Your First Sale

Things that actually work at your age, what to charge, how to find the first person who says yes, and what to do when they do.

5 pages here.

• What Actually Works When You Are Under 18

  Most teen business idea lists fall apart at the payment step. Here is what is left once you know that almost everything moving money to a person stops at 18, and it is more than you think.

• What to Charge When You Have No Idea

  Nobody publishes the right price for mowing a lawn or fixing a bike. Here is how to build a number you can say out loud, and why charging too little costs you the customers you want.

• Finding the First Person Who Says Yes

  The first customer almost never comes from the internet. They come from one step away from somebody who already knows you. Here is the sentence to say, and who to say it to.

• They Said Yes. Now What

  The gap between yes and getting paid is where most first sales fall apart. What to agree before you start, why a promise to make something later is the weakest thing you can sell, and what one state's law actually says about it.

• Working Out What It Costs You to Make One

  The most common way to lose money is to price off the main material and forget the other eight lines. Here is how to work out the real cost of one item, your own time included.