Junior Course · Ages 4+
Captain Coin’s lemonade stand
- Say what a business is
- Name a customer
- Know that we buy supplies before we sell
Entrepreneurship Earth lesson
How to Start a Business
From idea to first sale: customers, a simple plan, costs and pricing, permits, a business bank account and tracking profit.
Junior 4+Explorer 8+Advanced 13+15 minutes
How to start a business for kids and teens begins with one question: what problem can I solve for someone? In this Entrepreneurship Earth lesson, Captain Coin walks through the real steps, from a first idea to a first sale and beyond.
How to start a business for kids, step by step
Ages 4 and up build a pretend lemonade stand. Ages 8 and up make a simple business plan with costs, prices and profit. Ages 13 and up look at legal structures, permits, taxes, bank accounts and record-keeping.
Grown-ups stay in the loop
Young entrepreneurs should always work with a parent or guardian, especially for money, permits and online sales. Rules differ by city and state. Then practice in the Own a Business game.
How to use this lesson at home or in class
Start with the level that matches your learner, then try the next level up when they are ready. For example, a family can read the Junior story together, while an older sibling works through the Advanced version. Because every level covers the same topic, this how to start a business for kids lesson works well for mixed-age groups, homeschool co-ops and classrooms. Finally, the quiz shows what stuck, and the summary makes a quick review the next day.
Take this lesson
Lessons are taken inside the Wealthonauts courses, where your child’s progress and quiz scores are tracked. Pick the course for your child’s age.
Explorer Course · Ages 8+
Your first business plan
- Find a customer problem to solve
- Write a one-page business plan
- Calculate costs, price and profit
Advanced Course · Ages 13+
Making it official
- Compare business structures at a high level
- List the launch checklist: name, permits, EIN, bank account, records
- Understand basic tax and liability ideas
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Get All-AccessTry the free sampleEditorial source notes
- U.S. Small Business Administration (sba.gov): plan, fund, launch and manage your business.
- IRS: Employer Identification Number (EIN) is free from IRS.gov.
- Local rules: permits, licenses and sales tax vary by city, county and state.
This lesson is awaiting expert editorial review.
Wealthonauts lessons explain how financial systems work. They are educational, not financial or legal advice. Laws differ between states and countries.