Latest news with #youngentrepreneurs
Forbes
5 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
3 Ways Teens Can Turn Hobbies Into Profitable Side Hustles
teen girl working on for her side job The teenager sketching designs in her notebook during her lunch break isn't just doodling—she's developing skills that could become the foundation of her first business. For teens seeking alternatives to traditional part-time jobs, transforming hobbies into profitable side hustles offers flexibility, higher earning potential, and valuable entrepreneurial experience. After working with over 10,000 young entrepreneurs through WIT (Whatever It Takes) since 2009, I've seen teens successfully monetize everything from digital art to music production to handmade crafts. At WIT, we help teens transform their interests into viable businesses by providing mentorship, resources, and the support needed to turn hobbies into income-generating ventures. Research from Junior Achievement indicates that 66% of teens aged 13-17 express an interest in starting their businesses as adults. Rather than waiting until after college, teens can begin testing these entrepreneurial impulses now while building skills that complement their academic learning and strengthen college applications. Why Teen Side Hustles Beat Traditional Jobs Hobby-based side hustles offer teens several advantages over conventional part-time employment. Unlike retail or food service jobs with rigid schedules, side hustles adapt to academic calendars, sports seasons, and family commitments. A teen can scale up production during winter break and reduce hours during finals week. More importantly, teens already possess deep knowledge of their chosen activities. The teenager who's been editing TikTok videos for two years understands current trends and editing techniques better than most adults. This existing expertise creates a competitive advantage that translates directly into marketable skills. Side hustles also eliminate many barriers that prevent teens from working traditional jobs. No transportation to a workplace, no minimum age requirements for specific positions, and no conflicts with extracurricular activities that colleges value. The College Application Edge Admissions committees now prioritize unique accomplishments over standard club memberships. Running your venture—even a small one—signals self-direction and practical problem-solving abilities that most high school activities can't match. Essays become more compelling when students can describe real challenges they solved independently. Instead of writing about "what I learned from student government," applicants can discuss navigating their first demanding customer or developing pricing strategies that worked. These concrete experiences create memorable application materials. Colleges increasingly value students who demonstrate initiative and create tangible value. A teenager who built a successful tutoring business demonstrates the entrepreneurial mindset that admissions officers recall long after reviewing hundreds of similar applications. Side Hustle #1: Turn Creative Skills Into Client Services Creative hobbies naturally translate into service-based businesses that cater to local markets. Teens skilled in photography, graphic design, video editing, or social media management can offer these capabilities to small businesses and individuals who need professional-quality work but lack the budget for established agencies. The key is to position skills as solutions to specific problems rather than offering generic services. Instead of advertising "graphic design," a teen might offer "Instagram content packages for local boutiques" or "graduation photo sessions for families." Getting started: Create a portfolio showcasing 3-5 examples of your best work. Reach out to 10 local businesses with a specific offer: "I'll create five social media posts for your restaurant for $75." Start with companies you frequently visit or where family and friends work. Side Hustle #2: Transform Making Into Selling Crafting hobbies like jewelry making, woodworking, baking, or creating custom apparel can generate substantial income when approached strategically. The challenge isn't developing products—it's understanding what customers want and where to find them. Successful teen makers focus on specific niches. A teen who enjoys making friendship bracelets might target college-bound students looking for dorm room accessories or create custom pieces for sports teams and school clubs. The production approach matters too. Rather than making items one at a time, develop systems for creating multiple products efficiently. This might mean designing template variations, batch-producing components, or offering customizable base products with different color options. Getting started: Make 15-20 items and test them at a local farmers market, craft fair, or through Instagram posts. Pay attention to which products generate the most questions and compliments. Use this feedback to refine your product line before investing in larger inventory. Side Hustle #3: Monetize Your Knowledge Through Teaching Teaching or tutoring represents one of the most scalable hobby-based businesses for teens. Whether it's music lessons, art instruction, coding tutorials, or academic tutoring, teens can monetize the knowledge they've developed through years of personal interest and practice. This side hustle offers exceptional flexibility—lessons can happen after school, on weekends, or during school breaks. Online platforms significantly expand the potential market. A teen skilled in digital art can offer virtual lessons to students anywhere, while someone who plays guitar can teach through video calls. The advantage goes beyond immediate income. Teaching builds communication skills, reinforces your knowledge, and creates a professional network that proves valuable for college recommendations and future opportunities. Getting started: Identify one specific skill you could teach and define your ideal student. Create a simple lesson plan for a 4-week course covering basic concepts. Offer this course to 3-5 students at a discounted rate to gather testimonials and refine your teaching approach. Scaling up: As you gain experience, consider creating digital courses, writing instructional guides, or partnering with local community centers to offer classes. Many teen tutors eventually build waiting lists of students wanting to work with them. Making It Work: Side Hustle Practical Implementation The difference between teens who dream about side hustles and those who earn money comes down to treating the venture seriously from the start. This means establishing simple business practices that support growth rather than hoping customers will magically appear. Start with systems: Create basic methods for tracking income and expenses, scheduling appointments, and communicating with customers. Even simple spreadsheets and calendar apps can effectively handle most teen businesses. Price with confidence: Many teens undervalue their work because they feel inexperienced. Remember that customers pay for results, not years of experience. If your photography looks professional, charge accordingly. Build gradually: Start small with friends and family, then expand through referrals and word of mouth. Most successful teen side hustles grow organically rather than through expensive advertising. Getting Side Hustle Support: Resources That Help While teens can certainly launch hobby-based businesses independently, having guidance significantly increases success rates. Programs like WIT specialize in helping teens navigate the transition from hobby to business by providing mentorship, practical resources, and connections to other young entrepreneurs. These programs teach more than business basics—they help teens identify which aspects of their hobbies have real commercial potential and develop sustainable systems for growth. The combination of individual passion with structured support often produces the strongest outcomes. For teens ready to take their hobbies to the next level, seeking out mentorship and educational resources accelerates the learning process, helping them avoid common mistakes that often derail many first-time entrepreneurs. Side Hustle Skills That Transfer Beyond immediate income, hobby-based side hustles teach teens capabilities that serve them throughout their lives. These ventures develop financial literacy, customer service skills, time management, and creative problem-solving in ways that traditional part-time jobs rarely match. Most importantly, teens who successfully monetize their hobbies develop confidence in their ability to create value and solve problems. This entrepreneurial mindset—seeing opportunities where others see obstacles—prepares them for a future where adaptability and innovation matter. For teens with hobbies they genuinely enjoy, now represents the perfect time to test whether those interests can generate real income. The worst outcome is learning valuable lessons about business and yourself. The best outcome might be discovering a passion that shapes your future career while building financial independence during your high school years. The question isn't whether your hobby is marketable enough to become a side hustle. The question is whether you're ready to find out.
Zawya
6 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
South Africa: New $17mln ASI Fund backs SME takeovers by young entrepreneurs
ASI Financial Services has launched a R300M Entrepreneurship-Through-Acquisition (ETA) Search Fund aimed at addressing South Africa's succession gap among SME owners while creating opportunities for young entrepreneurs to take over and grow established businesses. The fund introduces a new ownership model in the local market, designed to connect retiring business owners with aspiring business leaders who lack the capital and access to acquire existing companies. The move comes amid persistently high unemployment in South Africa, with a jobless rate of 32.9% in the first quarter of 2025. 'This is more than a business transaction – it's about legacy, community and transformation,' said Tishalan Pillay, executive director of growth at ASI Group. 'We are proud to pioneer a model that enables continuity for SMEs and creates real opportunities for the next generation of business leaders.' How the model works The ETA model, already well established in markets such as the US, provides funding and support to 'searchers' – typically young professionals – who seek to acquire and operate existing businesses. ASI's fund is the first institutionalised version of this model in South Africa. The process involves: - Connecting entrepreneurs and owners: Potential searchers and business owners apply through ASI's online channels to be matched through the programme. - Sourcing and assessing businesses: ASI assists in identifying acquisition targets and conducting due diligence. - Facilitating funding and acquisition: Selected entrepreneurs receive funding and step into leadership as CEOs of the acquired businesses. - Post-deal support: ASI offers strategic guidance and mentorship to ensure long-term growth and continuity. Addressing economic and generational shifts Many South African business owners are approaching retirement without succession plans, while younger professionals remain excluded from traditional ownership pathways due to lack of capital. ASI aims to bridge this gap while preserving businesses that contribute to local employment and economic stability. The initiative also aligns with broader demographic and labour trends. Africa is projected to have the world's largest workforce by 2035, but meaningful economic participation remains constrained without access to assets and capital. 'The ETA model provides a practical, lower-risk route to business ownership for young South Africans, while also supporting retiring owners who want to see their businesses continue,' said Pillay. Encouraging early momentum The fund has already generated interest across provinces, with early applicants signalling strong demand for a more accessible path to ownership outside of traditional startup models. 'Succession in SMEs is an overlooked challenge in South Africa,' said Pillay. 'This initiative gives both sellers and buyers a way forward that benefits communities, employees and the broader economy.' All rights reserved. © 2022. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Mail & Guardian
23-07-2025
- Health
- Mail & Guardian
In the time of aid cuts, decentralise women's health funding
Young people understand social media dynamics, peer-to-peer communication and community mobilisation in ways that can be used improve health services. Photo: Bulungula Incubator As global health budgets tighten and The current funding crisis presents an opportunity to address a fundamental mismatch: while young people comprise up to two-thirds of the population in many regions of the Global South, they remain severely underrepresented in governance and decision-making processes. This reality, combined with resource constraints, makes a compelling case for decentralising funding and placing resources directly in the hands of young entrepreneurs and innovators in local communities. When it comes to health initiatives, young people bring distinct advantages: fresh perspectives, technological know-how and a commitment to social justice. They are less bound by established practices and more willing to challenge outdated paradigms; like those that have long overlooked the critical place for integrating psychosocial support and disability-inclusive approaches into their work. When it comes to women's health, this translates to innovative approaches to menstrual health education, combating child marriage and addressing adolescent pregnancy. Young leaders also understand social media dynamics, peer-to-peer communication, and community mobilisation in ways that can be leveraged for health promotion and advocacy. When we exclude them from leadership roles, we waste this potential. When I founded She Writes Woman to transform mental health stigma across West Africa, I witnessed firsthand the transformative power of locally-led initiatives. With no mental healthcare at primary healthcare centres across Nigeria, and taking into consideration the specific barriers women face in accessing care, we understood that our communities needed access to quality care irrespective of location and a safe online community for education and engagement. So, we launched Safe Place Nigeria, a 24/7 toll-free helpline, free and unlimited teletherapy, and a digital community for mental health support. This wasn't theoretical knowledge from reports — it was experience translated into action. In my own work I take inspiration from a host of women and young people across Africa, Asia and the Middle East making meaningful change in their communities — advocating for healthcare capacity building and leading innovative solutions to the persisting health problems they are facing. These leaders don't need foreign experts to tell them what their communities need; they need resources, support and the freedom to implement solutions they've developed from within. Consider the remarkable work of Jaha Dukureh, who in her twenties played an instrumental role in the banning of female genital mutilation in The Gambia. Her success was rooted in her deep understanding of cultural dynamics, her ability to mobilise communities and her courage to challenge entrenched practices. This is the kind of transformative leadership that emerges when we trust local actors to drive change. The most important shift required is recognising young people as essential leaders in women's health rather than just beneficiaries. This means acknowledging that lived experience — whether of gender-based violence, disability, reproductive health problems or mental health conditions — constitutes expertise that no amount of external training can replicate. It means directing funding to youth leaders, recognising their existing initiatives, and creating long-term support rather than one-off interventions. I've recently launched a scholarship to do just this. By providing grant funding up to $25,000 to ambitious young people working on women's health problems in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, we're putting resources directly into emerging leaders' hands. The scholarship includes participation in the One Young World Summit and lifelong membership in its Ambassador Community, recognising that sustainable change requires both financial support and ongoing collaboration networks. Decentralising women's health funding isn't just about efficiency or cost-effectiveness, though it delivers on both fronts. It's about sustainability and respect for local leaders who understand their communities' needs most intimately. It recognises that the people closest to problems are often closest to solutions, and that sustainable change must be owned and driven by those who will live with its consequences. In a world of constrained budgets and complex challenges, backing local leadership isn't just the right thing to do — it's the practical choice. The young women leading health initiatives in their communities today are already creating change. Our job is to ensure they have the resources and support to lead. Hauwa Ojeifo was selected by Melinda French Gates in 2024 as one of 12 global leaders to receive $20 million for her work on women's health. Ojeifo is investing this funding in young leaders tackling the most pressing problems facing women and girls with The Hauwa Ojeifo Scholarship in collaboration with One Young World.
Entrepreneur
22-07-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Why Gen Z Is Ditching Corporate Jobs for Franchises
Young entrepreneurs are changing everything in franchising from training to marketing — and they're teaching older generations a thing or two along the way. This story appears in the July 2025 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe » Picture it: An aspiring franchisee sits in an audience, listening to a franchise CEO speak. Now, a question: How old are those people? A generation ago, the answer would have been easy: The aspiring franchisee is a late-career corporate professional looking for a change, as is the audience, and the CEO is a near-retirement leader who's spent a lifetime in franchising. That was the stereotype, anyway, and it often proved to be true. But by the time Katie Webb wanted to be a franchisee, things looked different. Four years ago, when she was in her early 30s, she attended a Stretch Zone discovery day. That's when she heard from Stretch Zone CEO Tony Zaccario, who was in his late 20s. "Every time I'd write down a question to ask, it would get answered," Webb remembers. "Tony was a big part of it. Him being young and energetic and so forward-thinking — he assumed the questions you would have, and he had the answers for you." Fast-forward to today, and Webb is a multi-unit owner with five Stretch Zone locations in Florida. "I would say a good 50% of our franchisees are below 40," says Zaccario, "and you probably have around 10% in the age-30 range." Some are even in their 20s. And franchising at large is starting to look different. Related: Think You're Too Young to Own a Franchise? Think Again. Traditionally, becoming a franchisee was considered a "second act" business venture, but lately, certain types of franchises — those with lower fees and simpler operation parameters — are seeing an increasing number of young applicants. These "first act" entrepreneurs are being exposed to the business model earlier in life, with colleges and universities offering franchising certificates and specialized programs in franchise management. These burgeoning franchisees have also come of age in an era that included the Great Recession and pandemic layoffs, contributing to the belief among nearly 20% of Gen Z that companies have no loyalty to employees anymore. Their instinct is to carve out their own path: 53% of skilled Gen Z knowledge workers are already freelancing, according to a report from Upwork, and among Gen Zers, 70% of respondents to a Fiverr global study are either actively freelancing or plan to do so in the future. "The days of people working for major corporations and waiting years and years for an opportunity for a promotion — I don't think that is attractive to a lot of these franchisees," Zaccario says. "When you are able to deliver a simple business model that doesn't require a lot of money or experience, it falls into what they're looking for." Meanwhile, the franchise industry is evolving to make it more accessible to young people. This is according to Daniel Hayes at Hundred Acre Consulting, which has advised entrepreneurs and nonprofits since 2008, and works with more than 800 franchises in 78 industries. Not only are there more low-cost franchises than ever before, he says, but it's also gotten easier to launch new franchise concepts. "Years ago, you'd have to have several actual businesses working, maybe a little longitudinal information, maybe two or three years of net revenue generation," he says. "Now, if the business model makes sense and it can be taught and duplicated and be put into a territory with the demographics to help it work, you don't really need to have five or six franchises operating to say it works." The sea change isn't complete; people under 35 still only own close to 8% of franchises. "But I'm a big believer in Moore's law — technology doubles itself every two years — and the franchise industry is advancing and doubling," he says. "So I wouldn't think it's going to take too long." Related: How Franchises Can (and Should) Attract Millennial and Gen Z Franchisees Where are all these young, aspiring franchisees coming from? Here's one place: boot camps. In 2018, Hayes attended an entrepreneurial boot camp that helped MBA grads go into franchising. It taught a very specific strategy: Buy three or so licenses from the same franchise to get a price break, and then build toward selling them in two or three years. "You're creating income for yourself for that period of time, and at the end of about seven years, you've tripled or quadrupled your initial investment," Hayes says. "We're talking service, usually, because these folks don't have a whole lot of money." Some younger franchisees get started with family money, he says, but the majority go for Small Business Administration approval and financing with a credit score over 690 and one-third of the loan amount. "A lot of franchises today are under $150,000, so you can do SBA express loans," he says. "It's easier for people who don't have a lot of money to step into one of these things." Frios Gourmet Pops is that kind of franchisor. A modern take on the classic ice cream truck, Frios sells gourmet pops from tie-dye-wrapped vans, trailers, and carts. The brand had 18 locations when CEO Cliff Kennedy bought it in December 2018, and now has more than 110, with an increasing number of franchisees younger than 30. "I think it's in this crazy world that they've seen their parents lose their job or whatever, and they want to control their own destiny," Kennedy says. It doesn't hurt that a franchise unit costs $37,500 (with total initial investment from $59,548 to $101,417), and that Frios pops are easily Instagrammable — enabling these new owners to use their social media savvy to grow their business. Kennedy, who is 42, says Gen Z's hyperfocus on self-reliance is distinct from what he sees in Millennials, Gen X, and Baby Boomers. "It's different from somebody coming out of corporate and it's their first job that's not a W-2," Kennedy says. "This generation is less apprehensive about the future. They're 'full steam ahead, let's get multiple territories.'" And they can be serious earners, according to Thomas Scott, founder and CEO of Home Run Franchises, whose brands include Up Closets and The Lighting Squad. While younger owners make up only about 30% of his franchisees, they're turning out to be about 60% of the top performers. "If they're in college, the traditional career path of Gen X and Baby Boomers, that's a pipe dream," Scott says. "They sit around and go, 'Who the hell thought that up? Why would I want to spend 40 hours in a cubicle farm paying my dues? I've had access to YouTube since I was a kid, and I know that if you want to do anything in life, you start a business.'" Related: I Wish I Received This Advice as a Young Entrepreneur Image Credit: Zohar Lazar There's another reason that young people are interested in franchising: Entrepreneurship has become a big part of online influencer culture. In 2023, a survey by Junior Achievement USA and EY revealed that 76% of teens would be likely to consider becoming an entrepreneur, with their top inspirations including social media influencers and successful businesspeople they see in the media. Micro-influencers — noncelebrities with 10,000 to 100,000 followers — have a particular impact on Gen Z, according to Jay Sinha, an associate professor at Temple University's Fox School of Business, whose recent study published in the Journal of Brand Strategy investigated the characteristics that make Generation Z a different type of consumer. "They are a new consumer in the U.S. market and are very different from past generations," Sinha says. "The traditional ways to appeal to consumers are not as effective with this audience, which is why it's imperative that companies adapt." Past research has shown that Gen Z's peers, not authority figures, are most likely to get their attention. This generation spends significant time online, seeking virtual connections and virtual friendships, and especially values authenticity — which is where micro-influencers excel. "Generation Z finds micro-influencers to be more credible," Sinha says. "Micro-influencers communicate and engage with them on a very personal level, which heightens engagement." Related: 15 Young Founders Rethinking Everything From Artificial Intelligence to Carbon Removal, Sustainable Fashion But of course, if a franchise wants to attract young franchisees, it can't just start paying some influencers. A more fundamental shift is required. At Stretch Zone, Zaccario says, they've had to change the way the brand communicates — like making training materials more fast-paced and putting new information into short-form videos. "When we tracked it, people's attention span —the ability to finish even a 30-minute video — was dropping steadily over time," Zaccario says. Anything more than a few minutes, he says, is not optimal in a world where younger people expect short, effective, immediately relevant content. Frios Gourmet Pops has seen another interesting shift: Although Gen Z franchisees are fluent in social media marketing, they need a lot of training to market outside those channels — such as learning who to call at a country club, or who to ask for when contacting a school. "We're training them on how to connect with people," Kennedy says. "Like, 'Here's how that conversation is going to flow. Here's an email template for a school, or a little bit different language for a business. Here's a sample LinkedIn message.'" But even as it trains franchisees in more traditional outreach methods, Frios Gourmet Pops makes sure to encourage Gen Z owners to express themselves in ways that feel natural, realizing how beneficial that kind of energy is for the whole company. Sometimes young franchisees ask to include the CEO in whatever they come up with, and Kennedy is game. "One of them said, 'Hey, Cliff, put on these glasses and do this,'" he recalls. "Then she said, 'Come look at my Instagram.' It was all these dances and things. She was doing it all. They get a following and people get excited about it. That's where they interact." This enthusiasm even flows upward to Kennedy's older franchisees. "It's a breath of fresh air," he says. "The younger franchisees post each other's things from online. The older generation, once they see how many likes and comments these posts are getting, say, 'Wow, this is how I want things to be for my business too.'" Embracing that mentality ultimately translates into real-world marketing ideas, he says: "They literally get custom shirts that they make themselves. They're getting sweaters and T-shirts that personify who they are. That's where the younger generation is. They're happiness-hustlers." Related: Gen Z Is Redefining the Workplace — and Companies Must Adapt or Face Losing Talent Here's something that doesn't change across generations: New franchisees want to make money. But Gen Z thinks bigger than previous generations — or, seen another way, Gen Z carries more financial anxiety and is seeking more stability. Empower recently found that, although most Americans say a salary of $270,000 indicates financial success, Gen Z's expectations are much higher. To be comfortable, they want to make nearly $600,000 a year. Meanwhile, their reality falls far short of that, with the median income for full-time wage and salary workers ages 25 to 34 projected to be about $61,500 in 2025. When you first start franchising, that $600,000 goal may be a stretch, but it's totally possible to be 24 years old, buy a pet-walking or a heat-pump-cleaning location, and make $200,000 a year. "The business may generate $300,000 or $400,000 a year, and you'll be doing 50% or 70% of that in net, depending on how many people you hire to help you," Hayes says. "Even if you hate it after five years, you sell it. What's the difference? You're 29." Gen Z doesn't think about that kind of plan as a big risk, Hayes adds. Their mentality toward taking chances is far different from Baby Boomers and Gen X. "The W-2 world does not hold the kind of draw and mythical allure for that generation that the corner office did for us," he says. "It seems much easier for them to do it than it was for us." Kennedy, the Frios CEO, also says he sees this difference play out in the way his Gen Z franchisees think, from the instant they sign on the dotted line. "We have a lot of first-time business owners, and at that last moment before they sign on, they think, Oh my goodness, I'm betting on myself," he says. "The younger generation has never felt that. They're like, 'Let's go. I get to make all the calls? Let's do this.'" To Webb, it all comes down to another word that young people love: balance. She wants to make money, but also enjoy her life outside of work. "I'm coming off that hustle mentality," she says, now five years shy of her 40th birthday. "When I was 20, it was work all the time, hustle, hustle, hustle. But you have to know: When is the stopping point where I've worked really hard and set things up so they can run themselves?" Related: Why Gen Z Is Ditching the Corner Office Dream — and How Businesses Can Adapt
CTV News
20-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Over 1,100 young entrepreneurs launch small businesses on Lemonade Day Calgary
Lemonade stands sprouted across the city Saturday. Over 1,000 young Calgary entrepreneurs participated in Lemonade Day Calgary, tripling last year's total. The program is designed to introduce children between five and 13 years old to business skills through operating their on lemonade stands. "Over 1,100 kids who have set up stands are out selling lemonade,' said Mona Csada, the director of marketing at Tiller Digital, who sponsored Lemonade Day. 'They've gone through our free curriculum and learned how to set up their own business and now they're out making money and learning how to run a business. Csada said the event helps introduce children to a few core business skills that could be invaluable throughout their lives. It's really important to build – not only skills like business and math – but skills like communication,' she said. 'Kids have a chance to build confidence through this experience. They get to express their creativity by coming up with a name for their stand and figuring out what their product is going to be. Lemonade Day Calgary, July 19, 2025 Over 1,000 lemonade stands sprouted across the city Saturday as part of Lemonade Day Calgary. (Darren Wright, CTV Calgary) 'And we find that kids who go through this program really feel that they've not only learned a lot, but feel more confident and more excited about what they can accomplish.' Why lemonade? 'It's just a simple concept,' she said. 'If you're going to start your first business, start with something simple and easy, and build your foundational skills through that.' Everyone who participates submits business and branding plans, with winners chosen in both categories -- and organizers say they encourage each business to set goals for spending, saving and giving. And it's something everybody likes to buy. It's classic. 'A lot of them contribute to the community with some of their profits,' she said, 'so we encourage them to to think about ways they can continue to give back.'
