© by chillihead

What do 14-year-old Ben Heckmann, high school junior Elizabeth Hines, 15-year-old Mac Bowers, and 12-year-olds Camille Mancuso and Ajla Dizdarevic all have in common? They are all authors, and owners of micro businesses! How did these teens become published? They took advantage of a popular new process called self-publishing, in which authors of all ages can convert their own manuscripts into bound books. There are several publishing companies that cater to self-publishers. These teens used avenues like Xlibris, iUniverse, KidPub Press, and Lulu. Many of these companies also provide light copy-editing and distribution on Amazon.com. While using a company may take some startup money, these teens said it was well worth it to see their hard work in physical form! Who knows? As a teen author, you might even earn a spot in your local newspaper, like Ajla.

Courtesy of NY Times

Teens, you can see your writing become published! Today, it’s easier than ever.

I’m sharing a session titled “How You or Your Child Can be a Published Author” at several live homeschool conventions this spring and one on-line event, the Ultimate Homeschool Expo:

Listen LIVE for free Wednesday May 2 at 11 am ET. Click here

Missed the live session? Grab a recording of the entire Expo here.

Carol Topp, CPA

© by MoustachemanTheFirst

In the small town of Needham, Massachusetts, teen Aaron Harel lamented that there wasn’t much to do in his town. A budding musician, Aaron decided to change that. When he was in seventh grade, he began performing with his band, Prom for 8, on the weekends as a way to bring some entertainment to the town’s youth. Aaron quickly realized that he enjoyed putting on shows. From that point on, Aaron had a micro business as a music producer, organizing and coordinating live music and concerts from local talent. Business has been good; Aaron is responsible for numerous shows in his area. Now a senior in high school, he is producing his last show, Dubstock: the Sequel, before attending college in Philadelphia. What advice does Aaron have? “If I got four or five people to help me, I could put together a show. It only got easier, through trial and error at every show.” Aaron learned from his business mistakes, which helped only improved his future shows and business! And while his music producing days may be over in Massachusetts, he doesn’t plan to quit: big plans are in store for producing in college!

Courtesy of The Needham Times

Aaron saw a need, and filled it with his micro business! Do you have a passion for music? Producing may be for you! Find some tips to get started in my book, Starting a Micro Business. 

Carol Topp, CPA

© by ilovememphis

If you saw 15-year-old Alexandra Hug in her native Omaha, Nebraska, she would most likely be decked out in styles of the 1960s. Why? Ever since she began listening to music of the Beatles in grade school, Alexandra fell in love with that era, especially its fashion. It wasn’t long before she was searching for vintage pieces at local thrift stores or garage sales. This love inspired Alexandra to take what she did best, finding unique vintage clothing, and turning it into a micro business! Alexandra runs her own vintage retail store, the Vintage Closet, selling clothing and accessories she has hand-selected. And it is taking off! Her growing business has enabled her to secure a permanent location, as well as partner with a fellow vintage aficionado. While Alexandra plans to study history and business in college, she would love to continue expanding her micro business.

Courtesy of Omaha.com

Have a passion, like Alexandra? It could be turned into a successful micro business today! Take a look at my book, Starting a Micro Business, and find easy steps to turn your passion into business.

Carol Topp, CPA

by SoraZG

For 15-year-old Brogan McReynolds, it all started with a goal. He needed to earn enough money to attend a private high school in his area. After years watching his mother sell homemade goods at a local farmer’s market, Brogan wanted to try his hand at a micro business. Brogan found that there was a need in his area for a unique food item: seasoned salts. This was just the spark he was looking for. Brogan purchased the necessary licensing to sell goods as well as various salts and seasonings, and got to work. Today, he runs a successful micro business, Tour de Salt, selling a wide variety of flavored salts, from lemon to hickory smoke, packaged at a local business. He has even started to develop recipes to accompany these salts. Yet Brogan sees this as more than selling salt; he has enjoyed the opportunity to pass on a normal teen job, and run his own business!

Courtesy of Ventura County Star

Brogan has a successful micro business because he discovered a need in his area, and fulfilled it! Learn how the needs in your area can yield a micro business through my book series, The Micro Business for Teens Curriculum!

Carol Topp, CPA

© by Parker Michael Knight

For 18-year-old Taylor Allen, music always came naturally. He spent his early years listening to music while playing trombone and drums. It wasn’t a surprise when Taylor’s first job was with a DJ company. From there, he found a passion, DJing. Taylor soon decided that he wanted to start his own DJ business. A micro business idea was born! After saving up the money he earned, Taylor spent around $1400 for his first set of speakers and started his own business, Sound and Rhythm DJ Services. He has slowly been building up his equipment ever since. Taylor got his first gigs through weddings, but eventually began to DJ school dances, which he loves. What does the future hold for Taylor? After college, he hopes to one day be a producer or band manager. His micro business will certainly start him down the right track!

Courtesy of St.MichaelPatch.

Taylor worked a traditional job in order to save enough money to start his own business. This is a great way to get your micro business idea going, especially if you need money to start up! Check out my book, Starting a Micro Business, and read about more tips to jumpstart your micro business!

Carol Topp, CPA

© by ComputerMonger

Few teens have started and operated several companies before the age of 18. But for Ben Lang of Tel Aviv, Israel, this is business as usual. This self-titled “start-up addict,” Ben always had a love for technology. After experimenting on eBay when he was 14, he learned how to run a micro business. But for Ben, this was only the beginning. He used this savvy to create a website for his high school where students could upload and share notes with other students as study help. Now, this site is called MySchoolHelp and is used internationally! Ben took his love for technology and start-ups and used this passion to fulfill a need. Today, Ben is still experimenting with micro businesses, looking to launch even more companies. What does he advise? Don’t be afraid to fail at first. You can always learn from mistakes. Who knows where it could lead you?

Courtesy of ShalomLife.

Think you would like to create a start-up? Follow in Ben’s footsteps with the help of my book, Running a Micro Business.

Carol Topp, CPA

© by KellyReeves

Few people start their own business just out of college. But that’s just what UK native Jenny Briggs did! Jenny developed a love for fashion, and after school, she partnered with designer Leigh Hetherington to form her own fashion business. Laura Lea Boutique is nestled right below Hetherington’s bridal shop, where Jenny has used her business savvy to sell bridesmaid dresses, evening wear, and accessories, made by both local and worldwide designers. Jenny’s business perfectly complements her partner’s business, leading to her success. Jenny has recently expanded her business to local high schools, where girls are looking for unique prom dresses. Her orders have increased since the boutique’s opening, with plans to expand even further.

Courtesy of NEBusiness.

Have an eye for design? Start your own fashion boutique. Check out helpful tips and ideas in my book, Starting a Micro Business.

Carol Topp, CPA

© by storebukkebruse

Iowa teen Josh Beytien had an idea. In his senior year of high school, Josh was hired at the Dubuque Center for History. He had always had a love for history, but it was at this job that Josh discovered a new interest, scanning and organizing historic documents and images. Not interested in working a typical 9-5 job, he soon realized that there was a local need for scanning and storing these documents. Just like that, Josh had himself a micro business! He now runs Mammoth Scanning Company, an online company dedicated to storing and classifying documents and images. After consulting with a local business professional, obtaining a few grants, and purchasing necessary equipment, Josh’s micro business has taken off! He services multiple clients and hopes to expand to new markets soon.

Want to run your own business like Josh one day? Start with a micro business! My book, Starting a Micro Business, has easy to follow steps to get your idea up and running.

Courtesy of Chicago Tribune

Carol Topp, CPA

© by William Hook

Who wouldn’t want to run an advertising micro business from home? Especially at the age of 17! That was exactly the idea of Jacksonville, FL teen Christopher Skraba. One summer a few years ago, Christopher and a friend were thinking about what kind of job they could find. He knew that he wanted to stay in an artistic field. Advertising came to mind, and the idea has taken off. Christopher wanted to design online commercials for companies, a business called Ralston and Anthony Advertising. He offered his talents for free on his first job to gain experience. Now, he has about 8 big name clients, and hires a staff of three. Christopher’s advertising runs exclusively online, but he wants to break into television one day. He earns about $5000 a month from his micro business! As Christopher juggles his time between school and his business, he plans to earn a degree in advertising and continue to grow his business.

Christopher grew his micro business by working for free at first, then charging once his business became known. He has seen the benefits of this! Learn even more tips to running your own micro business in my book, Running a Micro Business.

Courtesy of Jacksonville.com

Carol Topp, CPA