This is Part 2 of my Helping Kids Explore Entrepreneurship series. New here? Start with Part 1: Helping Kids See the Possibilities in Their Ideas, where we explore your child’s interests and strengths. Then come back here to choose an idea to try.
When you start talking about business ideas with your kids, the list might grow quickly or your child might look at you and say, “I have no idea.” Both are okay. As adults, we’ve seen more of the marketplace with a variety of businesses, products and services. Kids may not yet recognize all the ways people use their skills to earn money. They may love drawing, baking, reading, or making things without knowing what they could offer someone else. This is where we can help them see possibilities.
Start With What They Enjoy
Pull out the notebook or Google Doc you started in Part 1. Look at your child’s hobbies, skills, and things they want to learn. Then ask: “What could someone enjoy or find helpful about this?”
A child who loves drawing might explore pet portraits, coloring pages, or window painting. A child who enjoys making things might like creating bracelets, jewelry or keychains. Like I shared in Part 1, my daughter is excited to make themed Christmas ornaments.
Offer a few examples and let your child respond. Which idea makes them curious? Which sounds like something they’d enjoy practicing? They don’t have to turn every hobby into a business. We’re exploring an interest they actually want to try.
Help Your Child Brainstorm
Go to Google, describe your child’s interests. For example: Help me brainstorm small business ideas for a 12-year-old who enjoys drawing, reading, and detailed creative projects. Suggest ideas we could test with a small budget and parent supervision. For each idea, explain what they could offer, who might buy it, and what supplies or practice they would need. Review the suggestions together.
Some won’t fit your family, your budget, or your child’s abilities. Keep what sparks a useful conversation and set the rest aside. You’re still the ones deciding what is appropriate and realistic.
Turn an Interest Into Something Someone Could Buy
“I want to sell my art” is a starting point. Now we need to explain what the customer would receive.
Here’s one example:
- What I enjoy: Drawing animals.
- What I could offer: A custom drawing of someone’s pet.
- Who might buy it: A pet owner or someone looking for a gift for a pet-loving friend.
Here’s another:
- What I enjoy: Painting.
- What I could offer: A small seasonal design painted on a shop window.
- Who might buy it: A local business owner who wants to decorate their storefront.
Ask your child to complete this sentence:
“I could make or offer ________ for ________.”
Knowing who might want it helps you make decisions. A pet owner might want the drawing to look like their own dog. A store owner might need a design that fits a certain window and is finished before a holiday. You’re helping your child think about what another person would need... not just what they want to create.
Choose Something That Fits Your Life
For each idea, write down:
- What do I already know how to do?
- What would I need to practice?
- What supplies do we already have?
- What would we need to buy?
- How much time could I spend on this each week?
- What would my parents need to help with?
For window painting, that includes permission, suitable removable materials, transportation, and parent supervision. Start with designs your child can safely reach from the ground.
This business experiment needs to fit around school, family activities, and rest. Start small enough that your child has room to learn.
Look at Two or Three Similar Businesses
This is called market research. It means learning about similar businesses and the people who might buy what you offer.
With a parent, find two or three businesses offering something similar. In your notebook, make a section for each one and answer:
- What is the business called?
- Do they have a website or another page showing their work?
- What do they offer?
- What prices do they list?
- What is included in that price?
- Where do they share or promote their work?
- What could I do differently?
Compare similar offers. A small window design isn’t the same as painting an entire storefront. A digital download isn’t the same as a printed product mailed to someone. Write down the differences so the prices make more sense. And remember: a listed price shows what someone is asking, not how many customers are actually buying.
Ask: “How Could My Offer Be Different?”
Research can help your child notice an opportunity without copying someone else’s work. For the window-painting idea we’re exploring with my client’s daughter, that might mean offering a small choice of seasonal designs for local shops. She could begin with a manageable area of the window instead of offering a large, detailed storefront project.
With a parent’s help, she could also explain that she’s a young artist developing her skills through a homeschool entrepreneurship project. Some business owners may appreciate the chance to support her hands-on learning.
Ask:
- What could make my offer useful or special?
- What could I do well at my current skill level?
- Is there a smaller or simpler option someone might want?
Being different doesn’t have to mean being the cheapest. We’ll explore prices, costs, and beginner offers later in the series.
Think About Where You Could Find Customers
Marketing money can be limited when you’re starting, especially for a kid. Before spending any, ask where the people who might want your offer already spend time.
For window art example, that could mean local shops you and your parent(s) visit or joining a community group that allows business posts, an approved community message board, or a suitable local market or vendor event. A parent’s website page could also give people a place to see samples and learn about the offer. For now, write down one or two possibilities.
We’ll cover simple, parent-supported ways to share the business later.
Give People Something to Look At
For a service such as window painting, it helps to show examples. Your child could practice on an approved window at home and take clear photos. Those photos can become a portfolio—a collection of examples showing their work. When they’re ready, they and a parent could approach a local business about a small first project. An introductory offer might be an option, as long as the price and project make sense for the supplies, time, and support needed.
We’ll go deeper into making samples in Part 3. Today, simply decide what small example would help someone understand the idea.
Ask a Few Potential Customers
With your parent’s help, ask people who might actually want your offer:
- Which option would you choose?
- What would you want to know before ordering?
- Have you bought something similar?
- What mattered most to you when choosing it?
For window art, you might ask a shop owner what season they decorate for or whether they’d prefer a small design or something larger. Listen and take notes. You don’t have to make every change someone suggests but their answers help you understand their interests and your idea better.
Your Homework: Choose One Idea to Explore
Use your first work session to brainstorm and your second to research and compare. Take more time if you need it.
- Write down three possible business ideas.
- Describe what someone would receive and who might want it.
- List supplies, practice, time, and adult help needed.
- Research two or three similar businesses.
- Write down one way your offer could be different.
- Identify one or two places you could reach potential customers.
- Ask a few people for feedback with a parent’s help.
- Choose one idea and a small sample to try.
Keep your other ideas on an “ideas for later” page. Choosing one now doesn’t mean giving up on the rest. What business ideas have your kids explored… or what helped them come up with their first idea? Share in the comments. I’d love to learn what sparked their interest!
Next in the series: making a small sample and learning from the process.
AFFILIATE DISCLAIMER:
I’m a proud affiliate for some of these tools and products that are suggested on this page and throughout my site. Meaning if you click on a product and make a purchase, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you. My recommendations are based on knowledge and experience and I recommend them because they are genuinely useful and helpful, not because of the small commission that I may receive.
0 Comments