When I was your age, I just wanted to have my own business and make money. I tried a lot of things and something I realized is that nothing is ever as easy as it seem, you have to find the right fit for you so you’re more likely to stick with it during the high and low seasons, and dominate that market. The only way to figure out the right fit is understanding yourself, for my case it was doing a lot of research and trying a bunch of different things until something finally sticks. I also advised to not get short sighted and cocky like I did, the easier the entry level, the more competitive it is, the higher probability of failure. It’s easier to start coffee shops and restaurants for example, but that makes it more saturated where somebody that went to law school to become a lawyer and want to start their own law firm has a higher chance of surviving with less people qualified to enter that field and worse case scenario, they can go back being an employee in their field if their firm fails. Regardless, I think it will be good for you to try something you’re passionate about, learn how business operates, and learn from your mistakes. The only time you can take tremendous risk and have all this energy is when you’re young.

While you are absolutely encouraged to run whatever kinda business you want and makes you happy, I would recommend (from my own experience) that you start by thinking in an entrepreneurial mindset.

Start with books; can probly find me online or at the library. Biggest thing I see is to “think about a major problem people have and figure out a way to solve that problem.”

If I’m being honest, your business ideas so far sound like they came from youtube business “gurus,” and I would avoid watching videos like that; they’re gimmicky, and not really helpful for you. Instead it just helps to funnel i come to them, and often they never offer any real value.

Like POD for example. It’s incredibly oversaturated, and because of that, it will pose a huge challenge to make it a meaningful income.

Does that mean you shouldn’t try either of your ideas? No! I think you absolutely should. But my point is to make sure you’re getting meaningful information and making sure you have a solid plan to keep revenue flowing.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with different ideas either; by that I mean, when you get asked the inevitable “so, what do you do?,” you can say “I’m experimenting with ……”

Listen man, you’re out here working on your dream, and immediately that’s respectable. So good shit.

Second, it’s natural to be nervous about judgment and failure, it’s an awful feeling. But much like anxiety, it’s a motivator for changing personal habits and reflecting for improvement. You just have to take that first step.

All businesses are going to be sales roles, but don’t get worried about that. Sales are fundamental to your business, whether it’s an investment pitch, business pitch, daily interactions with customers, developing a financial strategy, etc. Sales are all about confidence and belief in yourself and your objectives, and has a lot to do with numbers and margins rather than a pitch. Don’t fear failure, failure teaches you about the real issues instead of minutiae. There’s more wisdom from failure than success.

It seems like you’re into the clothing industry. I’d recommend selling your clothing on Poshmark at first just to begin trying to earn money first and foremost, and mixing it in with other similar fashion brands to increase exposure and maybe validate your brand.

Second, I would email some local clothing stores, or ask for their manager/buyer and see if you could sell your clothes at consignment; provide the clothes for no upfront cost to the owner, and develop a profit cut 70/30 or 60/40 etc. when and if they eventually sell.

It takes away personal investment from the owner, and for retail stores, it’s free advertisement having your brand present, establishes credibility when you move to other stores, and gets you a network of like minded folks.

Then move onto e commerce when you have yourself a small brand with some credibility. But you got this man. You have your whole life to figure out your dreams, just keep trying every day and it will work out.

If your mum is your full time employee id send her burger flipping and keep the pay.

I would start by offering a service to other small businesses which would allow you to develop skills needed to open up you own dream company later down the road.

Take some online marketing classes, google ads certifications, fb ads certs, etc. take what you learn to help others and hone your skills. Maybe even take a remote job and have them pay for your training.

Figure out your why, how & what before “starting” your business.

Don’t try to do anything from home- get out in the world and do some hard, dirty work. It pays really freaking good.