Business ideas for kids often begin with everyday problems, useful skills and a little creative thinking.
Coming up with an enterprise idea that makes money, solves a real problem and keeps a child motivated is a tall order for an adult, let alone a kid.
Children do not need a perfect idea to get started. In fact, many of the best ideas come from noticing what people need, thinking creatively and using the skills children already have.
Business Ideas for Kids: Finding Enterprise Ideas
Business ideas for kids are often found by looking closely at everyday life. Coming up with an enterprise idea that makes money, solves a real problem and keeps a child motivated can be a tall order for an adult, let alone a kid.
The trick is to spend time brainstorming ideas together and helping children notice the small problems around them.
What I explained to my entrepreneurial kids was that they needed to think about the problems in our small community town, then look for possible solutions.
By solving people’s problems, children begin to create real opportunities for enterprise.
Business Ideas for Kids Start with Solving Problems
In the original video for this post, I gave the kids a simple example. Winter was drawing near and people were chopping wood ready to fuel their fires.
Problem: No one likes scrambling around outside on a cold and rainy day gathering kindling to get their fire started.
Solution: Collect bundles of gum tree sticks, tie them up and sell them to people who need kindling ready to go.
Step one was finding the problem. Step two was finding the solution. Putting the idea into action would be step three.
What a great and simple enterprise idea.
After hearing this example, the kids had no trouble finding enterprise ideas of their own.
Using Skills to Create Kids Entrepreneur Ideas
Our mentor, Paul Counsel, often shares a great educational basis behind what it means to be entrepreneurial.
He encourages us to consider how we are an asset to others. What skills and knowledge do we have that could be of service to others? What are we good at?
For example, Kaitlin and Amber are very good with toddlers and babies. Every day they were helping with their baby sister Akaisha. They fed her, changed her nappy, bathed her and took her for walks.
Both girls were very skilled and had a natural ease with babies. Knowing when Akaisha was tired and how to soothe her when she was upset became second nature. These abilities could easily lead to real enterprise opportunities.
Everyday skills can become enterprise ideas:
Turning Everyday Skills into Enterprise Ideas
The obvious enterprise would be babysitting, but other ideas include:
- Homework Support — busy parents may need someone to listen to younger children read, practise spelling words or help with writing.
- Toddler Playmate — after school, some parents may appreciate an older child entertaining and playing with their toddler or baby.
- Walking Younger Children Home from School — busy parents may appreciate a responsible older child helping with the school run.
- Sports, Dance, Music or Art Coaching — Amber and Kaitlin could teach other kids how to throw, catch, draw, dance or play music.
These are not complicated ideas, but they are valuable and practical. Children can easily miss this point. Often, they do not realise that skills they use every day may be helpful to someone else.
Finding Business Ideas for Kids Through Imagination
All it requires, when finding enterprise ideas for kids, is a little imagination.
Take the time to identify problems and look at what assets you have that could help people. Helping people is the key to enterprise.
Many ideas are not new. However, children often need guidance to look at their existing skills and realise how valuable they already are.
A tip for everyone: you can increase your value by up-skilling and becoming an expert in an area.
As your skill increases, your value increases too. Over time, people are more likely to seek your help and pay for your time and knowledge.
How Kids Can Start a Business by Increasing Their Value
For example, being a whiz at sorting computer glitches would make you valuable to people who have computer problems. Being an expert pianist could create opportunities to teach others how to play piano.
Many of these ideas are simple. The real lesson is helping children notice what they are already good at, then think about how those skills could help others.
For older children who are ready to take an idea further, Business.gov.au has helpful information for young people starting a business.
Business Ideas for Kids Are Everywhere
Finding enterprise ideas can be fun, and it isn’t that hard if you do a little thinking and brainstorming first.
Amber will reveal her enterprise idea in the next blog as she begins her quest to reach her goals, so stay tuned.
Key takeaway: Business ideas for kids often begin with simple problem-solving. When children learn to notice problems, use their skills and think about how they can help others, they begin to see enterprise opportunities everywhere.
Where to Next?
If you enjoyed this post about finding business ideas for kids, you may also like:
- Raise Entrepreneurial Kids — ideas for helping children build initiative, confidence and real-world skills.
- Kids Business Ideas: Amber’s Kids Biz Program — a real family story about turning a $20 challenge into a kerb painting business.
- Business Ideas for Students: Chayse the Candy Man — how one simple idea became a real childhood enterprise.
- Small Business Ideas for Students: Kaitlin’s Portrait Drawing Enterprise — a creative example of turning talent into opportunity.
- Kids Business Ideas — more examples and inspiration for young entrepreneurs.
We would love to hear from you, so please leave a comment.