How Can High School Students Build Real Businesses?

TL;DR

Start a simple service business by solving a real local problem, using an accessible customer channel, and improving through direct execution. Lincoln Snider generated $60,000 in annual revenue at just above a 50% margin with Sunshine Exteriors, then moved fieldwork to two subcontractors while focusing on customer acquisition, scheduling, and growth toward $150,000.

Transcript

all right today we're trying something new we have three high school students 9th graders 10th graders 11th graders that all are running their own business while they're in school and not just like oh here's my idea these guys have real Revenue tens of thousands of dollars in profit that they're making as you I know 14 year olds it's crazy and so w... Read More

Key Insights

• Sunshine Exteriors is positioned as a way for homeowners to protect their largest investment, rather than merely as a provider of cleaning tasks. This benefit-focused language makes ordinary services such as gutter cleaning, window cleaning, and pressure washing feel connected to a more important customer outcome.
• Lincoln Snider generated $60,000 in annual revenue at just above a 50% margin while attending high school. That performance implies roughly $30,000 remained at the stated margin level, demonstrating that a straightforward local service can produce meaningful income without requiring a novel technology or nationwide audience.
• Sunshine Exteriors works through a division between operations and management. Two 1099 subcontractors perform the jobs, while Lincoln handles booking, scheduling, and customer acquisition, allowing him to remove himself from fieldwork and focus on the activities needed to grow the business.
• Nextdoor is Lincoln's primary customer acquisition channel within his own neighborhood. By presenting himself as a local high school student offering free estimates, he generated roughly 90 customers between March and September without needing access to communities beyond the neighborhood where his address was verified.
• The Formidable Fellowship is a nonprofit program backed initially with $500,000 and designed for middle and high school entrepreneurs. Its first class included 23 grant recipients, each receiving $1,000, and applicants had to show revenue before they could qualify for consideration.
• Revenue is the fellowship's hard filter for distinguishing active entrepreneurs from students who only have ideas. The organizers specifically sought young people already building businesses, rather than applicants creating hypothetical plans or projects primarily intended to strengthen a college application.
• Practical execution is presented as the best way to learn paid advertising. The hosts advised Lincoln to run campaigns while also considering a reputable course, because direct spending produces feedback and a structured course can supply deeper instruction than scattered free videos.
• Course access can be negotiated by presenting a credible personal story and offering future value. The hosts suggested that Lincoln contact course operators, explain that he is an 18-year-old founder, request free or delayed-payment access, and offer to become a strong testimonial based on measurable business results.

Questions & Answers

Q: How can a high school student start a profitable local service business?

A high school student can begin by offering practical services that homeowners already need, such as window cleaning, gutter cleaning, pressure washing, fence staining, or holiday lighting. Lincoln Snider paired these services with a clear benefit, helping homeowners protect their investment. He then promoted free estimates through his own Nextdoor neighborhood, built a customer base, and eventually assigned fieldwork to two subcontractors.

Q: How much revenue did Sunshine Exteriors generate?

Sunshine Exteriors generated $60,000 in revenue during the previous year at just above a 50% margin. Lincoln Snider reported these results after operating the company for two years while still in high school. He planned to grow revenue by 150% to $150,000, with his attention focused on booking, scheduling, customer acquisition, and developing a more reliable paid advertising process.

Q: How did Lincoln Snider find customers on Nextdoor?

Lincoln posted only within his own verified Nextdoor neighborhood. His message emphasized that he was a local high school student who owned a window cleaning and pressure washing business, listed the available services, and invited neighbors to request a free estimate through the company website. This simple local approach produced roughly 90 customers between March and September and became his primary acquisition source.

Q: Why is benefit-focused marketing useful for a home service business?

Benefit-focused marketing connects a routine service to an outcome the homeowner values. Lincoln described Sunshine Exteriors as helping homeowners protect their investment and maintain a clean home throughout the year. That framing is stronger than merely listing gutter or window cleaning because it explains why the work matters. The hosts identified this phrasing as sophisticated positioning for an otherwise straightforward local service.

Q: Should a young entrepreneur buy a paid advertising course?

A young entrepreneur should consider a paid course when it has good reviews and directly addresses paid marketing for local services. The hosts supported using both education and direct experimentation, arguing that the best way to learn is to run campaigns. They suggested spending up to $2,000 on a suitable course if affordable, while also seeking free access or delayed payment from the creator.

Q: How can an entrepreneur learn paid advertising with a small budget?

An entrepreneur can combine structured instruction with carefully limited real campaigns. Lincoln had already used YouTube but felt the material lacked sufficient depth, so the hosts recommended a reputable course alongside hands-on advertising. The campaign spending becomes part of the learning process because actual results reveal what works. A founder can also ask course creators for free access, deferred payment, or an arrangement tied to future profits.

Q: How did Lincoln remove himself from daily service work?

Lincoln moved out of fieldwork by using two 1099 subcontractors to complete customer jobs. He retained responsibility for booking, scheduling, and finding clients, which shifted his role from performing services to managing demand and coordinating operations. This arrangement gave him time to focus on growth, including his goal of increasing annual revenue from $60,000 to $150,000 and improving paid customer acquisition.

Q: What does the Formidable Fellowship require from student founders?

The Formidable Fellowship requires applicants to have revenue, using that condition as a hard filter for identifying students who are already building businesses. The organizers did not want applicants with only a dream, a hypothetical business plan, or a project created mainly for college applications. Its first class included 23 grant recipients, with $1,000 grants for selected middle and high school entrepreneurs.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Three high school founders bring active business problems to an office-hours discussion with Sam Parr and Shaan Puri. The featured entrepreneurs were selected through the Formidable Fellowship, which awards $1,000 grants to middle and high school students who already have revenue, filtering out applicants with only ideas or college-application projects.

• Lincoln Snider built Sunshine Exteriors around window cleaning, gutter cleaning, pressure washing, fence staining, and holiday lighting in Denton, Texas. After two years in business, the company produced $60,000 in revenue at just above a 50% margin, and Lincoln set a goal of reaching $150,000 in the following year.

• Lincoln acquired roughly 90 customers between March and September by posting in his own Nextdoor neighborhood and emphasizing that he was a local high school entrepreneur. His central challenge was learning paid advertising on a small budget. The hosts recommended combining reputable courses with practical campaigns and requesting flexible access from course creators.