First business.

[Urban Space]

From what I've heard from those here on UKBF, I think it's best that I start with business as early as possible. Apparently I've got alot of time to invest, but right now I'm stuck.

What could a 14 year old do, realistically, as a 1st business?

Did any of you begin this early? Any ideas/advice?

Thanks

Liam

[Jayne]

Hi,

I started with a Saturday job at 14 yrs old, good way to build confidence and earn a little cash to put away. You can save this cash to get your first biz off the ground.

Jayne :D

[Urban Space]

hmmm...but you see, that doesn't appeal to me at all! I'd hate to be working for someone, knowing that the most i could make is £3 an hour or whatever it is now. I know you've got to start somewhere but working for someone isn't for me!

Thanks

Liam

[fastfences]

Me too,

Packed groceries at a supermarket (paper bags then, remember Jayne?).
also sold newspapers, collected cans and bottles at the beach and sold them, washed neighbours cars - which is something you could do now. £3.00 per car could get you off the ground!
Cheers, Nigel

[Jayne]

Just trying to help, it's the best way to learn. Most good business people worked for someone else first!

Jayne :D

[Jayne]

Yes Nigel, I do remember paper bags :lol:

I started in a sweet shop, I also did something called the cancer and polio round, collecting money...it took me two hours to make about a £1...lol

Jayne

[Rob Holmes]

If I were you I'd find a cheap supplier of VOIP phones and sell them on the web - it's such an up and coming market that in the next few years theres some good opportunities around.

Rob

[Urban Space]

Yeh, very much appreciated! Thanks!

Liam

[Steve Roberts]

When I was your age I used to buy a bag of sweets for 10p and sell them individually at school for a total of 20p! Now I know things have changed, but is there something (not necesserily sweets) you could do along those lines?

[multilingual]

Let's think a bit bigger here...

8)

Set up a little website called 'Teachers Exposed', or something along those lines. It would be a members only site.

Get the word aoround your school that you will pay £10 for revealing or embarrassing pictures of your teachers.

Once you get some photos, put them on the website and charge the rest of the school £5 each for a yearly membership.

Should make you a few grand in the first year!

Once the site is fully established, you could expand to take in all the schools in the local area, and then go national. Not ony would you be making money hand over fist, but you would be providing a steady income for the next generation of paparazzi!

Get one of the guys on here to help you prepare press releases and you would get massive exposure nationwide. It is the sort of story that the press would love!

Sell the site to Rupert Murdoch in 3 years time and maintain a minority shareholding.

Retire at 17 and live the high life.

JB

PS Don't forget my 10% commission!

[Jayne]

Oh JB, that's horrible :lol:

Think of the poor teachers!

Jayne

[clairemackaness]

Get busy on ebay, or start selling stuff on ebay for other people. That seems to be the big thing.

I started off in the Wimpy for £1.60 per hour when I was your age!

[Agri-Hire]

I started off in the Wimpy for £1.60 per hour when I was your age!


I thought I recognised that avatar of yours, it's an old Wimpy tablecloth!!

:P

[creative-keyrings]

Agri Hire,

your jokes are old about claires paintings now!

i happen to like your art Claire and i wish you the best of luck :D

[clairemackaness]

Thanks creative

[Rachel1980]

Wow, this thread takes me back. Having terrible flashbacks of my first job at 13. Picking berries and asparagus for a very grumpy man who paid less than peanuts. 3 months of that has turned me off blueberries for life (shuddering at the thought).

Anyway Liam. Good on you for having ambition at your age :D Good to see.

What do you like doing? Do you like the outdoors? Do you like animals? You could start a little lawnmowing business for yourself. Offer to mow people lawns, trim hedges, weed gardens, maybe even think about washing windows and that type of thing. This could be bringing in money that you could save to start another business or to help put yourself through university if that is what you want. I will add that a lawnmowing and garden care business can become very profitable. Our lawn man charges us $30 and it takes him all of 45 mins(if that).

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

Oh and Claire I also love your artwork. :D

Rachel

[ebonybailey]

At 14 I was living in a homeless Hostel with people much older than me in the middle of nowhere.

I would imagine the only reasonable business that you can make money from is an online business due to laws, I would suggets like others that ebay is a good start, get yourself a shop there and resell other products, easy money, I know a young lad about your age that is doing exactly that, and he pays to take his parents on holiday!!!
and before you ask, no I am not kidding

Michael

[cjd]

I don't think it matters much what you do so long as you do something. Whatever it is you'll learn from it. Buy stuff, sell stuff, handle money, work for a small business but see how it works.

Look at the Princes Trust for inspiration and funding.

http://www.princes-trust.org.uk/

[Steve Roberts]

My 15 yr old nephew is a bit of an IT geek. Anyway, he trawls the net looking for companies with rubbish web-sites. When he finds one (and there are plenty out there) he spends two or three nights re-designing it. He then saves it and password protects it. Following which, he emails the MD of said company with a link and password, saying that if he wants the web-site, or a version of it, it'll cost them £150. He's doing about one per week - which is great for a 15 yr old with no overheads or financial commitments. Also, he enjoys doing it, so it's a labour of love!

[ebonybailey]

Great story steve. Smart lad. send him my best wishes.

Michael

[Agri-Hire]

Creative, Chill out will you. I am not having a go at Claire, just messing about. The girl gives as good as she gets!

Agri Hire,

your jokes are old about claires paintings now!


Did you see what she did to my photo? :shock:

If me and Claire enjoy a bit of friendly banter then who are you to jump in?

When people stop having a sense of humour then I am off.

[elite123]

Liam

Try a car cleaning business. There are lots of businessmen who do not get time to clean their cars and work saturdays so check out businesses with Car Parks.

Only thing is you have to be careful not to damage them and create trust with the person.

I had a BMW and if you were here on a sat morning id give you a tenner to clean it every 3-4 weeks !

[Hayles]

Try contacting a local MOT garage and offer a valeting service while cars are being MOT'd.

Could be good for the garage as it's an added service, and good for you.

I'd definitely go for it if it was offered :D

Good luck

Hayles

[multilingual]

I agree.

My car is at the garage now for a service, if they offered to do a full valet whilst it was there I would not hesitate.

I won't put my car through a car wash or jet wash for fear of scratching the paintwork.

JB

[fastfences]

hmmm...but you see, that doesn't appeal to me at all! I'd hate to be working for someone, knowing that the most i could make is £3 an hour . . .
Liam

Hi Liam,

Be very careful. There's thousands of people on the dole now who thought they were too good to work for somebody for a mere minimum wage. Problem is that they're still trying to start as the Managing director without having served an 'apprenticeship.'

Even working for, say, Tesco, gives you a 'starting point.' You'll learn about the 'work ethic,' you'll be mixing with juniors, seniors and department managers and from there you can stash away heaps of knowledge. You'll learn about advertising, promotions, interaction with staff and customers and maybe there'll be some other prospects.

But all through this you can have YOUR vision of what you want to do and how you're going to do it. But it will be very difficult to do it now, at 14.

Cheers, Nigel

[Urban Space]

And that's why I'm trying to get all of this arogance out of my system while I'm too young to do anything that would throw my life away! Typical teenage lad who thinks he knows it all! I'll get over myself eventually lol!

Thanks for everything guys!

Liam

[multilingual]

I admire the honesty Liam.

:)

JB

[emubill]

Liam

Where did you get this 30 year old head on your young shoulders. Now that would be a great product to sell to us parents with teenagers.


Keep smiling mate

Nige

[Norseman]

It's the most simple ideas that often work out the best. And when they don't work out it's not big loss because the capital outlay didn't bust the bank!

My first job - in the entreprenurial spirit I set up a popcorn stand in my street. While my mum popped the popcorn (outsourcing;) ) I stood outside selling it to passers-by!

-Marius

[Urban Space]

Ha! I really don't know! Until about 2 weeks ago I was a member on this online game called Runescape, paying £3.20 a month to play! Then, thanks to some very harsh critisism from afro_man, who's on UKBF too, I thought I'd try and do something to give me a start in life! But I'm still just a cocky teenager that needs slapping into shape!

Thanks

Liam

[fastfences]

You're stuffed then. It doesn't get any better because I'm a cocky old ******* who also enjoys a bit of a slapping :wink: .

cheers, Nigel

[diddly_way]

*slap*
this should help :D

[Jayne]

Well said Han :lol:

[Urban Space]

Lets all gang up on the young kid then!

Tut :roll:

[Urban Space]

Lets all gang up on the young kid then!

Tut :roll:

[Jayne]

But diddly way is the same age as you :lol:

[Urban Space]

Actually, my birthday's in April and Diddly way's is in December, so I'm younger! We're like best mates lol, incase you didn't realise?

Liam

[Urban Space]

Actually, my birthday's in April and Diddly way's is in December, so I'm younger! We're like best mates lol, incase you didn't realise?

Liam

[Hayles]

Bloody kids.... always repeating themselves if you don't take any notice the first time they speak... :lol: :lol:

[RSL]

Hi Urban Space,

Draw up a list of your real passions. You'll only ever really succeed if you're doing business in something you really love and enjoy. That is unless you have a bottomless pocket of money to invest in the weird and the wonderful!

:-)

[diddly_way]

i may be 4 months older than you liam....but i am also 4 months wiser :P

but who's counting?

[devon]

Hi Liam,

Sounds like you have the right type of thinking...you are never too young to start a business, it is like someone saying they are too old to start a business. (Richard Branson started at around the age of 16 with the 'student' magazine and Colonel Sanders started KFC in his retirement at about 67).

To get started...
Volunteering is an option, see this world in a 'giving' way, that is working without no pay.
If you do take a job, ask yourself what you will learn?
Keep on thinking about an idea, talk about it with people who will be positive about it and take action!