* Are you looking for a business your teenaged offspring could do?

Schools and colleges run their own small business simulations; you could run an in-family one. This will teach your son or daughter about the basics of business and running their own, far better than any Business Studies class can.

* What kind of business is suitable for a 16 year old?

There are all kinds of business opportunities that have arisen since Internet access has become almost universal. I am referring to real businesses, where there are things, or at least information to sell to interested customers.

Many of these are Affiliate Schemes, where the affiliate earns a fixed or a percentage fee for each sale.

Affiliate schemes have a low entry cost - they are free. The only cost arises in the promotion of your affiliate link, usually through a website. Any teenager can build a website using free software like Netscape Composer.

* What are the costs?

A domain name - maximum $10
Hosting - about $10 a month

That's it. There are no more costs. Promotion can be by various free methods. These can include posting in relevant forums and writing relevant articles that have links back to the website.

* How does this teach any entrepreneurial skills?

The same basic research and marketing steps are needed as in any business. Without research the venture is unlikely to succeed. Without marketing the website is never going to be found, and the affiliate links are never going to get clicks and earn money.

* What kind of business is going to motivate a 16 year old?

What about a custom tee-shirt business? This will allow the budding entrepreneur to upload artwork and have it incorporated into truly unique garments that only his or her website will sell. The Spreadshirt sites sell sweatshirts, coats and underwear as well as tees, so the scope is vast.

* Where do you find information on this business?

Click here - http://www.spreadshirt.com - (I earn no commission on this.)

* Can my 16 year old really do this? Payments are made through PayPal, and 16 year olds cannot hold the necesssary credit cards, so you would need to set up a PayPal account in a parent's name, using a parent's credit card.