Encourage Your TeenPreneur

Young woman working at home

Best Business Ideas for Teens

by Jason Kenner

If you’re a teen and you’re considering starting your own business, then this article is for you. Many teens dream of owning their own company. But there are some guidelines to follow in order to make your business venture successful.

First, come up with an idea. Unless you already own a successful company and are looking to expand, consider an idea that will be profitable. Next, determine the target audience for your company. Once this has been done, it’s time to do some research on competitors in your industry.

You might also want to learn about the people who would buy your products or services. To help you put these tips from Adventures with Mom into action, read on for more information.

Come up with a Business Model

Your new business will require a lot of your time, so it is important to choose something that you are passionate about. You could, for instance, sell pet supplies or run a kennel if you’re passionate about animals.

It is crucial to choose the right business type because this will determine how much money and time you invest. Think about the things that interest you and what you feel would make the best use of your talents.

Conduct Research

You should start by researching and finding out which type of business is most appealing to you. Next, research the cost of starting that business. Don’t be impatient when it comes to seeking funding.

Sometimes you might not have the funds to start your business. This is why you need to find work and keep money aside so that you can reach your goal. Once you have sufficient capital, you can explore your options for starting a business and the type that will best suit you.

Consider Your Business Formation

The type of business you run will play a large role in determining your personal liability, what taxes you pay, and other essential factors. If you want to operate a business that you can scale with employees and outside investors, you’re better suited to a corporation.

This is where forming an LLC will benefit you the most. For starters, LLCs are cost-effective, as they offer advantages like tax breaks, reduced paperwork, and flexibility. Every state has its own laws and regulations regarding LLCs, so you’ll want to look into your state’s LLC laws before proceeding to ensure that you are compliant.

If you’re starting an LLC or corporation in New Jersey on your own or with the help of an attorney, these can get expensive and time-consuming. If you’d rather cut down on the legwork and save money at the same time, consider hiring a formation company.

Benefits of Starting Your Own Business

Many teens who take the initiative to start their own companies come away with a wealth of benefits. These benefits will serve you well in life, and you can use them to help further advance your business venture.

You’ll learn how to properly manage money, you will develop skills that allow you to solve problems, and you will find new ways to implement your creativity so that your business is profitable.

What’s more, you’ll learn how to better communicate with people and market your brand. All of these are essential to running a successful company. And by starting your own company, you can develop the necessary skills to become a success in your industry.

A Guide to Supporting Your Child’s Remote Learning…

Guest post by Joyce Wilson
Teacherspark.org

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, an increasing number of children are engaging in remote learning, either fully or partially. Teachers, kids, and parents are all adapting to this new reality. As a loving parent, you want your child to get the education they deserve, even in these extraordinary circumstances. Luckily, there are resources available to help. Adventures with Mom invites you to check out the following tricks, and tools to ensure your little one is getting the most out of their schooling.

Create a learning-friendly environment.

Teachers already have to struggle to engage little ones via video chat. Make their jobs easier by giving kids a distraction-free zone where they can easily focus. Setting aside a desk in a quiet corner that’s just for your child will help them feel important and motivate them. Stock up on all the school supplies they need, like crayons and notebooks.

You don’t have to spend big bucks on a children’s desk. 6 Clever Sisters points out that there are easy do-it-yourself kids’ workspaces you can create, for example, by simply painting a piece of wood and adding some IKEA furniture legs. Hang your child’s calendar with their class and activity schedule over the desk so they have their own ‘work’ space.

Set a schedule and stick to it.

Consistent routines are comforting for kids. Having their schooldays shaken up by remote learning can be confusing. To counteract this, set a strict home-learning routine. Routines create stability, encourage independence, and even promote family bonding. Create a calendar where you note all your child’s remote learning course times. Build your supplemental schedule of activities around this.

For example, if your child has classes in the mornings, you might start the day by getting them up, dressed, and fed, and then going for a quick walk together to get their brains and bodies alert. After they finish classes for the day, you can make time for some of the activities mentioned below.

Engage your child in fun (yet educational) activities.

When class time is done for the day, engage your child in some fun activities. There are many pleasant ways you can inject some subtle learning into their day. For example, you can try baking together. This teaches kids about everything from chemistry to measurements.

Coding is another option. It can help kids’ mathematics, writing and critical thinking skills, and they learn to approach problems systematically. Game-style learning opportunities can be found through CodeMonkey and Minecraft.

Make time for breaks.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been stressful for everybody, kids included. Include downtime in your little one’s calendar schedule and make it clear that this is a time for them to do something they enjoy. Playing outside can help kids clear their heads and provide valuable physical activity that helps them grow strong, for example.

And although you want to limit your youngster’s screen time, video games are another great way for children to unwind. Psychology Today reports that gaming helps improve basic mental ability. For example, kids learn how to make split-second decisions and multi-task. Just make sure your internet connection can handle the needed bandwidth, get a sturdy stand so your kids don’t have to hold their tablet all the time, and purchase a backup charger in case something happens to the one you already have.

Although adapting to remote learning can be a challenge, it’s still possible for your child to thrive in these new circumstances. The above tips will help you and your child get into the groove and make the most of the situation.

Photo Credit: Pexels.com

A Family Adventure in Moab

 

 

 

If I had to sum up our trip to Moab, Utah in one word it would be exhilarating! The sense of adventure infused in every activity, the striking natural beauty and the wild west genuineness, make Moab an adventure-seeker’s dream-come-true. It’s also extraordinarily family-friendly.

With the wind as her brush and water as her paint, Mother Nature has created a masterpiece. Delicate yet rigid, intricate yet massive formations abound from the rubicund earth. It’s the type of natural beauty that lifts your heart and your mind into perfect alignment, if even for a moment. When your consciousness sinks back down, it takes a moment for your television-ridden psyche to accept the scenery as real, not just a digitally-enhanced setting. Although, if you’ve ever watched West World, then know that it’s even more breathtaking in person.

This trip was a first for us. And, I have to admit, we were a little bit like City Slickers (if you’ve never seen that movie, it’s a good one). My sister, Gabrielle, picked Moab for us to meet and celebrate her 30th birthday, she wanted us all to do something that we’ve never done before.

 

 

 

 

Our headquarters for the weekend was the Sorrel River Ranch Resort and Spa. The hotel is perched on the Colorado River. With individual cabins and small groupings of rooms, the hotel has a distinctly wild-west vibe amid plenty of luxury. Swings on the porch of each room. Beautiful views. The property has horses, pigs, chickens and more as well as a small working farm. Rumors of a coyote on property or a recently sighted bear, often rumbled through the morning breakfast creating small waves of excitement.

Truth be told, we didn’t spend much time at the Sorrel River Ranch. Our trip was just a long weekend and we wanted to cram as much adventure in as possible. The hotel was about 40 minutes outside of Moab, but one of the most scenic drives in the country.

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In the two full days that we had in Moab, we crammed in four amazing adventures.

Arches National Park

 

 

 

With more than 2,000 natural arches, this national park is incredibly beautiful. There’s breathtaking vista after breathtaking vista, but what’s so amazing about this park is that you are witnessing nature at work. The landscape is in a constant state of change with arches forming and collapsing. The elements are unrelenting and this national park is a true testament to the force of nature.

We packed lots of water and a few snacks, then drove through the park stopping at different hikes. There are plenty of family-friendly hikes that can accommodate even the littlest hikers.

Sunset UTV Ride with Cowboy Country

 

 

 

 

This was one of the most fun (and possibly scariest) things I’ve ever done. We started the tour on Hell’s Revenge (the video above is just the trail head in). And, well, we ended the tour of Hell’s Revenge there… some in our group didn’t enjoy the extreme heights and close proximity to cliff edges. Sooooo, we ended up heading to Fins and Things trail, which was also super fun. It felt like a rollercoaster that you drive yourself. There were lots of times we felt like our UTV was going to roll or flip, but they push ahead like the beasts that they are.

An unexpected highlight of the UTV tour, was a quick stop at some dinosaur tracks. We were able to see a Theropod, a carnivorous dinosaur similar to a T-Rex, track that was around 200 million years old.

 

 

Driving the UTV’s was really fun, and we quickly learned just how amazing and sturdy these vehicles are. This was fun for the whole family!

 

Canyoneering with Red River Adventures

 

 

 

We went on the Morning Glory canyoneering trip with Red River Adventures. It was a little more than a 3-mile hike, two rappels (95′ and 120′) and a bit of scrambling. The minimum age for this adventure is 8, so Zac and Ellie couldn’t go.

Our guides, Patrick and Mikaela, were awesome. They made the trip fun, but also kept everyone safe (particularly Jake). Before the first rappel, Jake started crying. One peak over the edge of a 95′ cliff and he wanted to turn around, especially when he learned that he would be controlling his decent. However, the guides attach a secondary rope to everyone just in case someone was to freak out and drop their ropes or completely freeze.

With Jake in tears, Patrick was able to convince him that he would be fine. Jake and I watched a few people go, then we went. Sitting back over the edge of a cliff is freeing. Trusting the ropes and your guides, requires you to let go of everything else. This truly forces you into the moment and opens you to the beauty around.

After the first rappel, Jake was a pro and he loved it. At 9 years old, he got a taste of adrenaline and he got to learn how much fun it is to overcome your fears.

Moab Jet Boat Tour of the Colorado River

 

 

 

The Colorado River can be treacherous. Boulders sit just below the surface, there’s areas of rapids and drastic changes in depth. But it’s also beautiful. If you go to Moab, I highly recommend a trip on the Colorado river. We opted for the jet boat tour, because it could accommodate children two and older so we were all able to go. It was also, really fun. Everyone on our boat loved doing doughnuts,  last-minute close turns and running the rapids.

What really made this adventure so amazing was our driver and guide, Jason. Reading and accommodating a group of 11 with wildly different likes is not an easy task, Jason was an expert at this. He was able to deliver a ride that pleased everyone. He had a welcoming and entertaining personality. If you have him as a guide, ask him to tell you about the Hispanic Panic. This was an awesome way to see the Colorado River!

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Overcoming something that scares you is an amazing feeling. Moab was filled with moments like this and it was so wonderful for our entire family. Pushing through fear as a family was exhilarating!

 

 

 

Why travel with kids?

 

Between the long car ride, even longer flights, packing, unpacking, upsetting a child’s routine, missing school, potential dangers and so on… the list of reasons not to travel is long. We’ve also been criticized for not taking kid-friendly trips (read – Disney… but we are working on that). And, what’s the point of going through all of this when the kids will forget most of it?

For me, the answer is simple… I want the foundation of their thinking to be rooted in the notion that the world is so much bigger than their town in their state in their country. I want the connections in their developing minds to form on whispers in different languages and footsteps on ancient relics.

 

I want them to hear the music of different nations, to see art and to experience the culture of worlds near and far.

 

I want them to experience the wonder of nature. To feel snow and dessert. To splash in waves and to climb. I want them to explore.

 

I want them to know that our town in our state in our country in our world are amazing and filled with places to play and people to meet…

 

Trips Included in this Post:

Scotland – August 2016

Lake Placid and Montreal – December 2016

Florida – February 2017

Vermont – February 2017

France, Switzerland – March 2017

Las Vegas, Iowa, Chicago – April 2017

Sleepy Hollow, Upstate NY – May 2017

Greece – June 2017

Contact for more information or suggested itineraries.