High School Student Entrepreneurship Resource Center

62%

Gen Z is rapidly becoming known as the most entrepreneurial generation ever, with 62 percent of Gen Zers indicating they have started—or intend to start—their own business. ¹

Supporting Youth Entrepreneurship

From Passion Project to Side-Hustle and Impact

Being an entrepreneur in high school has so many benefits. It’s a way to make an impact, solve a problem, earn income, and develop critical skills for your next step—whether you explore careers, start with an internship, or head straight to college. The entrepreneurship resources here will help spark ideas. From starting a business, to growing an existing one, or leveraging your side job skills for the future, we'll help fuel your passions for whatever great things you're on fire about.

62%

Gen Z is rapidly becoming known as the most entrepreneurial generation ever, with 62 percent of Gen Zers indicating they have started—or intend to start—their own business. ¹

Download the GenZ Entrepreneurship Guide Now

Our guide is designed to deliver quick tips and resources student entrepreneurs like you need to make an impact.

DOWNLOAD

Benefits of Student Entrepreneurship

Explore Careers

Be Your Own Boss

Set Your Own Schedule

Earn Income while in High School

Build Your Personal Brand

Gain Skills and Experience

Benefits of Student Entrepreneurship

Explore Careers

Be Your Own Boss

Set Your Own Schedule

Earn Income while in High School

Build Your Personal Brand

Gain Skills and Experience

Frequently Asked Questions

What exactly is an entrepreneur?

The old definition of what it means to be an entrepreneur—an aggressive “start-up” mentality, taking on great personal and financial risk, and scaling only for profit—no longer applies. Today’s student entrepreneurs focus on creativity, collaboration, and passion along with earning money, having the flexibility to be their own boss, and making an impact on the world.

What can I do to be a high school entrepreneur?

High school students are doing everything from contractor side-jobs that use their current skills to help other businesses, to launching their own organizations or non-profits to solve a problem. All of that translates into being an entrepreneur.

How can someone start their own business while in high school?

The first step in starting your own small business is to know what you are going to sell and to whom.

Then, you'll need a business plan. This requires analyzing your expenses to understand how much it will cost you to create your product or provide your service, determining the right price to charge, and developing a sales and marketing strategy.

Finally, of course, you'll need to ensure you record all income and expenses to correctly file your taxes.

Sound complicated? That's why we break it down in the Entrepreneurship Pathway and guide students in developing their own business plan. Plus, students can learn from each other—several Stride Career Prep students are already entrepreneurs! You can access additional free resources and guidance from the Small Business Administration (SBA), Small Business Development Center (SBDC), or our online resources center for high school student entrepreneurs.

What does entrepreneurship in high school look like?

When you mean business about being in business, you have more options than you may think. Consider these three main types of entrepreneurial ventures to get you started.

Contractors

Filling needs with local jobs and tasks to gain experience and income: personal driver/taxi, tutor, photographer, dog-walker, babysitter, baker, lawncare worker, house-sitter pet-sitter, and more.

Side-Hustle or Passion Project

Using skills and interests to help another business or consumers: coding, website or app development, social media influencer, personal trainer, graphic designer, online sales, and more.

Start-Ups and Innovators

Start by identifying a problem and the new technology you can create or adapt that will solve it. Start-ups often require a business plan, marketing, branding, funding needs, mentoring, and more.

Your Real-World Skills in Action

High school student entrepreneurs and innovators can have tremendous positive impact on their world. For inspiration, watch these video highlights of our Innovation Challenge winners. These students have developed skills employers value—communication, problem-solving, teamwork, leadership, organization, and a strong worth ethic. What's more, they're putting their skills to use for worthy causes they're passionate about.