Teenagers in high school constantly look for ways to improve their college resume. Students who do not wish to attend college look for paths to success without additional education. Even with the classes, extracurriculars and clubs that schools provide, students may not find their niche easily, leaving them to discover their passion elsewhere. Small businesses created by high school students in the past have led to numerous positive and long-lasting outcomes, making students interested in success. However, students may need these three essential steps to build their businesses.

Discover your passion

Since several schools do not offer every pathway in their education plans, students still need to discover their own passion to base their business on. Several tests can help takers determine their passion and narrow down their future pursuits. Websites such as The Princeton Review, CareerExplorer and 123Test all offer unbiased career quizzes for people of any age to take, allowing high schoolers to narrow down the focus or theme of their future business.

“One day I was talking to my mom about Valentine’s Day and what people usually give out as presents. Chocolate-covered strawberries came up and I started thinking about making them for special occasions. Since then I’ve kept [my business] as a small side job. My partners that help me are my parents and my sister,” floral design business owner Destiny Veloz said. 

Research

Once one discovers an idea of what they wish to accomplish, they should discover whether their niche craft already exists. If one wishes to create a common startup, such as a nail or makeup business, then one should also research or look into what it takes to develop that business and individualize it. Researching the appropriate requirements or equipment needed for a company ensures the likeliness of the company becoming legal, safe and efficient. 

“Two years ago I got tired of going to nail salons and not getting what I want yet still having to pay. I underestimated how hard doing acrylic nails was. But I felt a lot of motivation to do them so I used my resources on social media and went to Amazon and ordered a bunch of supplies. Once I got the supplies I did a full set for six hours and they ended up looking terrible. From then I knew that was something I could get better on and improve,” junior and nail technician Shay Hughes said.

Determine a schedule

If a student chooses to remain in school while starting up their business, then they must understand how to efficiently manage their time. With the combination of homework, studying requirements, frequent tests or exams and other time-consuming requirements within school, business leaders can easily start to feel distracted or stressed with their workload. Setting up a schedule or plan relating to how they will manage their business allows leaders to make wise choices and focus on priorities that lead them to success. Even asking for assistance from friends and family may help relieve leaders who maintain a rough workload. 

“I try to manage [my time] as well as I can because I have school and work. But having weekends free makes it so much easier for me to do nails. It’s fun to me because it doesn’t feel like I’m doing a whole shift. [In the future] I plan on getting a cosmetology license so I can do even more things than just nails and I would like to get my business license so I can have an official business,” Hughes said. 

Starting a potential business in high school plays a crucial role for students interested in entrepreneurship. These businesses allow students to explore their interests and learn fundamental business skills while offering numerous opportunities for those students’ futures. Any small business created can play a vital role in a student’s life and help shape community success.