First off let us define who a youth is because the age ranges tend to differ. Simply put, a youth is any individual whose age falls within the range of 16 to 35. Those limits are deliberately to accommodate other variations such as 18 to 35 or 16 to 30 of age. That being said the next key issue to highlight is how huge the youth demographic is. Taking Africa as an example it is quite apparent that there are so many youths out there. Currently 70% of the African continent is young people aged below 30. This spells huge prospects for young people interested in and willing to start businesses. Young people are agile, adventurous and delight in taking risks all of which are attributes that can make them successful entrepreneurs. Herein we discuss some business ideas that young people can take up. You will notice that virtually all of them entail using the internet and social media.
1. Web Development
Most young people are tech-savvy or have an appreciable understanding of tech stuff. Web development is not what it used to be like years back when only coders were the only ones who could develop websites. These days someone who does not even know how to code can easily build a website. There are plenty of site builders that one can use to develop a website in a short period of time. Some quick examples are WordPress and Wix. The demand for web development services is spiking everyday due to the surge in numbers of people starting businesses. Due to the widespread use of the internet and social media people now know you cannot afford to operate without a website. The level of sophistication varies on the types of websites needed. Thus hard-core coders can do the complex ones whilst novices can do the simple ones. It is remarkable the amount of money that can be made from this line of business. This is a profitable business idea which the youths can try.
2. Digital Marketing
Digital marketing is a highly profitable business idea for the youths. Digital marketing is now the holy grail of business marketing these days. Businesses now acknowledge the central role of the internet and social media in marketing. However, most of them do not quite grasp the inner-workings of the internet and social media. After all, the greatest constituent of social media users is young people. Therefore, as a young person you can study up on fields like search engine optimization (SEO), content marketing, social media management and the like. After which you then offer your skills and expertise in the form of services to businesses.
3. Social Media Influencing
Social media influencing is a growing trend nowadays with young people being the most active in that field. If you are an avid user of Instagram you must have noticed how big social media influencing is. For young people this line of business is a jackpot because chances are you are already active on social media. The focus then becomes to come up with captivating and engaging content so as to grow your following and engagement rates. If you succeed in that respect various types of advertisers would be glad to pay you to tap into your followers’ base.
4. E-Commerce
By e-commerce here it is meant to refer to selling things online in the broad sense. Of course you can take time to develop or get an e-commerce site developed – that is one approach. Alternatively you can use a simple website and social media accounts to sells various kinds of products or services.
5. Virtual Assistance
This is akin to freelancing but with a major focus on being online. Here is the thing, as a young person you have a field or fields that you are exceptional in e.g. information technology (IT), writing, graphic design and so on. You then use online platforms to publicize your skill set and offer your services online. An example is you are a content writer and you offer your services online right? That would mean you can get jobs and complete the work and get paid all online. This is a modern business idea for the youths.
6. Multimedia
This is broad field that covers a lot of diverse areas. Examples are graphic design, photography and videography, just to mention a few. Especially considering that images and videos are now a major aspect of content that is used in digital marketing this can be a huge business. Services can include the designing of posters, fliers; shooting and editing video clips, photos amongst many other possible services. There a wide range of multimedia businesses which the youths can start.
7. Tutoring
In most parts of the world young people are unemployed yet they wield a lot of skills and expertise in various fields. Instead of walloping in unemployment, tutoring can be an excellent fit. There are a lot of people pursuing academic programs from high school to the tertiary levels who need assistance in their studies. If you spread word about your tutoring services and provided you are knowledgeable in your field in no time you will be having significantly-sized classes. This is business idea for the youths which doesn’t require a lot of capital.
8. Retail Of On-Demand Goods
Any young person can do this because there are a limitless number of on-demand goods or even services. Clothing, food commodities, beauty products or beverages are some of the many examples. You can do it online or offline; better still you can combine both. This a cool business idea for the youths.
9. Entertainment Services
This means you can acquire a public address (PA) system that you can hire out to events. Even better you can have a PA system and also be the disc jockey (DJ). You can organize gigs or parties where people pay to enter. You can even have partnerships with other business service providers in doing these entertainment events. This is just to tickle your creative ability but you can definitely make money through offering or arranging entertainment services.
10. Tech Repairs And Maintenances
If you are interested you can enter this field where you can do tech repairs and maintenances for computers, smartphones, mobile devices and other related gadgets.
So these are 10 of some of the viable businesses that young people can embark on. Instead of looking for employment, try these.
