As the world stretches and yawns and blinks back into existence, entrepreneurs everywhere are asking themselves, “What’s next?” As the young, up-and-coming generation of startups, you have an enormous say in what the new normal will look like. Don’t forget that it has been young entrepreneurs who stepped up and made a difference in 2020. Now you can continue to lead the way.
Being a young entrepreneur means you already have many advantages over your older peers. (One example: no one had to teach you how to do a video call.) We are living through one of the very best moments for you to start, grow, or pivot your business. Be the leader the post-Covid world needs!
Need some ideas to get going? We’ve got you covered.
1-DELIVERY SERVICE
Not everyone is going back to work in an office. For some, that will mean continuing to have things like meals and groceries delivered to their homes. There are several great advantages to this business for you.
First, you make your own hours. Only want to work Monday through Thursday after school? Or only weekend afternoons? You decide!
Second, you can create your niche. Groceries, dry-cleaning, or taking packages to the post office are all things people need you to do.
Third, you don’t even need a driver’s license! Even if all you have is a bike, you can carry small packages or take-out meals for your customers. Don’t have a bike, either? Let your neighbors know you are available to take in their mail or packages while they are away once travel picks up again.
2-HEALTHY MEAL DELIVERY
Hot on the heels of #1, above, comes a business idea for you aspiring chefs, nutritionists, and dieticians out there. If you know you make the best gluten-free pizza or the tastiest vegan brownies, why not turn it into a business?
You can either put together a meal kit with all the ingredients and directions or cook the meals yourself for re-heating later. Either way, you’ll be helping your neighbors save both time and money while they focus on nutritious meals. Parents, especially, love being able to whip up a wholesome meal for their kids without a lot of prep work.
Take a cue from the other meal-delivery services out there and offer to deliver everything over the weekend or early in the week. Your customers can then refrigerate or freeze some meals for when they’re busier.
Your advantage here is the personalized service you offer, the lower prices, and the fresher food!
3-SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
Remember earlier when we said that you have an advantage over your older entrepreneurial peers? Put that to good use by offering social media services. Not everyone who owns or runs a small business was born knowing how to make a TikTok video go viral. But we’re guessing it’s second nature to you!
Start with local businesses. Or set up social media accounts for fake businesses just to show off what you can do. Don’t be shy when offering your services, either.
Remember that some of your potential clients may not even BE online. (!!!) Be ready to put up flyers or hand out business cards whenever and wherever you see someone who could use your services.
The best part of this job is that you can do it all while you’re already online!
4-CLEANING
More than ever, we’re all now hyper-aware of the necessity of sanitation. Those of you who find meditation in mopping or a sense of satisfaction in sweeping can hire yourselves out to clean people’s homes. Not only can you charge by the hour, but you can charge extra for things like washing windows or sanitizing refrigerator shelves.
Cleaning bathtubs and kitchen counters not your style? There are still plenty of clean-up jobs out there. Consider post-event trash pick-up, closet organization, or cleaning up empty houses before or after a move.
Grab a few friends and make this a team effort. You might be surprised at how many people out there are willing to pay good money to have someone else clean up after them.
5-ONLINE TUTORING
No matter the time of year, you are bound to find parents who want extra academic help for their kids. If you are an AP rock star in any subject, someone will want to pay you to tutor their kids. Online tutoring works out for everyone because no one has to travel.
Over the summer, plenty of parents want to help their children avoid the “summer slump” that comes with not being in school. As students wrap up a most unusual school year in which academics were almost an afterthought, you can make good money helping kids get ahead. Parents love to hire high schoolers, and kids love hanging out with teens!
6-VIRTUAL TOUR GUIDE
What’s special about your town? Where are all the awesome spots that locals love but visitors never see?
Fire up your video camera and go lead virtual tours!
People who haven’t been able to travel for over a year will love to watch you show off those beaches you and your friends hit every weekend. Or take a walk through a natural resource unique to your area, like the Everglades or the Redwood Forest.
Create a website where customers can preview 10-30 seconds of your tour for free and then download the whole thing after paying. Remember that the history in your neighborhood you take for granted could be someone’s dream destination!
7-PERSONAL SHOPPER
Attention fashionistas! Someone out there desperately needs your help in putting an outfit together!
Not everyone has an eye for color, style, or trends. This is where you come in. A re-opened world means people are going out again. In public. With other people. Who will see them. IN PUBLIC.
Help citizens all over the country finally get out of those threadbare yoga pants and into some normal people clothes. You don’t even have to leave your bedroom! Think of it like shopping without spending a dime of your own money. Your work simply involves finding pieces online that work for your client’s needs. Can you believe someone will pay you for this?
The bottom line is that you may be pleasantly surprised at the things people will pay someone else to do. Whether it’s running to the post office to mail a package or tutoring a sixth-grader in pre-algebra, everyone has something they’d rather spend money on, rather than time or energy. That’s where you come in!
Young entrepreneurs who attend high school in Florida may be eligible for a Kantner Foundation college scholarship. Click here to learn about what we offer and how to apply.