Business:
Year-Round Business
Ideas
Today's Snack: Slice a zucchini into long sticks, and dip into some ranch dressing.
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Supplies:
Notebook, scratch paper and pen or pencil
Discuss these ideas with a group and take notes on those that interest
you:
Snack
Sacks: Make up a variety of bagged
snacks with a cute label - salty mixes, sweet mixes, granola mixes, nut mixes,
and so on. Get permission to set up a sales table at a big tag sale, art show
or other community events, or near a ballfield, playground, or park where a lot
of people will be. You can set up the snacks on a wagon or cart. Offer free
samples. Make up a business card and flyer in case they want to order more in
the future, and set up a delivery route.
Technology
Guru - You'd be surprised how many
older people don't really know how to use their computer, cell phone, TV/DVD or
other equipment very well. You could advertise at a retirement center, assisted
living facility, or your church and neighborhood about a service in which you
will meet with someone and show them how to do all the things that you already
know how to do because you're a kid in this technological world! Just be sure
your parent always knows exactly where you are, for safety's sake.
Photographer
/ Videographer - You can't believe
how expensive adult photographers are. Yes, their work is beautiful, but for
many people, it's too much of a burden. If you love taking pictures and are
good at it, you can market your skills for special occasions such as graduation
pictures, birthday pictures, anniversary pictures, sporting events, holiday
gatherings, even wedding photos! Some people will want prints on paper, while
others will just want the digital images. It's a big responsibility, so plan
your pricing carefully.
Craft Sales
- If you get compliments on your
crafts, try making up a quantity of them and selling them at craft shows, fairs,
carnivals or just to your family and friends and the people they know. You can
make picture frames, T-shirts, bookmarks, scrapbooks, jewelry, or whatever you
like.
Birthday
Parties - Develop a theme, wear a
costume, bring games and prizes, even bake the cake and bring the candles! You
can arrange with busy parents to take over all or part of the duties for a
memorable birthday party. Always bring balloons and a funny children's book or
two to read to the kids. Don't forget face-painting!
Garage Sale
Manager - Help an adult or family
sell unwanted items and split the proceeds with them. Take a flyer about your
services around your neighborhood or church. Arrange a percentage of the garage
sale's total proceeds as your fee. Perhaps 30%? Try to schedule a different
household each week, and multi-family or group sales are best. You might want
to borrow several utility tables or hanging racks to bring with you to each
customer. Take the first few days of the week to put up signs, place ads,
gather the sales items, put pricetags on them and group them together
attractively. Find ways to get the word out about the sale. Then, on the day or
days of the sale, you "staff" it, talk to customers, take the money and make
change. At the end of the sale, part of your job will be to transport things
that didn't sell to give away to charity.
Paper
Artist - You can make and sell
personalized stationery, invitations, calendars and greeting cards. Work either
by special order, or "on spec" - speculating what designs you think people will
want to buy. Set your prices on a three-level ladder: take your actual cost per
card and double it for the wholesale price that you would charge a store if
they sold your cards, and then double THAT to come up with your direct-sale
price. So if a card cost you 50 cents to produce, including your time, the
envelope and a cellophane bag to protect it, then charge a store $1 to sell it
for you, or charge a customer $2 for it if you sell it directly.
