How Kids Can Make Money:
A Kid Business Resource Book
for All Ages
I bought Kids Business Ideas thinking that it would give me a couple of new ideas for me and my kids to try. I've made lists of how kids can make money - a number of those ideas shared in other places on the site.
Boy, was I wrong. There were more than just a couple new ideas on how kids can make money. The author, Teresa Smolinski, knows what she is talking about. Ms. Smolinski started an online business with her daughters selling pre-wrap (you can check that out here if you want) and were bitten by the entrepreneurial bug. She's using what they learned plus a great kid business idea list to put together this book.
It may be a great resource for you and your family, too. Before you decide, here are some key things I noted while I was reading it.
- It has original ideas. That can be a hard statement to make sometimes, but Teresa has put together a good product that includes 50 pages and more than 80 ideas. Sure, some of them are repeats of what you already know. Still, I'm willing to bet that there are ideas that you hadn't thought of (but that will make perfect sense to you when you read them).
- It is well-organized. There are 11 different categories of how kids can make money that include making money online, working with kids (such as babysitting) and pets. And, of course, there is a section devoted to running a lemonade stand!
- It's descriptive.Each money-making idea includes at least 3 parts: the recommended age, tools needs and how to get started. The author states in different places in the book that you are the best judge of whether your child is ready at the age recommended. And, I agree with her. There were several jobs in the book that listed ages 12 and up as the recommended age, but I believe that my nearly 10 year old daughter could handle. Or you may find that your 15 year old isn't ready for a job that shows 13 and up as the appropriate age.
- It has extra information. There are additional sections outside of the job idea main area on what kids (and parents) need to know about them working online as well as a section that talks marketing to boost the business.
Was there anything that I didn't like? Not much to be honest. But if I could improve upon it, I would add these couple of things:
- Information on how to price the services. Kids earn money by covering their costs as well as generating a profit. It can be challenging to know how much to charge for petsitting or helping someone set their DVR. Is it $5 or $20? Granted, this can vary depending on where you live, but it would be nice to have a starting point for pricing or some general guidelines included.
- The "tools" required can be expensive. Of course, the idea is that you won't go buy new stuff just to launch one of these businesses. You will look at the "tools needed" and select a business that fits what you have available. The vast majority of the ideas require only stuff that you would have around the house. Just keep in mind that your kid could lock onto the video recording idea and want a new video camera.
- A few more ideas for younger kids.Out of all the ideas in this book, there are only one for kids 8 and three for kids 9. The rest of them are for 10 years and up. Of course, more of the ideas can be done if there is heavier parental involvement or if your child is more mature for their age. Also, you may find that many of the ideas for 10 year olds will work for younger kids.
All in all, I would recommend this book to anyone who has kids between the ages of 8 and 16. It is a really good all-around reference for how kids can make money and well-worth the $9.97 price. I know it is a resource that we will be using for years to come. If you think this might work for you too, Click here to view more detailsclick here to view more details.
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