6 Simple Ways Your Teen Can Help with Business Growth 

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Do you have a teen?

I do, and I love her so much! My Jayme is 15, and such a blessing.

Since Jayme plans on being a graphic designer when she grows up, I’ve been utilizing her help more and more in my business. It’s so nice to have an extra set of hands to help grow my business.

I’ve even signed up for a Pinterest VA course and had her take it alongside me. (It’s an investment in both my business, and for my daughter’s future!) It provided so much information.

But, your teen doesn’t have to have plans to be a graphic designer in order to help you. Think about your teen’s strengths, and use those as a brainstorming session to help you pinpoint the exact tasks that’ll be both a help to you, and of interest for your teen.

Here are six general tasks to get you started:

1. Managing Your Photos

My daughter helped set up a style guide for two of my blogs, and helps me create images for those. She’s created a template for Pinterest, and another for cover images.

Right now she’s working through my archives, helping give all my old posts a facelift. In the future, I’ll plan on sending her a list of new headlines once a month and she’ll be responsible for getting them to me before it’s time to hit publish.

Sourcing photos is also a way she can help. She enjoys looking through Unsplash, and a couple of other free stock photo sites and just seeing what she can find. She downloads any images she thinks might be a fit, and has quite a collection for me. When she can’t find what she needs, she makes a list of photos that our family photographer (my husband) needs to take.

Since pictures are definitely not optional on blog posts any more, it’s such a blessing to have help here.

2. Handling Some Social Media

While my teen isn’t yet on social media, I’m utilizing her help to teach her all about the various sites. Despite her not having her own accounts, it comes very naturally for her—something I’ve heard a lot parents mention. Their teens just seem to know how all of these sites operate.

Wondering what your teen can help with? They can:

• Schedule posts for you with Buffer or another scheduler
• Make a list of quotes that’d be good to share
• Delete all of those automated messages on Twitter
• Research influencers in your niche to follow
• Analyze your analytics
• Create an entire social media marketing plan for your business
• Pin things to your boards
• Teach you how to use a new platform

3. Proofreading Posts and Pages

While this definitely isn’t a favorite for many teens, it’s a skill that’s essential in the real world. An extra set of eyes on your posts is never a bad thing.

I should really start making my teen do this more for my personal posts instead of just my client work.

My last few posts have gone out with an error or two, probably because I’m typing them so late at night! Life is definitely crazy right now!

So memo to self: write posts one day sooner to allow time for proofreading!

4. Formatting Posts

Sign your teen up with an admin account on your WordPress blog and let them make your posts beautiful. They can add any HTML that needs done, and use all the drop-down options to get your headings all the right sizes.

Teens can add images, fill in the alt text, and even get your post scheduled.

According to an ultimate list of marketing stats (found here), “In 2016, 67% more leads will be generated by companies with an active blog.”

Businesses need blogs in today’s marketplace. Blogs drive a lot of potential customers.

Which means businesses need someone to manage their blogs. Helping you grow your business will simultaneously give your teen skills that are in demand right now.

5. Offering a Fresh Perspective on Your Site

Many teens spend a lot of time online. They are quick to pick up on design trends, and know a lot about what works and what doesn’t’ work on a website.

Have your teen audit your site, and offer you a fresh perspective. Did they like the order of items on your menu, or would rearranging them be better?

Is your “About” page up to snuff? Or does it need improvement?

Ask your teen honestly, and don’t get mad at what they say. Keep an open mind and remember that they’re not putting you down personally, they’re trying to help you improve—even if they haven’t yet developed quite as much tact as an adult would have.

Sometimes we get a little too close to our sites that we can’t see the negative parts. We’ve put on our blinders so to speak.

Our teens can help guide us into making improvements. Ask for their opinion as you’re implementing the changes that they recommend.

6. Bookkeeping

Some teens are fabulous at math, and would make a great bookkeeper. If that’s your teen, you can try letting them:

• Create an income tracker in Excel or another program
• Add expenses and income receipts that you add to a certain shared folder
• Brainstorm ways to cut business expenses
• Think of investments that may help
• Balance your business checkbook

Ways Your Teen Benefits

I recently wrote a post on all the ways your children benefit from your business. Those all apply to teens too, but the benefits for teens are great, in my opinion.

By helping you, here are four benefits for your teen. They can:

Earn Money

I pay my teen for many tasks she helps me with. It’s a great way for her to earn some money and get some work experience.

Start a Business of Their Own

Teens are perfectly capable of starting their own business. Helping you will help them refine their skills, and narrow their scope so they can find the perfect business to launch.

This is where having your teen help with all aspects of your business is important. It gives them a well-rounded knowledge of how all the bits and pieces tie together into one big picture.

Make Connections

Who you know really is important in today’s society. You can help your teen out by speaking positively, celebrating the work that is accomplished, and making introductions when the time is right.

For instance, my daughter wants to do an internship for a graphic designer her junior year of high school. I’m already thinking of my contacts and who may be interested in guiding a teen in the business in exchange for free help.

I’m excited for this potential, and know it wouldn’t’ have been possible without me having a business, or being willing to let my teen help me.

Build Their Resume

College applications all want to know what teens did in high school. Helping you grow your business will help your teen fill out that section of the application a bit more.

Whether you’re paying them, or they’re volunteering, they’re showing that they know how to get a job done.

Do Your Teens Help You Grow Your Business?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this subject. If your teens are helping, what tasks are they taking off your plate? Please share below in the comments!