I'm 15, turning 16 less than a month from now, and my buisness is starting to really get going. My mom says I'm too young, and my cousins have laughed in my face about my optomistic outlook. Am I too young to start a small buisness? Or am I just starting to doubt that my secret recipes are really what makes me have the best baked goods in town(so my friends, and neighbors have said)? 
NO...definitely NOT too young!
farm kids raise animals for profit starting in elem school
bill gates started in HS.
and if I had the time could find thousands of other examples
the organization Junior Achievement has for many many years (at least 40+ that I know of) sponsored HS students forming business and selling products.
GO FOR IT!
just be sure to have all the ducks in a row.
insurance, licenses, separate bank account, health code compliance, etc.
GOOD LUCK
Hehehe Thankies. I'm to small right now to go through all the legalization things, but once things pick up (and i learn to drive >.<
I'm going to get a buisness license for sure..I hope to own a small cafe that sells only sweets someday hehe ^.^*thinking: If only I had 100,000 $ >.> then I could move to kansas and buy that cafe...and the flower shop next to it...and a new mixer...oh well mixing things by hand isnt too bad*
You are NEVER too young, nor too old.
I worked at a bakery when I was 15 and the love of it just grew. Keep going, you can laugh in their face when you are established and making cash at something you love instead of flipping burgers.
Pfft... they are just jelly..... lol
Keep on with your convictions!
are you kidding me? my 14 year old is an entrepreneur deluxe! She has a website where she sells customized T-shirts (with designs she created); she does photography on the side; she recently got in trouble at school for running a candy commissary out of her locker (man, she was making a good profit, too!); when she was younger she had me bake a bunch of cookies and she set up a lemonade stand in our front yard ... she cleared $35 in one afternoon.
I am very proud of my daughter! She is always thinking, always trying to come up with a new way to earn money and she wants to do it on her terms with her own business. And she's only 14.
Move over, Bill Gates and Donald Trump! My little girl is on her way!
But back to you! Sounds like you've already got a following. Structure what you are doing like a "real" business .... keep track of your sales and expenses so you can see (and show your mom) what you're doing. Follow the advice given by Doug above.
We are looking forward to seeing great things from you!
oh darn! This is IndyDebi .... the above post was entered by me but I was logged in under my daughter's sign in! (Oh man, I knew I wouldn't like sharing my CC with her!) Logging out and signing in again under the RIGHT name!
Indydebi my daughter did the same thing (selling candy and getting in trouble) Hilarious. She made money though. I think its great when young people get a vision early on. Stick with it. YOU GO GIRL!!!!
It was fun watching her shop for her product and figure out her profit. God help me if I ventured to Sam's Club without taking her!
She discovered that she is not charged sales tax on Twix candy bars (and another one but can't remember what it is) but is charged sales tax on Hershey bars and M&M's (because Twix is also a cookie? Who knows!). So she tended to stock up on the non-taxable items so she'd make an extra 2 or 3 cents! Heck, she even had another kid on her "payroll" making sales for her!
I was really impressed with her!
if you're an entrepreneur...that's what you are no matter what your age is.
i was selling stuff to my classmates in jr high.
look at that dude who owns the virgin record empire.
told his parents he was quitting school at 14...went into business and now is a billionare.
i hate age discimination more than anything.
Two organizations to become involved with if your school offers them regardless of their reputations at your particular school...
FFA
and
DECA
Both are National organizations and AWESOME for promoting leadership and teaching business skills that you'll use for eternity. Yes, you're going to need to go through the licensure process if you plan on turning this into any sort of long term business... It's a lot of work, but worth it if you plan to stick things out.
But, get involved with the FFA and DECA because the two are AWESOME with getting you the skills you need to succeed... At 12 I was raising livestock on our family farm (but had been working on the farm since I was old enough to be a "Gofer" -- go fer this and go fer that) and within a year of graduating from High School had earned my American FFA Degree. I still find today the lessons from the FFA and being the next thing to an FFA Nerd still help me with projecting what is going to happen with business trends, schmoozing, financial decisions, and work ethic.
The reason I say not to even focus on what your school's chapters are like is because they promote you becoming involved outside of your school and networking with other students from your region and across the country. Being involved also helped make the transition to college easier because I knew so many people already through different state and national events.
I was 15 when I sold my first cake. BUT you need to think about your mom having to take you deliver stuff and taking you to the store to buy ingredents...respect her guidence; you'll be thankful for it.
Actually, my mother has never done anything for me when it comes to this, taken me to anywhere, helped me deliver anything ect. I've done it all on my own, cause she wont help me, and if I ask her to, she complains, so I finally stoped asking. I'm lucky I get a ride to school -.- and use of the internet. Then again, she cant stop me there, I have 3 computers, and she only has one lol
I say if you love doing this keep doing it. I just started and wish I had learned about cake decorating classes when I was your age, maybe I would have gone to school for it instead of what I did go to school for and I might have a business of my own instead of working for someone else at a job I am not crazy about. At 30 I am now thinking about college culinary courses at my local community college. Good luck and I wish you the best!
Of course I love doing it. Hehehehe my whole life is baking and chilling with my best bud. And well, trying to fix my frizzy blonde hair lol XD hehehe. I'm trying to get ahold of some hello kitty and zelda themed cake pans, if anyone knows where to get them, please tell me. I cant find them anywhere
At 18 I made my first real decorated cake (not counting all the birthday cakes that I just frosted with canned frosting with a butter knife when I was growing up). The cake was for around 200 people. I was stunned at my work and so was everyone else.
Unfortunately, at the time I didn't realize that cake decorating COULD actually be an occupation that I could persue.
Now, 15 years later, I am just beginning to get back into baking and decorating. My skills aren't what they could be...sometimes I wonder what kind of cakes I could do today, had I went with it back then.
Good luck to you ~ don't let anyone discourage you.
ps. Life is always funny though ~ Now I'm a mommy to 5 great kids...something I NEVER would have imagined all those years ago. And they are my true passion...my family.
^.^ I wont let anyone discourage me hehe I promise! 5 kids? wow hehe thatsa lot, then again, when I get older I plan to have 4 myself...luckily, Mi Amor is all go and no stop for my plans for my future. If he wasnt for it, I wouldve given up in a heartbeat and went with writing children's books like I planed in 3rd grade lol but since he adores my ideas, not even my mum is phasing me anymore with her constant complaints over my needing the kitchen all the time to perfect my recipes lol
I started younger than you - never too young if you have the talent and more importantly - THE DRIVE!
I have seen so many young entrepreneurs make it.
You are not too young, take your time, do it right and go with your dream.
Make sure to stay in school, even if you have the talent you need the business part of it and that is done with school!
So get in touch with some of the organizations mentioned above in the post or even just talk to a banker in your area to get info about programs available. You'd be surprised where you can find assistance.
Good Luck, let us know how it goes.
Hehe, one thing I wont loose is the drive. Not this time at least, though I have lost my drive for things before, mainly because I didnt have the programs I needed, let alone the support from my parents T.T I've given up on support from them though, they wont accept any carrear for me but to be a nurse..which I am too squimish to do lol
Hehehe talking to a banker would be a very good idea, I will be sure to do that this weekend! ^.^ my small school lost its FFA last year though, our teacher got laid off due to money cuts. He was really nice, I got really involved, and even got us a (free!)booth at a festival, last minute too. It was fun, but we dont have any other programs sadly. Hopefully next year we will. If not, Ill probaly get involved in our community to raise money for programs anyone can take at the community center or something hehe
In middle school, I remember when I started what I called my "hundred-dollar business". I was a "hundredaire".
I bought chocolate bars wholesale, and had "partners" to whom I'd share profits by reaching a certain number of candy bars sold per week for a percentage of net profits.
It was fun, I made some money, until the plug was pulled by the assistant principle . . . 
A 13 year old owning a grocery chain? Sounds fun ^^ Hehe but I will stick to my small cafe in my little corner of the world lol, big chains are hard to manage, or so I have heard. One little cafe selling only sweet things for me lol
And a chocolate candy buisness? hehehe fun fun..I'm thinking of selling sodas out of my locker next year XD The kids in my school are really big on pepsi, and california wont let the school sell soda anymore hehe
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