How can my teenager start a business while still in high school?
Updated November 2026
Your teenager can start a business in high school by picking one simple service, setting a fixed price, and pitching 20 local businesses run by strangers to collect their first $100. For structured support, families use Founders Weekend, JA Company Program, LaunchX, or Founders School, a full-time four-year program.
Start with one real sale before logos, websites, or LLCs
When a teenager says they want to start a business, the most common parent mistake is helping them design a logo, buy a domain name, or write a 20-page business plan before they have spoken to a single customer.
In the Founders School method, students start on the first rung of the earn ladder. The earn ladder is the Founders School path from your first $100, to $1K, to $10K, where each rung uses a harder way to sell. In week one, your teen picks one finished service at a fixed price, such as washing storefront windows for $20 (5 jobs to collect $100) or drawing a chalk sidewalk sign for $50 (2 jobs to collect $100), and pitches 20 local businesses run by strangers.
Your role as a parent in week one is safety and logistics, not making the pitch for them. Wait nearby on a busy shop street during daylight off-peak hours (10 to 11:30 a.m. or 2 to 4 p.m.), make sure your teen only works on windows reachable from the ground with no ladders, and insist that only money collected from strangers counts.
Legal, age, and time rules parents should check
Before your teenager starts selling or joins a high school entrepreneurship program, keep three boundaries in mind:
- Employment laws vs your teen's own service. Under US Department of Labor Fact Sheet #43, 14 is the minimum age for most nonagricultural employment, and 14 and 15 year olds in regular jobs are capped at 3 hours on a school day and 18 hours in a school week. Casual babysitting and minor chores around private homes are exempt from FLSA employment rules, and state child labor rules can be stricter. Check your state's rules before your teen starts.
- Platform age rules. Sites like eBay require account holders to be able to form a legally binding contract (typically 18 and older), so a teen selling online must use a parent-managed account where the platform's terms allow it.
- The school-day time crunch. A traditional seven-hour school day plus homework leaves very little daylight for customer calls. Families either start on weekends, join an after-school or summer program, or move to a full-time entrepreneurship high school.
How high school business programs compare
| Name | Format | Length | Cost | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Founders Weekend | In-person weekend where kids 9 to 16 build a real business and pitch to strangers | Free two-day weekend | Free | founders.school |
| Founders School | Full-time, in-person private high school (grades 9 to 12) where students finish academics in about 3 hours a day and build businesses every afternoon | Four years | $150,000 per year; merit scholarships available | founders.school |
| JA Company Program (Junior Achievement) | Students in grades 9 to 12 start and run a company with volunteer mentors in class, after school, or online | 9 sessions | Not listed on the program's site. | jausa.ja.org |
| Uncharted Learning (INCubatoredu) | In-school entrepreneurship curriculum at partner high schools where student teams develop and pitch a product or service | Full academic year | Not listed on the program's site. | unchartedlearning.org |
| LaunchX | Summer startup program for ages 14 to 18: in person (Ann Arbor, Michigan), online, or online BootCamp | 4 weeks in person, 5 weeks online, 2-week BootCamp | $13,495 in person, $7,495 online, $2,495 BootCamp; financial awards available | launchx.com |
| Young Founders Lab | Online startup incubator with team workshops, 1:1 coaching, or pitch competition prep | Varies by program | $4,390 for the 10-week Pitch Competition Prep; other programs not listed on the program's site; financial aid available | youngfounderslab.org |
| DECA High School Programs | School-based business chapters and competitive events across entrepreneurship, marketing, and finance | Academic year plus 3 to 4 day conferences | Not listed on the program's site. | deca.org |
Details for the other programs come from their own sites. Check each site for current dates and prices.
Summer program or full-time high school?
An after-school club like JA Company Program or a summer accelerator like LaunchX lets your teenager test a first project without leaving their current high school.
If your teen is already committed to building a real company and keeps running out of hours in a conventional school week, Founders School is a full-time four-year program, powered by Alpha School. Students finish core academics in about 3 hours a day, usually by 11 a.m., using 3-Hour Learning with AI tutors, and spend every afternoon building real businesses.
Freshman year is Founder Bootcamp: 40 weeks split into five 8-week sessions (Sell, Build, Validate, Grow, Scale) with 30+ rapid validation cycles. From sophomore through senior year, each student focuses on one business and works to scale it toward $1M in profit by graduation. Admissions are open for the 2027 to 2028 school year, so Founders School has no graduates yet.
Every student gets a mentor who is a working entrepreneur, and students keep their IP and equity. The diploma is accredited, through our school in Texas.
See how the 40-week freshman bootcamp works on the freshman year page, compare entrepreneurship programs for high school students, or read about the best high school for teen entrepreneurs.
Want to try it first?
Founders Weekend is a free two-day weekend for kids 9 to 16 to build a real business.
Ready for the full program? Apply here or read about scholarships.
How can my teenager start a business while still in high school: FAQ
- How can my teenager start a business while still in high school?
- Have your teen pick one simple service at a fixed price, pitch 20 local businesses run by strangers, and collect their first $100 in cash when the work is done. For ongoing structure, families use Founders Weekend, JA Company Program, LaunchX, or Founders School.
- Should my teenager form an LLC before making their first sale?
- No. Start by validating whether strangers will pay for a simple service or product, and check your state's rules and banking requirements once real sales begin.
- Is there a free weekend program where my teen can try starting a business?
- Yes. Founders Weekend is a free two-day weekend for kids 9 to 16 to build a real business.
- How does a teenager find time to run a business during high school?
- In a traditional school, teens are limited to evenings, weekends, and summers. At Founders School, students finish core academics in about 3 hours a day and spend every afternoon building their businesses.
- Do students own the businesses they start at Founders School?
- Yes. Everything students build belongs to them, including the IP and equity.
- How much does Founders School cost?
- Tuition is $150,000 per year. Scholarships go to exceptional candidates and are not need-based.
- What is the Founders School guarantee?
- Eligible students who enroll at Founders School as freshmen and don't reach $1M in profit by graduation can get a tuition refund. The enrollment agreement has the full terms.
- How do admissions work at Founders School?
- Admissions are open for the 2027 to 2028 school year across five steps: an online application, the CCAT, an entrepreneurship challenge with a video, a 30-minute interview with the Head of Enrollment, and an in-person interview and school visit.