There’s no two ways around it – today’s kids want spending money. But what does your child do if they lack experience or are simply too young for most traditional summer jobs? Many employers won’t even consider children under the age of 14 and while volunteering is a good way to get started, your child needs to be old enough to be responsible. The last thing an employer wants to do is baby-sit. Speaking of babysitting, there are more income opportunities for preteens than minding younger kids or running a lemonade stand. Creativity is the key. What is your child interested in? Here are some good ideas to help inspire the entrepreneurial spirit. Yard maintenance. If your child loves the outdoors, what about a business that offers grass cutting, weeding and trimming? Promoted right your child could be kept busy year round with chores like planting flowers and vegetables in the spring, garden watering and weeding in the summer, raking and garden clean-up in the fall and snow shovelling in the winter. Dog walking. Responsible kids could start a dog walking business and then if interested, expand into dog washing and grooming. Pet care. Rare is the young family without a pet of some kind whether it’s a dog, cat, guinea pig or goldfish. Promote pet care services to neighbors, friends and relatives who may be in need of someone to care for their pet when they’re on vacation. House sitting. If your child isn’t fond of animals what about house sitting? Offer to water plants, collect mail, randomly light their home etc. Car detailing. Washing and detailing cars is a great job for a group of friends. Price services competitively and offer a guarantee. Teaming up with a lemonade vendor who also sells homemade cookies or popcorn gives customers something to do while they wait. Or, take the service on the road with hand vac and washing supplies in tow. Painting business. While this idea requires some experience it may be another fun business to do with friends. House cleaning. Even if your child hates cleaning chores at home she may feel different when she’s being paid. You may want to discuss the importance of doing a thorough job. Catering service. Does your young adult love to cook or bake? If so, a catering business may be right up her alley. Computer tutor. Troubleshooting or simply teaching people how to better use their computer could be the ideal job for a computer whiz kid. School tutor. Tutoring younger students in subjects your child enjoys and gets good marks in is a great year round business idea. Be supportive. Help your child get started by talking about customer satisfaction and the importance of following through after she’s committed to doing the work. You may also want to talk about the value in setting fair prices. General Tips: *Hand deliver flyers to neighbors. *Attract business with free samples. *Seek references. *Offer coupons to potential customers. *Always know where your child is and never let her go door-to-door alone. |