This is the second post in my five part guide on how to start a business in high school. In it, we’ll go over the the types of startups, and how you can come up with great high school business ideas.
If you already have a few solid high school business ideas that you’re excited to work on, you can move onto the next article, otherwise, keep reading to figure out how to come up with one!
Startups that are well-suited to the high school environment:
Before we start, one thing to keep in mind is that some startups are better suited to high-school student’s skill set and resources.
- Social Startups:
If your startup is working to make the world a better place, such as feeding the underprivileged or dealing with climate change, you’re in a great spot.
It often takes less technical skill, less money (you might be able to secure funding easier!), and is also a very respectable reason to launch a business. - Small Business Startups:
For the sake of this guide, I am going to treating small businesses (such as a lawn care company, a dog walking service) as a “startup”.
These businesses are a lot easier to get up and running since the main goal is to provide value to those around you and profit while doing so.
You shouldn’t be looking to scale these startups to a large size, which means that they’re also a relatively low time-investment project. - Software-Based Startups:
A software-based startup could mean anything from creating a simple app for your community, or creating a large scale software solution for companies.
These are ideal because they often require little to no monetary investment and allow you and your team to work remotely.
Startups that are NOT well-suited to the high school environment:
- Hardware-Based Startups:
If your startup idea involves creating and selling a physical product, you’re in for a difficult time.
My last startup was hardware-based and the effort that it takes to get licenses, patents, manufacturing, etc. will make the entire process of launching your first business harder than it needs to be.
It’s definitely possible, and if you have a killer idea for a product then you should go ahead with it, however, be prepared to put in the extra elbow grease. - Finance-Based Startups:
While I’m sure there are exceptions, trying to create an investing app or a payment system is very risky at such a young age.
First, most people won’t trust someone so young and inexperienced with their money. However, even if you do manage to get clients and users, it’s your liability if anything happens to the platform or their funds.
I’d save this one for once you have some experience under your belt.
Now that you know what kind of high school business ideas you should be brainstorming, you can start to list them down.
Three Ways To Come Up With Great High School Business Ideas:
- Fix a problem that you’re facing:
In my opinion, the best startups are those built to solve a problem the founder themselves are facing.
For example, I created Student Upstart because I found a gap in the market when it comes to resources and a platform for high school entrepreneurs.
If you ask yourself, “What are the biggest problems I’m facing right now and how could I come up with a solution?” you’re well on your way to having a great startup idea. - Fix a problem that those around you are facing:
Look around your environment, what kind of things do you hear your friends and family complain about daily?
See if any of these problems have potential solutions that you could build a business around. Another upside to this method is that you already have your first round of clients! - Apply your skills to an entirely new field:
As I mentioned in my previous article, high-schoolers tend to have a larger skillset than usual.
This means that if you approach an existing business idea, intending to apply your unique skills in a way that hasn’t been done before, the new perspective might be enough to put you a notch above the rest!
Now that you have a few high school business ideas in hand, it’s time to get into the actual first step towards launching your startup: coming up with your business plan. Click here to dive in!
