Check out Hot Shot Business, the award-winning Internet simulation game that gives millions of boys and girls the chance to run a business in Opportunity City at Disney.com.

Hot Shot Business

Have a teen ready to start their own business? Check out some ideas or purchase my book, Starting a Micro Business, to begin today!

Carol Topp, CPA

In the book 50 Interviews: Young Entrepreneurs, the authors, Nick Tart and Nick Scheidies interviewed Savannah Britt, who runs GirlPez.com, an online fashion magazine. She shares some great advice about managing your time while running a business.

On Time Management and Business Plans:

Savannah Britt is in high school,plays basketball and runs a magazine. She works on her mag on Saturday mornings and keeps a calendar in front of her. She also planned her business: “Basically, I wrote an outline. It was pretty brief, but it covered everything about the magazine: who I want to serve, who it will circulate to, and where I see myself in ten years.”

On learning:

“There is no reason to be hesitant. I know they might be nervous, they might be shy, and they might want to give up after their first try – but becoming an entrepreneur is a learning experience. You are going to use a lot of the things that you learn now as an entrepreneur when you’re an adult. Just try it. If you don’t like it, then you can stop – but at least you will be able to say that you tried. And it’s fun.”

I highly recommend Nick & Nick’s book. You’ll find more great stories of teenagers, like Savannah, who have started their own business. You can learn a lot from them!

Carol Topp, CPA

The online resource, Web To The Rescue, lists several programs and awards for young adults with the gift of entrepreneurship. Check these out for your teen entrepreneur. Each provides incredible experience and looks great on college resumes!

Source: www.webtotherescue.com

Teens, want to start your own business? Check out some ideas to get started!

Carol Topp, CPA

A virtual class is an on-line version of the old-fashioned correspondence course, but more interactive. It offers students an opportunity to work at their own pace and interact with other students launching a micro business and the instructor.

The class is self-paced; there is no set time that the student will have to meet for class time.

The class can start whenever you wish and take as long as you need.

Class Syllabus

Sample Lesson: Lesson One What Is a Micro Business?

Here’s how it will work:

A student purchases the textbooks and enrolls in the class. A welcome email will give the student the class website and password.

Each lesson (13 total) will have a short video, a reading assignment, a workbook assignment and homework to post on the class website for comments and interaction with other students and the instructor. Examples include posting to the website (as a blog comment) a marketing goal for the week or an explanation of three customer service tips to implement.

The cost of the virtual class is $65.$32.50

Special for Spring & Summer 2011! 50% discount  The price is only $32.50

For that your student will receive access to the 13 class lessons, encouragement from the instructor, and an opportunity to interact with other teenagers launching a micro business.

Three text books are required. The required text books include:

• Starting a Micro Business $9.95 Order here
  
• Running a Micro Business $9.95 Order here
• Micro Business for Teens Workbook $14.95 Order here

Ask about my family discounts for siblings! Email me at Carol@MicroBsuinessForTeens.com

The offer is only good until September 30, 2011 so enroll now!

What is a micro business? It is a very small, one-person business that you can start easily and quickly with what you already know or own. No money needed, low risk and no debt! You can spend as much time running your business as you you wish and close it down if you get too busy.

But most of all a micro business lets you earn some cash-maybe more than you imagined-while learning a lot about business, money and yourself! You might find you future career by running a micro business!

With simple strategies and step-by-step videos, we’ll show you how to build your website into a place where you can launch a product, strengthen your service, share your ideas, or even start an online business from the ground up.

1. Have an Idea

Small, big, or kooky.

2. Purchase Domain and Hosting

Where, how, and with coupons.

3. Get WordPress for Free

Set it up right.

4. Grab a Design

Cool site – no coding necessary.

5. Organize your Site

A checklist for settings and structure.

6. Optimize your Site

With plugins and analytics.

7. Think Strategy

Create the content that your visitors want.

8. Strike it Big

With social media and search engines.

9. Keep your Visitors

Capture their info and keep them coming back.

10. Strike it Rich

The four fool-proof ways to make money online.

I learned how to build my own website, just like Nick did, but rather than tell you how to do it, I’ll just send you to Nick’s site JuniorBiz.com and you can learn from him!

In the next few weeks, hopefully by September 1, 2010, you will see a lot of great products including:

Starting a Micro Business in print!

Starting a Micro Business is available as an ebook already, but some people prefer a print version. Very soon you will be able to purchase a print version of Starting a Micro Business!

Running a Micro Business in print!

The follow up to Starting a Micro Business is Running a Micro Business where you will read about making sales, marketing, customer service, record keeping, bookkeeping, insurance and time management. Everything you need to know about running your business after it starts!

Micro Business for Teens Workbook in print

Apply what you have learned in Starting a Micro Business and Running a Micro Business using this workbook. This workbook is self-paced and can be used by an individual or in a group setting.

How to Start a Micro Business virtual class

Learn with other teenagers launching their micro businesses in a virtual class. This class uses both Starting a Micro Business and Running a Micro Business and the Workbook. Students work at their own pace by reading the lessons posted on the class website, doing their homework and interacting with other students in the class chat room. The virtual class should take about 14 weeks , but can be done faster or take longer as a student wishes.

The initial class (Fall 2010) will only be opened to subscribers on my Micro Business for Teens email list. (Sign up to be on the email list, if you want details on the virtual class!)

Ten Teen Entrepreneurs To Watch

Kids these days. It seems like they’re writing HTML before they learn how to talk. And a lot of them are starting companies before they graduate from high school.

Here’s a list of some of our favorite teen entrepreneurs.

Jessica Mah, 19, is currently the CEO and Co-Founder behind Indinero, a Mint.com for small businesses. Mah started her first startup at 13. Last year, she founded internshipIN.com, a site to help high school and college kids find internships in their area. Now, at 19, Mah is finishing up her Computer Science degree from the University of California, Berkeley, as well as being the CEO of Indinero.

Ashley Qualls, 19, started WhateverLife when she was 14, a site designed to give MySpace users free Myspace layouts and HTML tutorials. She employs both her mom, and her friends who do graphics for her. Qualls started WhateverLife in 2004 as a hobby, and now has turned into a business, with her site getting anywhere from 150,000 to 360,000 daily page views.

(more…)

Don’t feel intimidated by their stories. Remember, you don’t have to invent something new or even launch a website to have a successful micro business.  All you need is to see a need and meet it. That can be as simple as caring for children or as complex as the micro businesses mentioned in the story.

Micro Tips for Micro Businesses

Today’s tip: Service with a smile

There are hundreds of books written about customer service and many of them offer tips and “secrets” to serving customers. The only secret is to treat your customers with respect and give them what they paid for. That’s pretty simple, so why are their hundreds of books written about customer service? Because there are hundreds of ways to show respect and to serve a customer.

• Smile! A smile can really make you seem friendly, warm and caring. Friendly people attract people.
• Shake hands. Offer your hand when first meeting a potential customer. This might make you feel uncomfortable because teenagers don’t usually shake hands, but watch adults in the business world. They frequently offer their hand when being introduced. Practice on friends or your family if you need to get comfortable shaking hands.
• Look them in the eye. Making eye contact shows confidence if even you don’t feel confident! Looking directly at someone also is a sign of respect (if you’re not staring!).

I was giving a workshop on teenagers and micro businesses at a homeschool convention when a 12 year old boy came up to me after the program, extended his hand and said, “Hello, I’m Jack. I really liked your presentation.” I was immediately impressed by Jack because he offered his hand to me.  Although he was young and very small in stature, I knew in an instant that this young man would be good at whatever he set his mind.  Adults are very impressed by a handshake and a smile.

Carol Topp, CPA

http://MicroBusinessForTeens.com

Find Micro Business for Teens on Facebook!

If you are between the ages of 16-25 and looking for a way to gain work experience you might want to think about signing up to be a volunteer. Many businesses allow volunteers to help out to give them the opportunity to see if they might be interested in having a career in that particular field.

Among those businesses you may want to consider charity work in are hospitals, some long term care facilities, grocery stores, charity groups, and many other establishments as well. This can also allow people to gain new relationships and earn a good reputation for when they are ready to go out into the working world in the future.

Volunteers are a great help to businesses. For instance, those who work as volunteers in hospitals help patients to have a more tolerable stay while they are ill. Nursing home patients may enjoy having a volunteer come visit them from time to time just to keep them company. Volunteers in grocery stores can be helpful by carrying bags out for customers or helping them locate certain items in the store.

Volunteering your time to help charity groups can also be an enjoyable thing to do. Knowing you are helping those in need can be a rewarding experience that you can be proud of. Many elderly people who are shut-ins need volunteers to run occasional errands for them. Having trustworthy people who can go pay their bills or make trips to the store for them when needed can be a tremendous help.

Another benefit of being a volunteer is how you are perceived by the public eye. Most likely if you do well at job volunteering, you will be considered strongly should you ever want a permanent job at that particular business. When business managers see they can depend on you as a volunteer your reputation as a good worker will be set in stone. It is also a nice addition to have volunteer work listed on a resume as experience working with others in your community.

Volunteer opportunities are also a great way for college students to gain on the job training. You can check here – http://www.vinspired.com/opportunities for more information. Once you have an idea of which career you want to go into, find out if there is a business in that field that has a need for volunteers. This can help you be better prepared for the job and give you a sense of pride while doing it.

About The Author

Steve Volman – writer, thinker and general muser. Interests include charity and volunteering, football and the odd spot of golf. Any feedback on my articles in more than welcome.