7 Reasons to Start a Business as a Teen

Your homeschool kids are growing — and they’re capable of doing big things. Bigger things.

So how is your homeschooling growing with them?
How do you keep creating a context where your kids can keep learning, thriving, and feeling challenged?

For us, the answer has been through young entrepreneurship.
💡 Here are 7 reasons we believe it’s worth starting a business at a young age.

1. Continuing the Path to Independence

If you’ve been homeschooling into the teen years, you likely prioritize independence — the freedom to follow your child’s interests, build on their strengths, and live by your family’s values.

Starting a business is simply the next step on that same path — you’re still deciding for yourself, and you’re still teaching your teen to do the same.

2. Real-World Education

You’ve taught your child to read and write, to count, and explore. Now it’s time for a bigger challenge — one that connects all those skills to the real world.

That next step — running a business — brings lessons no textbook can teach: communication, problem-solving, financial basics, adaptability, courage.

It’s not simple. Entrepreneurship is complex and full of real challenges. It sets higher expectations and comes with true responsibilities, which is exactly what helps teens grow.

young entrepreneur market — Selling regularly at markets and in stores has taught us to speak or write to adults in a professional context while staying natural and true to ourselves.

keep going — It’s also taught us that our cards aren’t for everyone — and that’s okay.

3. Age = Advantage

People genuinely love supporting young creators who take initiative.

Store owners, mentors, and other entrepreneurs often want to help. One shop owner offered us marketing advice from her 20+ years of experience — something she likely wouldn’t have done for an adult business.

And recently, the printer in our neighborhood — who once hosted a Young Entrepreneurs Fair right inside her shop — offered her space for free for our upcoming workshop! (We’re thrilled to say all spots are taken. More info and join the waitlist here.)

Oh — and did you notice the card holder in the photo above? It turns out our woodworking friend had one he wasn’t using, and he offered it to us just as we were looking to buy one.

People will show up along the way to help you, too.

4. You Don’t Have to Know It All

When we first tried turning our drawings into printed cards, we had no clue what we were doing.

❓ Should we scan at 300 or 600 ppi — whatever that meant at the time?
❓ Would scanning even work, with our simple home scanner?
❓ Did we need Photoshop, a tool we had (and still have) no idea how to use?

We figured it out one piece at a time — scanning our paper illustrations, cleaning backgrounds in Canva, printing, testing. We’re still learning. And that’s the point: you’ll figure it out as you go.

rose greeting card — When we started, every card was drawn entirely by hand — which meant we could only make a few at a time.

gnomes Christmas card — Now that we print our designs, we can spend more time refining each illustration.

You’ll learn how to improve your product or offer. How to sell it. How to edit a video and post it on YouTube.

So don’t make big plans. The best lessons come from putting your work out there.

5. Community Matters

Entrepreneurship isn’t a solo journey. As you grow as a teen, it’s important to build a real community around you — to meet other teens and create meaningful connections.

You’ll find people your age who think the same way. Even if you’re not working on the same business, you’ll be able to relate, share experiences and tips, and work through your doubts together. That kind of community keeps you inspired and reminds you that you’re not doing this alone.

6. Long-Term Growth

What starts as a small idea can become something that grows with you over time — a business that evolves with your interests, keeps teaching you new things, and earns money.
You don’t need to know what it will become yet, or set big expectations that only add pressure.

After a few weeks, months, or even years into your business, you’ll look back and see how far you’ve come — and you’ll feel proud and grateful that you kept going.

kids entrepreneur market — Renting a space at a market can be expensive. Most of them are free for young entrepreneurs — another reason to make the most of this time.

7. The Heart of It All

Starting a business at a young age is about the joy of creating something meaningful and sharing it with others — about realizing you can build your own path.

If you feel it’s time for your homeschooling to grow, ask yourself — where could you start?
Maybe it begins with expanding your mindset, becoming more aware of all the possibilities this lifestyle offers.

Not sure what to start?
👉 Check out our free fillable guide, Find Your First Business Idea.

🤝 Before You Go

💬 What’s one idea your teen is excited to explore — or something they’ve already started? Hit reply and tell us about it. We always love reading your stories.

💌 New here? You can still catch up — read our previous newsletters here.

Solène & Zélia, for SoliaVenture