Starting your own business in high school teaches you several things. Mostly, a form of learning transfer. That means you take a skill learned from one area and apply it to another.

High school is teaching you to focus on a subject, deepen your learning, create a project like an essay, and submit it for a grade.

That’s how business works too. If you’re doing well in high school, you probably have the skills needed to do well in business.

Showing up on time, always being open to learning and deepening your learning, creating the value you promised, and delivering it by the deadline you agreed to. That creates income! When you do it well, you build trust, and can get referrals.

You’ll learn financial management skills - how to budget for things you want and need. How to set some aside for savings, or taxes. You’ll learn problem-solving skills: how to invent and explore various options, and pick one that seems like the best approach. You’ll learn how to be a leader, or a self-starter, how to work with a team, how to communicate your ideas clearly to other people, how to learn the discipline of keeping your promises.

The number of adults in the workforce today who don’t have these basic skills is depressing…

Plus, you’re creating something for yourself. You’re building a small business that you actually enjoy working on. It can be a hobby, a project, or a passion. These really help to keep you motivated, because it really matters to you.

Getting comfortable with these skills will help you thrive in any business environment. College too!

What kinds of small businesses can a student start from home?

Students can either start their own brand, join a team, or offer freelance services. Some students might band together with friends and create their own team, or agency.

Virtual Assistant: High school students can work as a virtual assistant for another business, or an entrepreneurial friend. You can handle tasks like scheduling events, responding to emails, and managing social media accounts.
Online Tutor: As a high school student, you might excel in a specific subject. You could offer your expertise as an online tutor, helping other students with homework and studying.
Social Media Manager: If you’re like most teens, we enjoy social media and creating content. You can hire yourself to work as a social media manager, creating and scheduling posts, analyzing data, and engaging with followers for businesses or individuals.
Content Creator: If you enjoy subjects like creative writing, photography, or videography, you can put your talents to use. Create and sell your own content as blog posts, articles, or videos.
Online Retail: Sometimes you don’t even need to have your own products, or a physical storefront. You can source and resell products you believe in, and improve the buying process for people. Either through your own website or platforms like Shopify and Amazon, you can find your own way to serve others better.
Data entry: This is relatively easy to learn and doesn't require any special skills or experience. Data entry jobs like medical billing and coding, marketplaces, or survey feedback, typically involve inputting data into a system.
Virtual customer service: Another popular job for high school students is working as a virtual customer service representative. This means you’ll support a company by chatting with customers over phone, email, or live chat.
Graphic design: Got a talent for art, painting, and illustration? Try graphic design as a service, creating logos, brochures, and marketing materials for businesses. This job can be done from home, and doesn’t need expensive software.
Online marketer: High school students with an interest in marketing can help businesses promote products or services online. You’ll need to learn skills in search engine optimization, pay-per-click advertising, and social media marketing. Or focus on branding and marketing through creative collaboration.
Website development: If you have a talent for coding, you can offer your skills building and maintaining websites. This requires skills in web development languages such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. If you’re more artistic, then front-end designers study UX (user experience), layout and design, and copywriting.

Plus there’s many more options - and you can even create your own, as long as there’s enough people who want to buy from you!

Platforms like Fiverr or Upwork can bring you access to clients looking for help. Sometimes agencies will allow you to intern with them and shadow a specialist. They get ‘free labor,’ and you get valuable experience and a new entry on your resume.

What are some of your ideas?

What interests you about starting to work from home?

10 work-from-home ideas students can start…