| If you are a young teen looking for work, sometimes it | | | | wage or if you are going to charge a per-job fee. You |
| might feel positively daunting. You might be tired of | | | | might vary your rates depending on the size of the job. |
| babysitting the kids down the street. You might not | | | | Ask your parents to help you come up with |
| even enjoy spending time with kids. So how can you | | | | reasonable rates. Another thing to take into |
| make money? If you're not quite ready for a job | | | | consideration is whose equipment you will be using. |
| someplace, then go into business for yourself! | | | | Can you borrow your parents' lawnmower, or will you |
| 1. Skip the lemonade stand. | | | | use your new employer's lawnmower? Be sure that |
| If you want to make ten cents a glass sitting by the | | | | you know how to properly work any new equipment |
| side of the road, that's up to you. But you can also find | | | | before you begin. Remember: lawn-maintenance can |
| ways to make more money than that! Think of what | | | | extend beyond simply cutting the grass: you can rake |
| skills you have and what you might be able to make | | | | leaves or perhaps offer to do simple gardening tasks. |
| that people will buy. | | | | Other jobs that you might not have thought of include |
| Perhaps you are an amazing bracelet maker. Consider | | | | painting, or car cleaning. Many people would pay you to |
| having a booth at the local farmer's market or at | | | | vacuum, dust, and wash their car. |
| nearby garage sales. Baked goods might also be a | | | | 4. Help your elders. |
| big-selling hit. | | | | Many older people need an extra hand for a lot of |
| You might even decide to have a garage sale | | | | reasons. Not only would lawn-maintenance and |
| yourself! Ask your parents and neighbors if you can | | | | cleaning be helpful, you might also offer to cook one |
| cart away some junk for them. You can sort through | | | | meal a week. You could do their laundry. |
| this junk to find out what might be worthwhile to sell at | | | | Some older people lose their sight but don't lose their |
| a garage sale: remember, one man's trash is another | | | | love of reading. See if you can get a job reading aloud. |
| man's treasure. Be sure that you have a way to | | | | You're not going to be able to pick the books you |
| dispose of the materials that you aren't going to sell. | | | | read, but at least you will be reading new material and |
| 2. Use your brain. | | | | making someone happy! |
| If you are a stellar student, why not start a tutoring | | | | Even those middle-aged people can be downright |
| business? You can go to local schools and leave a | | | | computer illiterate sometimes. If you are a computer |
| poster with the guidance counsellor or secretary. Make | | | | whiz, you could teach short courses on how to use a |
| your poster bright and easy-to-read. Specify two or | | | | computer. You could cover everything from how to |
| three subjects as your specialty. Most importantly, | | | | use a word processor, how to send email, to how to |
| make sure that there are no mistakes on it: you won't | | | | search the web. You can make each topic into a |
| get hired as a tutor if you don't strive for perfection. If | | | | different half-hour class. Be sure to provide handouts |
| you are hired as a tutor, set out the guidelines right | | | | explaining the steps in case they forget the steps! |
| away. Are you going to be working on the student's | | | | 5. Share your love of animals. |
| material from class, or will you be supplementing class | | | | You can offer to help your neighbors with their pets. If |
| work with other material? | | | | they are going away for a week during the summer, |
| You might be a very talented musician. Consider | | | | you can walk their dog every day and make sure that |
| teaching music lessons. As with any lessons, you will | | | | it has food and water. You might offer to take their |
| need to come up with a lesson plan for each lesson. | | | | hamster home with you so it doesn't get lonely. Even if |
| You will also need to have music for your students | | | | your neighbors are staying for the summer, a |
| when they arrive, or tell them what books to purchase | | | | dog-walking business can be very successful. Just be |
| when they arrive. Parents will want proof of your | | | | careful you don't get too many dogs at once! |
| qualifications, so when you put up your posters in local | | | | If you have any cooking skills, you can bake |
| music shops or in community centers, be sure to write | | | | homemade gourmet pet treats. You can find recipes |
| down the number of years of experience that you | | | | for these on the internet. Test them on your pet or a |
| have with your instrument, any awards that you've | | | | friends pet for free before you sell them. |
| won (perhaps in the Kiwanis Festival), and any | | | | You might consider selling your skills as a pet groomer, |
| pertinent achievements (perhaps you have your grade | | | | as well. Do you feel comfortable cutting a dog's hair |
| 6 conservatory piano and your grade 1 theory | | | | and nails? Give them a bath and brush their fur and |
| qualifications). | | | | their owners will be thrilled. |
| If you were fortunate enough to be raised in a home | | | | Before you Start your Business |
| where more than one language is spoken, you can | | | | Remember: a business is a business. You need to be |
| teach foreign language classes. You can work this | | | | professional. You need to make sure that if you say |
| two ways: you can teach a new language to English | | | | you will do something, you follow through. Have an |
| speakers (Spanish, Dutch), or you can teach new | | | | adult look over all of your business plans with you to |
| immigrants how to speak English. This might also be | | | | make sure that you haven't forgotten any key |
| something that you can tutor to school children. | | | | material. |
| 3. Put your back into it. | | | | The key to a successful business is planning. Plan your |
| Although chores can be tedious, they seem a lot more | | | | marketing, plan your lessons, plan your dog-walking |
| bearable if you are getting paid for them. You might | | | | route, plan, plan, and plan some more! With some |
| start a cleaning or lawn-maintenance business. You | | | | forethought and some help from an adult, you will be |
| need to decide if you are going to charge an hourly | | | | prepared to make money in no time. |