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Running a small business with your kids is a rewarding and productive experience, but it does require thought and planning. Before letting the children run wild with the idea, you need to make sure it’s simple, safe, and practical.
As a business owner myself, I know how rewarding it can be to involve my loved ones in my work to some extent. I don't want you to be put off by the potential obstacles – there can be so many benefits, and I don't just mean money here.
From creative endeavors to in-demand services, I've curated a list of potential business ideas that can help you and your child work and grow together while having fun and making a profit. With ideas suitable for young kids and teenagers, there’s sure to be something that stands out to both you and your little one.
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30 Business Ideas for Kids
From well-loved classics to new and tech-savvy options, here are 30 awesome microbusiness ideas for you to try out with your children.
1. Gardener
A kid can do simple gardening jobs that any adult would pay to avoid doing themselves – it might not be exciting, but this is a profitable industry for the child entrepreneur.
Mowing lawns and raking leaves are two of the most popular types of gardening for kids, and since most households will have their own tools, the only investment required is time and effort.
2. Dog Walker
Any kid old enough to walk the family dog is perfectly poised to turn their daily chore into a profit earner. Just by taking an extra dog along, kids can earn some money and learn a little about time management and customer service.
3. Food Stall Owner
The lemonade stall is a classic, but there’s no need to limit yourself to lemonade. Food and drink stalls can sell any kind of refreshment that you can think of, and there are lots of simple recipes kids can make themselves.
Keeping track of sales, expenses, waste, and calculating profit is a great way for a child to learn a little bit about how the world works, and make some cash on the side.
4. Plant Sitter
Watering plants for family, friends, and neighbors is an easy way to earn some pocket money and learn a little about responsibility.
Doing the job sloppily could do more harm than good, so kids need to listen to the care instructions and think more about the service they’re providing than just the money they want to make.
5. Newspaper Round
The timeless newspaper round. This might not be an option forever, but for now at least, people are still reading physical newspapers.
This job can help children put their endless energy to good use, build a rapport with their local neighborhood, and help them get to know it geographically.
6. Delivery Service
Helping out family and neighbors with a handy pickup and delivery service is an easy and profitable idea for a kid’s business. A few forgotten groceries, amenities, candy, or anything else that can fit in the basket of a bicycle is fair game.
Jobs could be collected on a private Facebook group, and your kid can grab their bike and run the errand just as they would for you.
7. T-Shirt Designer
Kids can be just as creative as they can be funny, which is what makes them brilliant t-shirt designers. Nonsensical phrases and crayon scribbles are weirdly popular as t-shirt designs and can be worn by kids and as loungewear for adults.
There are many simple ways to design t-shirts nowadays and many ways to sell them online. All you need to do is give a kid a tablet and a stylus and see what happens.
8. Soap Maker
If you want to target local neighborhood beauty lovers, starting a soap-making business is a smart move. The abstract art created by mixing different colors into custom molds means that even the smallest of children can join in.
For older kids, helping out with the stock purchases and profit calculations will help build a foundation in money savviness that will be really useful for them in the future.
9. Baker
Kids’ baking competitions, both televised and otherwise, are pretty popular right now and there are plenty of children getting into the hobby. Turning this into a business opportunity is a rewarding way to make some pocket money and contribute to the community.
Baked goods can be sold at sports events, school events, local BBQs, the neighborhood park on a weekend, and almost anywhere you can think of. Older kids could even move their business online and allow customers to pick up their goods.
10. Tutor
If your child enjoys school, setting up some tutoring clients can be an easy way to earn a little money and develop important interpersonal skills.
This can work for young kids who can tutor someone a year below them, or for high school students helping out middle school kids.
11. YouTuber
This is a far larger undertaking than a simple lemonade stand or a newspaper round, but child YouTubers are indeed growing in popularity. Playing video games, reviewing toys, sharing ideas for crafts and kids’ entertainment, or showcasing hobbies and talents are all viable options.
Money can come from advertisements or deals with toy makers and companies that want their products reviewed. You can even set up a Patreon account and let viewers contribute to the channel that way. However, if you choose to go down this route, keep a close eye on your child and make sure they’re not being targeted by anyone vicious on the internet.
12. Social Media Personality
Of course, YouTube is not the only kind of social media. TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter are all potential platforms for kids to show the world their talents.
From silly comedy skits to educational videos, the best thing about internet content is that nothing is too niche.
13. Greeting Card Designer
Much like the t-shirt designer idea, older folk go crazy for a cute handmade card made by a child. From handprints to thought-out designs, this idea is suitable for just about any age and can be sold at all kinds of community events.
14. Second-Hand Toy Seller
Encouraging your child to sell off their old toys is not only a good idea for a microbusiness, but it will also help them develop good habits and even keep your house decluttered.
Old items could be sold on eBay, local auction sites like Facebook Marketplace, or local events. Knowing their toy can turn into money once they’re bored of it will encourage them to keep it in good condition. This can also work great with old clothes.
15. Car Washer
Car washing is another chore most adults do not enjoy doing and therefore another opportunity for profit. Offering cleaning services to family and neighbors is a simple cash-in-hand business idea that can help pay for hobbies and teach responsibility.
16. Professional Recycler
Taking cans and bottles, cardboard, glass, metal, and every other kind of waste to the right place is a total chore that most people would be all too happy to delegate to someone else.
By going door to door and offering to take bottles to the bottle bank for a small fee, kids can not only make money but also make recycling even better for the environment by taking cars out of the equation.
17. Family Business Assistant
Work experience week and part-time jobs aren’t the only way for kids to learn about the world of work. Family members can help each other out by hiring a little worker to do odd jobs for their business and receive a wage in return.
18. Sports Coaching
If your child loves sports, teaching them to other children can be a good side hustle similar to tutoring. Younger children with aspirations of being on a school team can learn what it’s like and the skills they need from someone who has experience.
19. Music Teacher
Similarly, if your child can play a musical instrument, this can also be turned into a business venture. Teaching not only helps children build communication skills, but it can also help them practice their own skills in a new way and help them improve even more.
20. Jewelry Maker
Jewelry making is a great business idea both for younger kids who can make jewelry for others their age, and talented teenagers who can create pieces even adults would be happy to wear.
Jewelry parts can be bought easily online, and finished pieces can be sold on online marketplaces and even shipped to far-off customers for a little extra effort.
21. Artist
Drawing and painting are popular hobbies for kids, and creating a micro art business around their work can help encourage them to develop their skills.
Whether they’re a young prodigy or just having fun, family and friends will be happy to buy artwork and contribute to the cause.
22. Translation
For bilingual children, teaching them the value of their skills is a great way to encourage them to work hard on both languages. There are various places to find mini translation projects, like creating menus and service lists for local businesses in a different language.
23. Graphic Designer
Local businesses could also provide work for a young graphic artist, who could prepare designs and illustrations for kids’ menus or posters for children’s events that will be sure to appeal to the right audience.
24. Mug Designer
Mugs are a go-to gift for many people, and much like the t-shirt and greetings card design ideas, child-made art can be a big seller. You can sell mugs to friends, family, at local events, and even online depending on what you’re comfortable with.
25. Personalized Phone Case Creator
Super Gluing crystals, charms, and all manner of cute objects to clear phone cases is a creative crafts project and has the potential to become a great microbusiness. This style of phone cases is in fashion right now, and commercial versions can cost $25 and up.
Instead, kids could buy homemade versions from each other at school or local events. Clients can make design requests and even ask for personalized cases.
26. Babysitter or Baby Entertainer
Another classic money maker for young people is babysitting. The original version of this entails looking after another person’s kids while they’re out of the house, but a modern twist can be entertaining young ones while the parent works on something else.
This is a great service for those who work from home and could get a productivity boost from working in the office for a couple of hours while someone watches and plays with the baby in another room.
27. Tech Support Professional
It’s no secret that the young generation is becoming frightfully proficient at all things tech, so much so that older relatives often turn to the kids for help.
Offering these skills to friends and family when they buy or want to buy a new bit of tech is a constructive and useful microbusiness idea. Technical skills are some of the most in demand, and encouraging your child to develop them may do wonders for their future career prospects.
28. Overseas Candy Seller
Selling normal candy is an option too, but selling rare and unobtainable candy will set you apart from the competition from the get-go.
Learning to source from the best sellers and factor in the extra costs will create a more complex and rewarding system for your child to master.
29. Game Renting Service
Collecting new toys and letting them waste away in a corner is a wasteful habit we all wish we could save our kids from.
By encouraging kids to offer their game consoles and board games to others for a small fee, they can learn how to keep their possessions in use and in good condition.
30. School Supplies Reseller
Similarly, children can develop a little entrepreneurial spirit by selling off old school supplies like textbooks and even personal notes. Again, this will provide a convincing reason for them to keep their belongings well looked after.
Approaching and finding buyers themselves is also great practice in people skills and taking action independently. You could even combine this idea with tutoring to make even more money.
No Business Is Too Small for a Smart Payment System
If you want to keep your child from carrying too much cash around with them, or teach them the tools they’ll use to manage money as adults, signing up to Pay.com could be the perfect solution.
With Pay.com’s simple and straightforward interface, both older children and parents can easily learn everything they need to start accepting payments safely and securely.
With a variety of payment methods such as Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay, and PayPal, your child will never have to lose out on a sale because someone didn't have the right cash on them.
Click here to find out how you can get started!
The Bottom Line
Starting a business with your child is all about sharing a project, teaching them valuable life skills, and encouraging them to develop a sense of responsibility and independence.
Whether you’re offering practical services or leveraging hobbies and talents, turning hard work into money and turning money into toys and treats, or perhaps even savings, is what it’s all about.
You can easily take your family business to the next level and set up a smart payment system. Sign up with Pay.com for a simple way to accept credit cards, debit cards, and many other digital payment methods.
