<p>How do colleges look at applicants who start their own small businesses or offer services (i.e. graphic design, editing, catering) to others, especially if the applicant has never held down an official part-time job? What if the business isn't successful? Can anyone speak from experience here, or anyone else? Anything advice would be great!</p>
<p>Depends on how you play it on the application. But remember, honesty is more than a virtue!!! </p>
<p>You can sell soda cans with friends at school and call it a joint investor-ventured personal entreprise. </p>
<p>Having a part time job won't matter, but you should remember that colleges will look very closely on businesses, just by the fact that it was by a high schooler. </p>
<p>Anyway, follow that gut instinct :)</p>
<p>I like the soda can idea...haha. I'm planning to offer my services in proofreading to local businesses. I'm not even doing it for the college apps; I just want to utilize my writing skills and make some side money. Now, since colleges would see this information, I was just wondering if it would make up for not having a part-time job, but it sounds like colleges might not care so much about that.</p>
<p>copy editing in high school sounds like a cool idea to earn some money (seriously)... just out of curiosity, though, do you think businesses would want to hire a teen for that? i mean, it'd be a blow to their collective ego. anyway, it's a good idea. i've never heard of that before.</p>
<p>and to answer your question: yes, starting a business is (of course) better than not starting a business. it shows initiative and that you've worked hard. it's also pretty creative. like Gryffon5147 said, just don't lie.</p>
<p>Well, I'm hoping small businesses in my area (a sort of rural, semi-poor area) will be willing to hire a teen because I'll be more affordable and earnest! I'll be 18 in a few months, so maybe that'll make a difference. Thanks for the feedback, guys!</p>
<p>I'm starting a bank...right now looking for 20,000 employees with Harvard education.</p>
<p>This is what I did:</p>
<p>In 8th grade I got heavily interested in making movies and digital video editing when my parents got me a camera for my birthday. Anyway, a friend and I got the idea, he also was interested in movies, to start our own videography company. We started doing family friends' events: Private parties and such. Eventually we started getting recognition and talked with local DJs in the area. We began to do Bar Mitzvahs, Weddings, and even Business Promotional Videos. We are going into our 5th year of operation and pull in $15,000+ a year. I'm not here to show off, I'm giving an example of how this looks:</p>
<ol>
<li>Work well with a business partner</li>
<li>Took a skill that interested me, and made it into something more</li>
<li>Deal with adults on a real world basis- in a business primarily full of adults</li>
<li>Make money, but that isn't the point, the experience of doing business is much more impressive</li>
<li>Quality product that I will show along with my app</li>
</ol>
<p>I intend to bring out all these ideas in an essay- Show the college that you didn't just start something to look good for an app. Show them a passion/talent/interest.</p>