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There are lots of opportunities available out there in the neighbourhood for the observant, enterprising and committed young teen - indeed many of us can remember starting out that way, although the world sometimes doesnt seem to be as safe for them as it was for us even just a few years ago. We need to be a lot more watchful about safety, but even so there is still potential.

Is there a service missing in the local neighbourhood that is not being offered? Is there a teen who has become eligible for a paying job whose services are therefore no longer available? Jump into his shoes! Heres's how to find out. Listen out for gripes and complaints and see if they so-incide with certain conditions. For example, Weeding, Golf-caddying and Lawn-mowing will be more required in the summer. Fruit-picking, Leaf-sweeping and Gutter maintenance will be more required in the Fall.

So let your teen be adaptable and observant - encourage him/her to combine many services together to maximise earning potential. Observe the varying conditions and get him/her to pitch services accordingly. After a windy night or storm, advertise or ask around. Would a strong young pair of hands be useful for a couple of hours to put a fence back up? After a prolonged dry spell, advertise a plant-watering service. Yes, these might be messy, monotonous jobs but hey! here's a golden opportunity to labour the point about school studies being necessary to better ourselves and increase our options.

Parental input, displaying confidence and a willingness to invest and oversee safety - is vital here. Your teen may have ideas of his own. For example - if you were to lend him a few dollars at the outset as a low-interest business loan (don't be too easy on them - it is a learning-curve here!) he may want to run out out and buy the next upcoming Video/DVD/ps2/Xbox game, enjoy it himself, then hire it out to friends! He could soon make the money back and he has enjoyed a free game! One Internet millionaire recently sold his first IT business at the age of 21 - he started out by selling sweets on the school bus!

Yard and Car Trunk Sales are a great first introduction to business - it kills 3 birds with one stone encouraging them to empty all the out grown clutter from their room every summer and make a few dollars to buy more! - learning a few hard business lessons along the way.

Or you may need to invest in a new (smart!) shirt and some impressive stationery. Potential clients will usually be impressed and

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