Running a business comes with a lot of risks but starting early could help develop your business muscles. Unlike most adults who are scared of taking the risks of starting a business, you have time to experiment without being drowned completely by the aftershock of business risk.

As a young person there are a lot of opportunities to explore and earn stipends in your secondary school. Regardless of whether you attend a day secondary school or boarding secondary school you can engage in business activity as long as there is no embargo by your school authority on engaging in business activities.

The ideas below could inspire you on your entrepreneurial journey while in secondary school.

Hair Styling: Female secondary school student may relate better with this. Most secondary schools require that female students change their hair style every week. You can capitalize on this and choose to style hair for your classmates and other students during break hours, after school hours, and even during school holidays. This is a business that is however skill related but requires little or no capital to start.

Zobo Drinks: Aside its originality and health benefit, zobo is also quite tasty. It has a nice balance between sweet and sour when sweeteners are added. Zobo is easy to produce, and you can start the zobo business with little capital. Zobo can be sold in both day secondary schools and boarding secondary schools as long as the school authority permits.

Airtime Sales: Some schools ban the use of phones by students within school premises and others don’t. If your school allows the use of phones within its premises, then selling of airtime could be the business for you. Although the returns might be small, you can learn a few things about running a business with this venture.

Shoe Polish Service: Believe it or not, this could be a good business to start in boarding secondary school. I recall my days in boarding secondary school where I would buy shoe polish from a classmate who sold it at an additional price of 10naira. You can choose this as a business venture to run in your boarding secondary school.

School Materials: You could make extra cash by providing pens, pencils, erasers, rulers, note-books, drawing books etc. for sale to those in need of it. There is a high chance that other students will need these and you can offer this service at a price.

Laundry Service: Quite a number of students do not like to do their laundry especially in boarding school. You can offer laundry services at a fee.

Bread Making: If you know how to bake bread and your school allows you use the home economics laboratory or you can bake from home, you could bake bread for sale.

Confectionery: If you are skilled in confectionery services such as cakes, sweets, candy, chocolate, chewing gum, cookies, doughnuts etc, you can run a confectionery business and cater for parties, birthdays etc. for your friends in school and neighbours at home.

Fashion/ Tailoring: Looking good is good business so you can build a solid business with your exceptional sewing skills. You could make customised clothing for your friends for cultural day, world book day, costume parties etc. and charge them for it.

Whichever of these business ideas you decide to pursue, seeking information should be your first step. You will increase your chances of success at your venture by seeking and gaining knowledge about your proposed business.