By Mint Money Guide Team
November 17, 2025
The traditional teenage job market has been transformed. While your parents might suggest flipping burgers or mowing lawns, today's teens are building online businesses, creating digital content, and earning income streams their parents never imagined possible.
In 2025, thousands of teenagers are making $1,000 to $5,000 per month using nothing but a smartphone and internet connection. This isn't about get-rich-quick schemes, it's about leveraging skills you already have and platforms that are actively looking for young creators.
Earning potential: $500-$5,000/month
What it is: Create short-form video content in niches like productivity tips, study methods, fashion, gaming, or comedy.
How to start:
Real example: 16-year-old productivity creator earning $2,300/month with 45K followers.
Earning potential: $300-$2,000/month
What it is: Create logos, social media graphics, thumbnail designs, and marketing materials for small businesses.
Skills needed: Learn Canva (free) or Figma (free). You can master the basics in 2 weeks watching YouTube tutorials.
How to start:
Earning potential: $400-$3,000/month
What it is: Buy limited-edition sneakers, streetwear, or collectibles and resell them for profit on StockX, GOAT, or eBay.
Starting capital needed: $100-$300
Strategy:
Real example: 17-year-old turned $200 into $12K in 8 months flipping sneakers.
Earning potential: $300-$1,500/month per client
What it is: Manage Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook accounts for local restaurants, salons, gyms, or retail shops.
Services to offer:
How to land clients: DM 10 local businesses with weak social media presence. Offer to manage their account for $300/month. Show examples of what you'd post.
Earning potential: $200-$2,000/month
What it is: Design t-shirts, hoodies, and phone cases that are printed and shipped only when someone orders (zero inventory needed).
Platforms: Redbubble, Teespring, Printful + Shopify
Winning niches:
Strategy: Upload 50+ designs, promote on Pinterest and TikTok, let passive income roll in.
Earning potential: $15-$40/hour
What it is: Help younger students with subjects you excel in through video calls or messaging.
Platforms: Tutor.com, Wyzant, Preply, or start your own by posting in local Facebook groups.
Best subjects: Math, Science, SAT/ACT prep, English writing
Pro tip: Charge $20/hour starting out. Once you have 5 five-star reviews, raise to $30-40/hour.
Earning potential: $500-$5,000/month
What it is: Find trending products on AliExpress, create engaging TikToks demonstrating them, and earn commission when viewers buy.
Hot product categories:
Strategy: Find products with high engagement on TikTok, recreate viral video styles, and add TikTok Shop affiliate links.
Earning potential: $100-$3,000/month
What it is: Stream yourself playing popular games on Twitch or YouTube Gaming. Monetize through subscriptions, donations, and sponsorships.
Best games for growth: Fortnite, Valorant, Minecraft, League of Legends, or trending new releases
Growth hack: Stream consistently same time daily, create highlight clips for TikTok/YouTube Shorts to funnel viewers to your live streams.
Earning potential: $100-$800/month (passive)
What it is: Take high-quality photos with your phone and upload to stock photo sites where businesses buy licenses to use them.
Platforms: Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, iStock
In-demand photo types:
Strategy: Upload 200-500 photos. Earn $0.25-$5 every time someone licenses your photo. Passive income that compounds.
Earning potential: $300-$2,000/month
What it is: Create digital downloads like study planners, resume templates, social media templates, or printable wall art.
Top sellers:
Advantage: Create once, sell unlimited times with zero fulfillment work.
Earning potential: $400-$1,500/month
What it is: Clean and detail cars in your neighborhood.
Starting costs: $50-100 for basic supplies (vacuum, microfiber towels, cleaning solutions)
Pricing:
Marketing: Post before/after videos on TikTok and Instagram. Offer first-time customer discount. Ask for referrals.
Earning potential: $200-$1,200/month
What it is: Create handmade jewelry (beaded bracelets, clay earrings, wire-wrapped rings) and sell on Instagram, TikTok Shop, or Etsy.
Trending styles:
Cost: $30-50 to start. Materials are cheap, margins are 200-400%.
Earning potential: $200-$1,000/month
What it is: Record voice-overs for YouTube videos, commercials, audiobooks, and explainer videos.
Equipment needed: Smartphone + $20 microphone from Amazon
Niches to target:
Strategy: Create 3-5 demo reels showcasing different voice styles. Price competitively at first to build reviews.
Earning potential: $150-$1,000/month
What it is: Create productivity templates in Notion and sell them on Gumroad or Etsy.
Popular templates:
Pricing: $5-25 per template. Promote on TikTok and YouTube.
Earning potential: $300-$1,200/month
What it is: Watch people's pets when they travel or walk dogs during weekdays.
Rates:
Platform: Rover.com handles payment and insurance. You just need to love animals.
Strategy: Offer discount for first-time clients. Post cute pet photos on your profile. Build up reviews fast.
Start before you're ready: You don't need to be an expert. You just need to be better than someone willing to pay.
Stack income streams: Combine 2-3 methods. Example: Freelance design + TikTok content creation + reselling.
Reinvest your profits: Take 50% of what you earn and invest in better equipment, ads, or inventory to scale faster.
Track everything: Keep a spreadsheet of income and expenses. This is your first business, treat it professionally.
Week 1: Choose 2 methods from this list that excite you most
Week 2: Set up your accounts/profiles and create your first offers or content
Week 3-4: Post daily, reach out to potential clients, iterate based on feedback
Month 2-3: Double down on what's working, scale up your best method
The biggest difference between teens making $1,000+ per month and those making nothing isn't talent or connections. It's simply taking action and staying consistent for longer than most people are willing to try.
Written by
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