As we build out The School of Entrepreneuring, we’ve been thinking about what types of businesses students in middle or high school can start and even scale.

Our criteria were simple.

Find business ideas that meet students where they tend to be aka:

• cash poor
• time, energy, smarts rich

With that in mind, here is our list of business ideas for students if you don’t have money, but if you’re smart and willing to put in some work.

Notes:

• If you think of other ideas, please leave a comment and we’ll add/update the list.
• Ideas that may require some coding/dev/technical skills are denoted with a ¹
• Business ideas that require knowledge of generative AI are denoted with a ²
• Some of these ideas may require licenses in your area (but most shouldn’t)

Education and Coaching

1. Academic Tutoring (online or in-person)
2. Test Preparation Services (online or in-person)
3. College Application Consulting (online or in-person)
4. Coaching on Extra Curriculars – Sports, Lego Robotics, Music, Chess, etc (online or in-person)
5. Create an Enrichment Program (after school or summer camp)
6. AI-Assisted Coaching and Education (personalized learning programs enhanced by AI, AI-powered life coaching or career advising)²

Household / Personal Services

7. Pet Sitting/Dog Walking
8. House Cleaning
9. Lawn Care and Landscaping
10. Personal Shopping or Errand Running
11. Virtual Assistance
12. Fitness Coaching
13. Tech Support and Troubleshooting
14. Senior Assistance Services
15. Child Care / Babysitting
16. Bike Repair
17. Car Washing and Detailing
18. Snow shoveling / leaf removal (seasonal)
19. Line waiting for popular local events

Retail (Reselling / Arbitrage Businesses)

20. Dropshipping / DTC eCommerce
21. Affiliate Marketing
22. Flipping Items from Thrift Stores or Yard Sales
23. Selling Vintage or Collectible Items Online
24. Buying and Reselling Textbooks, Sneakers, etc (anything)

Online Businesses

25. Freelance Writing
26. Social Media Management
27. Graphic Design
28. Web Design and Development¹
29. Mobile App Development¹
30. Custom Software Development¹
31. SEO Services¹

Creative Businesses

32. Photography
33. Handmade Crafts / Art (for online marketplaces like Etsy)
34. Custom Art or Design Work
35. Baking

Game Development

36. Indie Game Development¹
37. Educational Games¹
38. Roblox Game Development¹

Content Creation

39. Blogging
40. Vlogging/YouTube Channel
41. Podcasting
42. Creating and Selling Digital Products (e-books, courses)
43. AI-Assisted Writing Services (blogs, articles, reports)²
44. AI-Powered Video and Audio Content Creation²
45. AI-Augmented Storytelling and Scriptwriting²

Event-Based Businesses

46. Event / Party Planning
47. DJ Services
48. Photography for Events
49. Catering (with proper licenses)

AI Consultation Services

50. Helping Businesses Integrate AI Tools into Their Workflows²
51. AI Prompt Engineering and Optimization²
52. AI-Assisted Scheduling, Customer Communication, and Task Management²

AI-Powered Research and Analysis

53. Market Research Using AI Tools²
54. Data Analysis and Insights Generation²