My oldest son has always had an entrepreneurial spirit, and he’s always had a desire to make money ever since his first lemonade stand at age 8! Unfortunately, it’s impossible to find a part time job when you’re just 13, so the entrepreneur in him found a way to make money as a teenager.

When he was just 13, he really wanted to earn money, so he made some flyers and passed them out to the neighbors! He offered to do odd jobs: pet sitting, house sitting, mowing, raking, plant watering, picking up the mail, picking up the newspaper, and more. Over the years, he’s had many regular customers and earned just enough money to enjoy dinner out with his friends on the weekends and a few new electronic gadgets.

When he turned 16, he was excited about getting a real part time job as a grocery store bagger or cart boy. Unfortunately, he quickly discovered that those jobs would not offer the flexibility he needed for school, the golf team and other extracurricular activities. His answer, start a pressure washing business! Here’s how he did it:

1. About a week in advance, he e-mails neighbors letting them know that he’ll be renting a pressure washing machine for the weekend. He offers to do their front walk and driveway for $20, and he’ll be happy to quote them a price for additional pressure washing projects.

2. He rents the pressure washing machine and buys the special cleaning solution that will not harm plants.

3. He works from dawn to dusk, and he usually gets additional customers when they see him outside with the pressure washer.

4. Average earnings per day: $300! Not a bad way to make money as a teenager!

He’s a senior in high school and still continues to pressure wash, house sit and pet sit. Just yesterday, he mentioned venturing into the pool cleaning business!

If your teenager needs to make money, odd jobs are the way to go for flexibility!