnings.
Advertise your business in church and synagogue bulletins, online sites and job bulletin boards at businesses in your community. Set firm prices. If you’re working to save money for a specific item, such as a laptop or school clothes, share that information. Clients like to know where their money is going.
Running a small business will teach you organizational skills, communication skills, marketing strategies, money management, negotiating skills and time management. These are valuable skills that you will use for the rest of your life no matter what career you choose.
If you can think of any other business ideas, drop me an email, and I will share them with readers.