11 Summer Side Hustles That Are Perfect For Teens

Summer free time = time to make money.

Are you a teen looking to make some extra cash this summer? Same, I can relate. Tbh, since we're not in school for 8 hours a day, we might as well use the time to make some extra money, right?

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So to help you get started, I rounded up 11 ways you can earn some cash this summer (and beyond):

1. Sell your gently-used clothes online on Poshmark or Depop.

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Sites like Poshmark and Depop are a great for selling clothes, shoes, interior decorations, accessories, and more! Not only do you make money on the items that you sell, but your items also get a second home where they're used and loved.

To start selling, open up an account and select the "seller" option. Every time you want to list an item for sale, take a picture of the item and share it to your network. You can share items with multiple tags or have other sellers re-share your listing to their network to reach a larger buyer audience. If someone buys your listing, package it for shipping using a pre-paid label and ship it off. Once the item is delivered, you get your payment! 

Remember that all sales are final, so make sure that the item that you listed is the one you intended to list and that you're set on selling that item.

2. If you have a big following, monetize your social media account.

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Start taking your Instagram more seriously! If you have a larger following already, you can connect with brands and companies, which can help foster brand deals. You can also join influencer networks to help boost your following and engagement rates.

Simple things like putting hashtags on your posts or including your contact information in your Instagram bio can help get your posts sponsored by companies. If you have a particular company you want to work with, consider sending them an Instagram DM or email outlining who you are and why you're fit for the brand. 

3. If you're crafty, you can start a small business on Etsy.

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Turn your passion into a business on Etsy. Etsy is an international marketplace of small business owners and a community of shoppers. Sellers don't need a business license to sell on Etsy, and it costs nothing to start your own shop. To open your shop, choose your shop name, language, country, and currency. Once you have your items that you want to sell, post listings on your shop website. 

For every shop, Etsy has 3 selling fees: a listing fee, transaction fee, and payment processing fee. To publish a listing, it costs $0.20. If your items sell, Etsy has a 5% transaction fee on the sale and shipping price. If your payment method is through Etsy Payments, Etsy collects a 3% and $0.25 payment processing fee when someone buys your item. 

4. Or tutor students online or in your neighborhood.

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Notice students struggling with their academics in your neighborhood? After the weird school year we just finished, lots of people could use a little extra help getting ready for next year. Start a tutoring group and advertise your tutoring service with announcements in your community publications or flyers around your neighborhood. 

You can also expand your tutoring network by signing up for tutoring referral services online, such as TutorMatch or TutorNerds.

5. Learn a profitable skill and start freelancing.

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Invest in your future by learning a profitable skill over the summer. Skills like programming, app development, online marketing, and graphic design are proving to be more and more important in the workforce. Alison Online is an online platform that allows you to take courses for free and get certified.

Websites like Fiverr and Upwork can help you find freelancing jobs to apply your new skills. In fact, Upwork has a page of listings specifically for teens. There are a lot of voice work listings here, which may be something new and interesting to try out this summer!

6. Use Pet Sitter to find clients looking for pet care services around you.

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Pet Sitter is a free service that pet walkers and sitters can use to find clients near them. As a sitter, you can set your own schedule, prices, and pet preferences. 

To start, create your account on Pet Sitter based own your personal information, pet preferences, and availability. Once your account has been approved, it will be visible on the home page so that pet owners can find you. You have the flexibility to accept or decline pet sitting requests. If you accept a request, you and the pet owner will have to work out the payment details and contract. 

7. Work part-time at a local restaurant or retail shop.

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Make money this summer by working part-time at a local restaurant or retail shop! You can contact a local restaurant or retail shop to see if they have a job opening or look on websites like Indeed to find a job near you. 

High school students can work a maximum of 8 hours per day when school is not in session. Depending on your workplace and state, you may have to get a permit from your school to be approved to work. 

8. Become a lifeguard at your local pool.

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If you have a pool in your community, becoming a lifeguard this summer can be a profitable job. If you don't have a community pool, cities often have public pools that need lifeguards for the summer. Contact your city for more information. 

You can also look to websites like Guard For Life to find a lifeguarding job near you. Guard For Life connects you to one of the 10 office located around the country, where you can get a lifeguard certification and apply for a job. New lifeguards must pass the Lifeguard Training Course. After completion of the course, you will be American Red Cross certified!

9. Spend time learning how to invest and open a custodial account.

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If you're a teen and you're thinking about investing in the future, learn how to invest this summer so that you'll have the knowledge to keep growing your money when you're an adult. You can learn how to invest in stocks from websites like Investopedia or on social media platforms like TikTok, where creators like  @caltoleap and @ecommjess often post content related to financial literacy. 

I've personally learned a ton about investing from TikTok. One thing I've learned: teens can open a custodial account to start investing. A custodial account is managed by your parent or guardian, but it allows you to start investing when you're under 18. If this is something that interests you, talk to your parent or guardian about opening an account. And remember, investing does come with some risk (i.e. you could lose money) and it probably won't make you rich overnight. But it is definitely a valuable skill to learn in the long run.

10. Start your own dropshipping business.

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If you're set on starting a small business, a better alternative may be to start your own dropshipping business. A dropshipping business doesn't require you to keep things in stock, but allows you to fulfill orders as they come in. Once you get an order from a customer, you pass the order onto the supplier, where they ship the order to the customer. In short, a dropshipping business is the link between the customer and supplier. This type of business requires low operating costs and there's no need for physical stock storage. But, you have no control over the stock or delivery. The stock and delivery depend on your supplier. That's why it's important to find a dependable supplier when starting your business. 

To start your business, determine what kind of items you want to sell and find a fitting supplier for your business using supplier databases like Alibaba or US Direct. Then, create a website or blog on platforms like Wix or SquareSpace. Once your website is up and running, manage your social media pages to get the most traction and audience engagement to kick-start your business!

11. And finally, organize a yard sale with your family or friends.

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Just finished with summer cleaning? Organize a yard sale to sort out those items. 

Gather your family or friends to make a list of items that you want to sell and arrange the items into different piles so that customers can differentiate between the items more easily. Also determine the pricing. One trick yard sale organizers found to be successful is to price items on the lower scale of prices, but have a variety of items available. That way, items are plentiful and cheap. Then, choose a date and time for the yard sale. Saturdays and Sundays tend to be the best for sales, since many people don't have work.

Once you have the logistics of the event, advertise it within your community! You can post flyers around your neighborhood or promote it on your social media platforms. 

This summer, I'm doing #9 and #11. How are you planning to make some cash? Share your tips in the comments!

And for more money tips and tricks, check out the rest of our personal finance posts.