Should I dive right into business after high school?

[Penguin]

I am 16 years old, and I will be finishing high school next year. I have many business ideas, and I will be attending college next year. I know that this may sound like a challenging task, but I want to have a job while attending school, and potentially starting a business at the same time. I currently have an ok amount of money saved up ($2500), and I realize that using it all when I don't have much to begin with is stupid. $2500 isn't really enough in any event, but I will have enough soon.

Ok I am going on a tangent, but my main question for you guys is - how do you think I can start? I want to start small at a stall at a local organic farmers market (I want to sell bottled juices). I've already figured out what I would need: a decent enough juicer, plastic bottles which would be ordered in bulk from Alibaba and some sort of labeling to show what my product is called.

[Penguin]

Also I worded this and organized this terribly, so I will just quote what I wrote a few months ago on here:

"Hi there! I am 16 years old, turning 17 later this year. I've always had this idea of opening up a bottled juice business. Since I was younger, I've always loved juices and the idea of juicing and working around fresh vegetables and fruits and such. I am lucky enough to live in a city where there is a great demand for juices-- namely cold pressed, and organic juices. My goal is to get a stall at a farmers market, and sell my product there -- and if I see that it is doing well then I would try to expand to other farmers markets, and eventually maybe have an actual warehouse to produce these bottled juices in bulk! Ok, I am getting a bit too carried away here. Moving swiftly along.. Most likely, I wouldn't be able to do this on my own-- so I would have to get a partner. I will be starting college next year, and will hopefully be taking some business courses in my freshmen year where I can maybe and hopefully meet someone who wants to start a business with somebody.

I know this idea is nowhere near original, and it doesn't seem like it has much to offer. However, in the future if it ever does grow-- I would want to donate 3-10% of all proceeds to penguin conservation, as I would want the brand to be called "Penguin Juice" or "Penguin Liquids". My main question for you guys is: how can I get started? I have $1200 in my savings currently, and I know for the most part what I need in terms of supplies and such: a heavy-duty cold pressed juicer which would most likely cost me anywhere between $400 and $700, eco-friendly plastic bottles which I'd order in bulk from AliBaba, and some graphic which I could stick onto the bottle.

I've dreamed of doing this for as long as I can remember, and I hope that I can get this done. Responses would be appreciated!"

[Pita]

Hi Penguin-

It sounds like you are on the right path. If you have not started a business plan I suggest you at least outline one. It might help you to answer some questions you haven't thought of.

Rather than invest in overhead like a juicer from the outset is there any way you can outsource the juicing to a local bottler? It might cost more per unit that doing it yourself, but then it will save you from buying equipment up front.

Also, have you looked into the local health department regulations regarding food processing? There might be regulations regarding sanitation for your juicing operation.

I think your plan to donate profits to penguins is noble, but before you do be sure your business is actually making money!

I think the farmer market approach is a good one if you are just planning to do this part time while you are in school. Again, lower overhead and little fixed investment other than your time. I don't think it's impossible to both own a business and go to school, it will just take up a lot of your time. I went to school with a guy who owned a bike shop and he was a full time student. The upside is that if your business is successful you will already have a job when you graduate.

Good luck and keep us informed on your progress

[Harold Mansfield]

I'm going to play devil's advocate and say, in the real world $2500 is not enough money to start a business selling packaged juice. However, I think the experience of figuring that out will be good for you and make you a better businessman into the future.

You've listed possible prices for a juicer and some whole sale bottles, but you haven't accounted for how much the ingredients are, labeling, licensing, anything required by the health department, a place for production, storage of perishable items, labor, and a whole lot more expenses that come from starting up a business where you are selling food to the general public.

If I was heading to college and wanted to make some side money I'd start a business doing something that I already know how to do, doesn't require a lot of licensing, and that I could set up easily. THAT is doable with $2500. And then you could save how much you'll actually need to start a juice company. Even on a small scale.

I'm afraid that if you leap with such little money and no financial backup that you'll lose the money in start up costs, not have enough for production or anything else, and never get off the ground. Now you have no business and no money.

As an aspiring entrepreneur most times you have to crawl before you can walk, before you can run. You can't just skip to run.

[billbenson]

I think you should go for it. I doubt there are to many regulations to sell juice at a flea market. When I lived in South Florida where there were several good flea markets, One stand had a bunch of fresh coconuts. They would lop the end off of it for you and give you a straw to drink the coconut milk inside. They were great and I'm sure they didn't have any license to sell that. A license was probably required but they probably skirted that one. I can't say for sure. I certainly would check into the legal issues though.

I would also recommend that after college you work for a few years in your industry. Seeing how another company does the same thing is a good education.

[turboguy]

Going for it would give you some good experience in being an entrepreneur. Having a passion for a business is a key to success and it seems that you have the passion. Even if it doesn't work just keep in mind that many of us fail a few times on our way to our goals. Failing is a great learning experience.

I would be concerned about the legalities of dealing with a food type of product but you may be fine on that. I just don't know since it isn't my field. Getting the bottles from Alibaba would have me a little concerned just over shipping something that is mostly air from China. Getting a good price on bottles and the like for a small scale operator is tough. We buy bottles, jugs and pails from a company called US Plastics and the prices are not cheap. I sort of laugh sometimes. One of the items we buy is a pail with lid and handle. We buy about 500-1000 at a time. I can go to Aldi's and get a pail about the same size cheaper than I can get the pail from US Plastics. The only difference is the cheaper one at Aldi's is filled with ice cream and the ones from US plastics is empty. I should perhaps look into Alibaba but unless I buy enough to fill a 20' container I think the freight would be a killer.

[OCAB05]

"The man who thinks he can and the man who thinks he can't are both usually right."

[Hollie Rolla]

I know of people who have started marketing their start up businesses online for less that that and it is doable, if you are prepared to put in the time, effort and consistency and most importantly have patience. Your idea is fantastic and something that is very much in demand all over at the moment. That means however, that you will be entering a competitive marketplace, so its really important to craft all of your promotion, ad campaigns and social media communication in a way that makes customers want to buy from you, rather than your competitors (big or small) for example, why should they buy directly from you, rather than just buying fresh organic juice from a well known brand? you need to figure out exactly what your customers would relate to, that would make them pull the buying trigger.

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Also, keep an eye on all of the great online forums and facebook groups there are, which could help you figure out the next steps of creating and launching your business. This forum is full of people who are happy to help and have expertise in different areas (as you can see from the feedback to your question) and also you can try checking out online marketing forums such as warrior forum (also free) where there is a massive amount of people posting really valuable information all the time when it comes to business advice, getting started and marketing yourself in the correct way.

Once you have figured out your "hook" (what it is about YOUR juices that sets you apart from the competition) you can start raising brand awareness on social media platforms. I think Instagram and Pintrest would be great visual tools for you, as you can take pictures of the local environmental surroundings, which would convey a message of authenticity, healthy, fresh etc..

hope that helps, but definately keep reading the forums, blogs etc and you can compile your own resource list good luck!!

[Rob Malone]

I have to go with Harold on this. $2,500.00 is too little to take on the project you are talking about. Watch reruns of Shark Tank on CNBC and you will quickly learn that you taking on something where the odds are against you.

That said why not start a business the will generate cash that you can start bank rolling money away to properly fund your juice business in the future. For under a $1,000.00 you could start up an online affiliate business. You could still focus on organic, health, juices etc., but promote someone else's product. But you need to do a lot of research on affiliate marketing and it is a lot of work.

After you do you first successful one you can just start repeating the process and you can outsource a lot of the work with virtual assistances so you can focus on the big picture and growth. This is a low cost/ low risk way to test entrepreneurship and possibly make some cash along the way.

If you are willing to put in the time to research and the sweat equity to build your sites you will have a high probability of making money - not necessarily get rich but possibly gross a couple of thousand a month.

I applaud you for wanting to be an entrepreneur - we need more people your age with this desire.

Remember it takes time effort and there is no such thing as failure, just learning experiences.

[CfDoodles]

I have to agree with the majority of comments here 2500 is not enough to begin the juice business. However, if you are heading to college, there are PLENTY of cheap business ideas that you can get into to get your feet wet. If you are on campus look for a problem that needs to be solved and create a business around it.