“13 Easy Ways to Make Money as a Teenager 2021”
- nperez727
- Aug 17, 2021
- 8 min read
By: Nicole Perez
Sell Print on Demand T-Shirts..................................................2
Social Media Influencer............................................................4
Become a Reseller....................................................................9
Become a brand Ambassador................................................11
Sell Your Artwork.....................................................................12
Become a Youtuber ................................................................13
Everyone’s going to say that your teenage years are some of the best years of your life. Which is true! However, those years should not be wasted doing small things. Teenage-hood is the best time to get ahead of the game and make money. Earn money and put a good percentage into a savings account. You can use those funds towards your college education or use it to invest in your own business. It’s never too early to explore ways to make money and it’s never a bad idea to get some sort of financial independence at the same time. There are tons of cool ideas you can use to make money as a teenager. This blog will provide 13 ideas to help you get started!
1. Washing Cars
Running a car wash is extremely flexible. As a teenager, you can choose the hours that you would like to work and only schedule the car wash during those times. A car wash comes with a great deal of responsibility, as you must be sure not to accidentally scratch or dent someone else's car.
Simply go door-to-door and offer to wash cars for a reasonable price, and you’d be surprised at how many people would find your deal a no-brainer. Besides, if you’re doing this as a teen, most people would respect the hustle and be more likely to support you on your venture.
2. Sell on Demand T-Shirts
There are a ton of platforms where you can create your own custom t-shirts, mugs, hoodies, pillows, bags or even shoes. All you need to do is to upload your design, and since its drop shipped, everything else is taken care of. This method to make money as a teen is perfect for those of you concerned about investing in products to sell. Since products aren’t manufactured before the sale, there is no need to order inventory or handle shipping. This leaves you to laser focus your efforts towards creating and uploading unique designs. Also, you don’t need to be a graphic designer at all to make money doing this.You can turn your ideas into T-shirts with print-on-demand services, which allow you to sell without owning a print shop. Some companies to check out include Merch by Amazon, Printful, Printify, Spreadshirt and Redbubble.
3. Seasonal Jobs
Lawn mowing is an excellent summer job for a teen who does not mind putting in hard work. If you like to get a good workout, this might be the job for you. Many people in the neighborhood will not feel like mowing the lawn. The best way to get started is to knock on their doors and ask if they need help.
In addition to mowing the lawn in the summer, there are plenty of activities that homeowners may need assistance with throughout the year. Teens can explore tasks such as shoveling snow, raking leaves, and planting flowers depending on the season. The jobs can be done alone or together with the homeowner. Talk to the homeowner about which yard work tasks they need help with and go from there.
4. Become an social media influencer
If you’ve always been keen to get your opinions out and share experiences with the rest of the world; the influencer life might be the career for you.
The absolute fastest way you can explore this way to make money as a teen is through Instagram, of course. All you need is a decent Instagram business page, strong social media management skills, and creative content to build as an influencer. Even micro-influencers can make anywhere from $30,000 to $60,000/year!
5. Nanny
As a nanny, you’ll watch babies or children while their parents are away. Becoming a family’s regular nanny can often put a lot of money in your bank account, since many parents need full-time child care while their kids are out of school all summer.
One way to start is by being a mother’s helper; this is a good option for younger teens who can watch or play with children while a parent is in the home getting other work done. Care.com is one site where you can connect with people looking for babysitters or nannies nearby (keep in mind that as a teen under 18 you will need parental permission to register on the site).
Consider getting CPR training and taking a safe sitter course — parents may be inclined to pay you more when you have completed them. Both are available through the Red Cross. This Care.com calculator can estimate what you can expect to be paid for your services.
6. Dog Walking
Dogs need to get out for exercise all year long, so dog walking is a great job for teenagers. Make sure that you feel comfortable with the pet before you take the animal for a walk the first time. In addition to dog walking, you can also offer to pet sit for the animals while the owners are away on vacation. Dog walker pay rates vary, but you can comfortably ask for anywhere between $8-$16 an hour, based on Glassdoor.
7. Become a Photographer
I’m fascinated by the art and science of photography, and maybe your teen is too. If so, a photography business could be the thing for them! If they already have photography experience and a nice camera on hand, this will be even easier. If they don’t own their own camera yet, ask a family friend if they can borrow theirs or look into renting one from an equipment shop. You can always use your phone if you cant access or afford a camera.
How much money can you make with this job? It can be tricky to decide exactly how much to charge per session. They could keep it simple by offering a day of “mini sessions.” Pick a great outdoor location to take the pictures at, have the clients select their desired time (during the best hours for natural light), and charge them a flat fee for a 30- to 45-minute session with 20 digital images. If you charge $80 per session and books five families, you’ll make $400! You can also sell your photography on apps like Foap. If you take (and sell) stock photography, start a small business taking photos of weddings or babies, or even sell your iPhone photos, there are plenty of opportunities to make money with your camera. A photographer can make $16 an hour, according to the BLS, but selling iPhone photos on Foap brings in $5 per shot.
8. Tutoring
Many parents are looking for reasonably priced tutors for their kids. If you’re a teen who excels in a subject such as math, reading or a foreign language, you can offer your tutor services to local parents. Ask neighborhood parents if they need a tutor. Or check local online sites such as Craigslist for parents looking for tutors.
Stay safe by making sure to involve your parents when meeting up with a new potential customer.
9. Reselling
Whether you’re good at creating – be it crafts or artwork – or simply have stuff you want to sell, there are a number of sites teens can use to sell their goods online:
Mercari: Think of Mercari as an online yard sale where sellers can sell clothing, technology, sports equipment, home goods and even their own homemade crafts. Mercari takes a 10% commission on each sale.
Poshmark: A marketplace for clothing and shoes, Poshmark is a direct seller-to-buyer site. Meaning, the seller provides fulfillment (and in return keeps more profit). Poshmark takes a $2.95 commission on all sales under $15. It takes a 20% commission on any sales above $15.
Thredup: If you’d rather not be hassled by selling your sold clothing items, Thredup could be a good solution. Think of it as a consignment store online. Sellers send in a bag full of clothing, shoes, jewelry or accessories they want to sell. Thredup will then decide which items to sell and which to donate. Since Thredup takes care of fulfillment, the seller keeps less profit.
Ebay: The old standby, just about anything can be sold on Ebay.
Etsy: If you’re creative, Etsy can be a great place to sell your goods. The key is to understand how SEO works on Etsy to get your goods placed at the top of searches.
10. Blog Writer
For teens that love to write, becoming a blog writer could be the ideal online position. Some large publications actually hire young people when the need arises, allowing them to tap into a teen’s perspective. However, if you’re writing skills are high enough, you wouldn’t necessarily be limited to that.
Many blog writers are freelancers, so you can use freelancing platforms to find opportunities, potentially landing gigs that pay around $30.39 per hour. If you are willing to put in the time and effort, you could even try creating your own blog. Just understand that you probably won’t start bringing in any income, as it can take time to curate an audience and actually turn a profit.
11. Become a Brand Ambassador
If you already have a strong social media following, you may be able to earn a little cash as a brand ambassador. Through these programs, you earn a commission when someone clicks through a special link that you post and promote and actually makes a purchase.
Some brand ambassador programs are open to using people under the age of 18, so it could work as a teen job. However, how much you could make is highly variable. Some programs are commission-only, and the percentages are pretty low. Others involve a lump sum or salary (typically the equivalent of about $23 per hour), but those are usually only available to legitimate influencers.
12. Resell Artwork
It’s hard to know exactly how much you will make as an artist because you have to consider; your cost of supplies, how long it takes to create a piece, and how much the piece is worth. For example, you may spend two hours creating a small sculpture, but if you can only sell it for $2, you end up with less than $1/hour when you also include supplies. On the other hand, a medium-sized painting may take 10 hours but if you sell it for $100, then it’s $10/hour.
Selling artwork for money is a great way to profit from something that you enjoy, but it can also be a career if you’re willing to put in the work that it takes. If you think you want to pursue art as a career, then you should go ahead and get started as soon as possible. While some artists don’t make much money with what they create, others can make a living from it.
13. Youtuber
If you’ve ever made a video on YouTube, you may be able to turn this into a steady revenue stream.
There are even videos that teach you how to make videos.
You create videos, set them up with Google AdSense, then earn income as people view your video, and click on the ads displayed.
You can even create videos that can provide you with affiliate income from various service providers.
The videos can be on any subject you can think of. It can be some sort of how-to-video, or it can be about specific topics, like movie and music reviews. You can even create a portfolio of videos, each earning you a little bit of revenue every month. Several teens and even younger! – have successful YouTube channels. I’m sure you’ve seen plenty of them and wondered how you can start one yourself. Figure out your niche. What you’re interested in and just try it out! As you create videos, you’ll find your style.
Once you have enough subscribers, you can add ads to your channel and/or affiliate methods that give you a kickback when people purchase products through your links.
Need some ideas? How about how-to videos, movie reviews, or music reviews? Pick an area you excel in and start sharing your knowledge. While it can take a while to make money from your YouTube channel, it can eventually turn into passive income…earning money when you’re not even working on it!
However, it can take a long time to turn this into an income source. Even when you’re able to add ads, you may only bring in $3 to $5 per 1,000 views.
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