What Could I Turn This Into?

[Pharphunuse]

Hello Everyone! And I'm looking for some feedback on how I might combine my ideas into a business.

As of now I work a minumum wage job (I am 16) and it really is not a good trade-off. 1 hour = $7.50. I wouldn't call that a good deal.

I am looking to generate enough income in the next two years to purchase a car, a few stupid things (I'm in highschool, hell, why not?), and pay for college tuition (most likely an expensive private one as I am aiming to attend MIT).

My Hobbies that I really enjoy as of now are photoshop, video editing, building computers, gaming, cars, and in general tinkering with things to figure out how they work. I was thinking combining a few of these things into a business I can operate from within my basement. I'm basically thinking it will have plenty to do with sales over the internet.

Any feedback/Support is greatly appreciated as I do not want to be trading time for money my entire life. -.-

<-- I only included that because it made me chuckle.

[DennisChang]

Perhaps you can try to be a freelancer, or partner with someone (Eg. web designer, photographer, etc) to offer a more complete set of services.

[Pharphunuse]

Thanks for the input . I do think that is a good idea as I do have multiple friends in the web design and photography areas. I'll do some brainstorming from there.

I am thinking about perhaps designing a computer style and possible selling that, as in the case and such. Or possibly assembling custom computers for people. Would you think there is a decently sized market for that?

[Spider]

You have video editing close to the top of your list. Considering the short-term nature of your need, this will probably be your fastest cash-creator.

I presume you can create videos as well as edit them. There may already be too many people in the Wedding Video business, but I believe there is a growing demand for video advertising. And there are lots of small businesses that would like to get on late-night cable (remarkably cheap tv advertising) or add a short video to their website.

Talk to some small business people and find out what the demand might be in your area. I have seen prices range from $300 to $1,000 for 30sec/60sec ads.

Mind you, if it takes you 30 hours to create a $300 ad, you are almost back at minimum wage, but at least it would be more fun than sweeping the shop floor!

[JPStonestreet]

16 and already entrepreneurial! Respect!

Building computers and selling them is a difficult path. I read recently that mobile devices are far outselling desktops and laptops. The trend is mobile, and I doubt you can compete with those big players.

I agree with Spider. If you like video editing and you're good at it, think more seriously about that one. You might checkout fiverr to research your competition and possibly post some gigs. You can sell basic services for 5 dollars and offer premium or add-on's for more. If you're efficient and you can knock a couple out in an hour, that's more than you're making now, not counting the upsells.

[Pharphunuse]

Originally Posted by JPStonestreet

16 and already entrepreneurial! Respect!

Building computers and selling them is a difficult path. I read recently that mobile devices are far outselling desktops and laptops. The trend is mobile, and I doubt you can compete with those big players.

I agree with Spider. If you like video editing and you're good at it, think more seriously about that one. You might checkout fiverr to research your competition and possibly post some gigs. You can sell basic services for 5 dollars and offer premium or add-on's for more. If you're efficient and you can knock a couple out in an hour, that's more than you're making now, not counting the upsells.

Thanks!

And thank you for a way to possibly make money on my video editing skills, I have found that youtube does not possess a very appreciative audience no matter how much effort is put into it. I'll look into it, and once again thanks for the tip!

[HCChris]

I was about 16 when I first started down the entrepreneurship path, it's great to see a young person eager to take the leap.

As much as I like the idea of the computer case design (you can sell "designer" cases for around $100-$300 each), I don't think it would be appropriate to your present situation. Since it's a product there will be higher startup costs and it'll take a lot of time to get traction and even then most builders are looking for cases that are different from their friends'.

I think Spider is onto something with the video creation and editing. I have actually been working on a video for my website recently. If I'd seen this a little earlier, you may have had your first customer.

You may want to try to develop a relationship with a few (freelance) web designers. Whenever they're working on a website for a client they'll be able to recommend you to help develop a video for the website.

[Pharphunuse]

Originally Posted by HCChris

I was about 16 when I first started down the entrepreneurship path, it's great to see a young person eager to take the leap.

As much as I like the idea of the computer case design (you can sell "designer" cases for around $100-$300 each), I don't think it would be appropriate to your present situation. Since it's a product there will be higher startup costs and it'll take a lot of time to get traction and even then most builders are looking for cases that are different from their friends'.

I think Spider is onto something with the video creation and editing. I have actually been working on a video for my website recently. If I'd seen this a little earlier, you may have had your first customer.

You may want to try to develop a relationship with a few (freelance) web designers. Whenever they're working on a website for a client they'll be able to recommend you to help develop a video for the website.

Awesome! Thank you again! These are all brilliant ideas

I have recently been in contact with multiple web design freelancers and I'm eager to see what comes of it. Thanks again as I would not have thought of this myself!

[topfilings]

Originally Posted by DennisChang

Perhaps you can try to be a freelancer, or partner with someone (Eg. web designer, photographer, etc) to offer a more complete set of services.

Doing freelance work is a great idea! If you have decent graphic design or video editting skills, you should have no problem finding jobs online. The beauty is, you can do it at home!

Take a look sites like these: eLance.com, Guru.com, ODesk.com

These are freelancing websites where you can post a profile and bid on other people's jobs. So let's say someone needs a new logo for their pet supply website. You can enter a bid to complete the job, and if you're accepted, you can start work right away. Don't get me wrong, there's lots of competition on these sites and you'll have to do some research. The key is setting up a nice profile that instills confidence in potential clients. Put together a portfolio of your work and some samples. In the beginning, you'll probably need to underbid other competitors until you build your reputation.

I'm sure there's some smaller (less competitive) freelance websites out there, but you get the idea. These are the major ones...

[printnstyle]

I agree with looking into freelance work and TopFilings provided you with some good starter links. Start small, work your way up, and build a nice portfolio for yourself. Once you’ve done that maybe start your own business for it, but I would start small to build a reputation (at 16 you have more than enough time). While putting together a computer for a friend is one thing, there really isn’t that big of a market for it, so I wouldn’t make that the center of your attention right now.