Starting a Micro Business (for Teens)

Micro Business for Teens as taught by Carol Topp on SchoolhouseTeachers.com is a course designed to help your teen learn about the world of micro businesses—what they are and what they can learn from starting one. This course will help your student learn how to get an idea by using their talents and skills, narrow their idea into something that is possible for a micro business, and develop a business plan, including marketing and financial needs. Your student can discover what would be involved in starting a micro business and perhaps start one if this is the path that is best. These lessons are best taken in sequential order as the lessons build on each other as they progress. This course counts as a business elective. Students who complete the eight-week course may earn 0.25 academic credit. As always, please check your own state’s academic requirements.

Have you heard the term “micro business”? Probably not, but you can imagine what it means. It is a very small business—smaller than a small business. The Small Business Administration, a branch of the United States federal government, defines a small business as having up to 1,500 employees and annual income of $25 million, or more, in some cases. That’s not very small, in my opinion.

Micro business may not be a familiar term, but micro businesses are very common. MicrobusinessStrategies.com reports that:

• 1 in 8 adults in America owns a micro business (thousands of teenagers, too!)
• 95 percent of all American businesses can be classified as micro businesses (fewer than 10 employees)
• 90 percent of businesses have fewer than five employees
• There are more than 25 million micro businesses in America
• At least 49 percent (more likely 56 percent) of all businesses are home based

If creating a business like this sounds exciting, join me as I walk you through important steps that can help you create a successful micro business.