[MoniqueB]

Hello all,

My name is Monique, I am an ambitious sixteen year old. Although my parents are more than willing to pay tuition for me to go to college in two years, I would be more satisfied if I could get myself through college without a student loan or my parents money. I am a hard worker, a perfectionist, and I am very persuasive. I would like to start a small business so that I can start saving up for college.

I would like some input on possible business ideas. Here are some things I enjoy and that im good at:

. Cooking (baking especially)
. Photoshop (editor of my High School yearbook)
. Drawing (i have won numerous awards)
. Writing
. Working with animals

Please respond asap, thanks a bunch.

-Monique Bourgeacq

[exgeek]

I think college or trade school is still a good idea for you and here are a few reasons why:

cooking: Starting your own bakery is an obvious choice but you don't know a thing about running a bakery, there is way more to it than baking. You need some business knowledge. You need to know health codes, you need to know about suppliers and equipment and how to bake things that hold up all day in a pastry case. Go to pastry school, it'll be fun and they will teach you business side of running a kitchen/bakery/restaurant.

drawing/photoshop: There's a difference between knowing a program and understanding design concepts. You'll learn a ton if you go get a graphic design degree. You'll also make yourself more attractive to freelance clients. Art school will help you build up your portfolio so you have things to show. Also, you can't get by with just Photoshop. Today's graphic designers are usually expected to have some web design skills and mastery of the entire CS3 suite (or whatever comes after it.)

writing: You can be self-employed here too but an education is going to help you sell yourself and hone your craft. It'll help you get outside your own head and learn to view your work critically. If you pursue a writing program, again they should also educate you about the industry. This means teaching you to find and work with lit agents and publishers. If you want to write for papers and magazines they should teach you to pitch stories and work with editors. There's a huge sales side of that kind of work and you need to be prepared for it.

animals: you can get a gig as a vet assistant with very little education but it doesn't pay very well. You could start a doggy daycare or grooming service but in that case a business degree of some kind is going to make sense. You still have to understand marketing, bookkeeping/accounting, legal issues associated with your business (e.g. what insurance do you need).

I am not saying pursue a boring 4 year degree in something you don't care about. There are lots of different kinds of programs out there to pursue an education related to something you're interested in. I don't recommend dismissing it entirely before you decide what to do for a living.

[rogercbryan]

Just use your parents money... college does not mean more if you pay for it yourself. Its still a degree. Concentrate on getting good grades and not working.

[TechAfric]

Originally Posted by rogercbryan

Just use your parents money... college does not mean more if you pay for it yourself. Its still a degree. Concentrate on getting good grades and not working.

Go ahead and make some money but still accept every dime your parents have to offer. You'll need all you can get.

[tazman9r]

If your parents have money they want to give to you, humbly accept it.

If you have an idea for a business, especially a business that you can step away from while it continues to run well without your daily observation and control, then go for it.

Go to school. I don't think it's critical for fiscal success, but it will help you either get a job or impress people who are impressed by "credentials" and "certificates". Father Guido Sarducci ( a character by comedian Don Novello) has a great joke about school. Give me five minutes and I will teach you what the average college graduate remembers five years after graduating.

What I think I hear is a concern about taking too big a "slice" of the wealth. Don't worry, it's a big pie. it will just go back into the system when you spend or invest it anyway. And if you save it, that's cool too.