What Are Some Internet Business Ideas for My Children?

There are so many things that your children can do and what is most suitable for their personality, skills, abilities and interests will be up for you to determine. However, there are 3 basic routes your children can take.

Your child may develop his own product and sell it. He may have an invention that solves a problem for people or perhaps he's an artist who can find a market for his work. The product development process may be a fulfilling process, but extensive market research will be required to see if it is a viable idea.

Your child may sell products through wholesalers or dropshippers. He may buy products at wholesale prices and then resell them. I wouldn't recommend pre-ordering a bunch of products because you may be stuck with inventory should your child decide the online business life is not for him.

Dropshipping simply means that you get a wholesale price (usually higher than if you bought a large quantity ahead of time), but the company will ship out the products only when you get a sale. You will process the order and pay the company to ship out to your customer.

RECOMMENDED! Your child may promote other people's products through affiliate programs. An affiliate program is THE most simple process of selling online and something I would highly recommend for children. Companies that sell products will give your child a special tracking code and when he refers a sale to the company, he gets paid. All you'll need to do is help your child build a website on a certain topic that recommends products for sale.

If this is a bit confusing at this point, please don't worry...everything will become clear as you move along. But please note: I will be focusing my attention on affiliate marketing because I think it's the best way for any child to get his feet wet in Internet marketing, so they'll know if they want to do it in the long haul.

So, What About Actual Business Ideas?

Because we're going to focus on affiliate marketing, your child will have the freedom to just let his creative juices flow. If he loves hockey, then all he has to do is build a website that attracts traffic and then sends that traffic out to other companies that sell products. When someone buys a product from the other companies, your child makes a commission.

Of course, there will still be some marketing skills required...but all the product development, selling and product fulfillment is taken care of by the other companies.

So, this means that your child may just be able to start a business out of a hobby or other interest of his...giving your child an extra boost of motivation to stick with his or her project. Unfortunately, not all hobbies or interests will convert to a high-paying website...but let's not worry about that too much right now. Your goal is to get your child interested and motivated to get started and follow-through. Whether your child becomes a millionaire or just earns enough for a bit of pocket change, it's important that he remains interested in what he is doing.

It may be obvious what your child should be involved with if he is highly passionate about his hobby. If it is not, start by brainstorming ideas and think....

• What sports is he involved with?

• What kind of books (TOPICS) does he like to read?

• What video games or other games does he play?

• Does he have an interest in music, movies and what is that interest?

Just be careful - if the interest is a FAD, it may have short-term results. Try to encourage your child to choose website topics that will have a lasting value.

And remember, starting an online business is not expensive. The software you buy, the web hosting (basically, like "renting" space on the Internet) are just small investments into the incredible learning process and experiences your child will have. There will be mistakes along the way and there will be some websites that flop...but you and your child should always learn from those mistakes and move on.

Ideas to Include on Your Child's Affiliate Website:

• Articles with relevant information. They don't have to be formal articles, but some opinions and ideas on certain subjects.

• Product reviews. Your child can review products he's tried and use his affiliate link to promote it.

• Message board, chat room, etc. (check with your government's child privacy laws)

• Blog - your child can even start experimenting with blogs for free right now by signing up for a free service at Blogger.com.