Launch League

Full guide · Ohio

How to start a tech help business as a teenager

There are a lot of people who can afford help and cannot get it. Their grandchildren are impatient, the store is a forty-minute drive, and the phone support line is worse than the problem. What you are actually selling is patience. The technical part is usually easy.

Nothing to startFrom age 13First dollar: A week.

What it costs

What you actually need

Nothing to start
$0

You already own the knowledge.

A USB stick and a card reader
$20

Photo transfers are half the work.

A printed one-page cheat sheet
$1

Leave it behind after every visit. It is why they call you again.

A notebook
$3

Never store a customer's passwords on your phone. Better still, don't store them at all.

Borrow before you buy

Do your first three jobs with equipment you already have access to. Buy your own out of money a customer has already handed you, never out of money you are hoping to make.

What to charge

Pricing, honestly

Start at the lower end of each range. Raise it once five people have paid you without hesitating.

One hour at their home
$20–$30

Most problems take less. Round down and they will call you back.

Phone or tablet setup
$30–$45

New device, accounts, contacts, the lot.

Photo transfer and backup
$30–$60

Price by the job. It takes longer than an hour and matters more than anything else you'll do.

A quick question by phone
Free

Give these away. They turn into paid visits and into referrals.

These are what people commonly charge, not what you will make, and they were first written for a Canadian market. Look up what adults near you charge for the same job, then start a little under it and raise your price once you have five happy customers.

Your first five

Exactly who to ask, in order

Warmest first. Your first attempt should be with someone who will be kind about it, because you will be bad at it.

  1. Person 1

    Your own grandparents, and then their friends. This is almost always where it starts.

  2. Person 2

    A neighbor you have seen struggling with a phone.

  3. Person 3

    The senior center or VFW post — ask an adult to introduce you rather than walking in cold.

  4. Person 4

    Your library, which may already run a help desk and want a volunteer first.

  5. Person 5

    Anyone who has ever asked you "how do I..." at a family gathering.

Send this

“Hi Mr. Kowalczyk — I'm Noor from down the street. I help people with phones and computers, $25 an hour at your place. My gran says you've been having trouble with your printer. I could come by Saturday morning and have a look, and if I can't fix it there's no charge.”

Change the names and the price. Keep the shape: who you are, how they know you, what you do, the price, and an easy way to say yes.

Not optional

Staying safe

  • Never ask for or write down a banking password. If a job needs one, the customer types it, not you.
  • Always have the customer present and watching the screen. Explain what you are doing as you do it.
  • Take an adult with you for a first visit to someone you do not know.
  • If you find something that looks like a scam in progress, stop and tell their family the same day.
  • Do not install anything they did not ask for, including things you think are better.

Tell a parent or guardian where you are working and when you expect to be finished, every time.

The actual business

Getting them to book you again

  • Write down what you did in plain words and leave it on the table.
  • Call a week later to check the fix held. Almost nobody does this.
  • Teach them the fix rather than just doing it, when they want to learn.
  • Never make them feel slow. That is the whole business.
  • Ask if a friend of theirs has the same problem. They usually do.

Two things to know in Ohio

If someone hires you. Ohio generally requires a minor work permit (an age and schooling certificate) for ages 14 through 17 during the school year, and in summer break only for ages 14 and 15. It is not required in some common teen jobs, including snow shoveling, newspaper delivery and family farm work. See the Department of Commerce and the Legislative Service Commission.

If you work for yourself, that is a different situation, and the sources I read do not spell out how the permit rules treat a teenager running their own small business. If you are unsure, ask the Ohio Department of Commerce, Bureau of Wage and Hour.

Taxes. Money you earn counts. Net self-employment earnings of $400 or more usually mean self-employment tax, and in Ohio lawn care, landscaping and snow removal become taxable services once your sales reach $5,000 a year. The Ohio starting guide explains both.

Checked October 9, 2026. General information, not legal advice. Rules change.

More ideas are on the full list. Ready to make it a real business? Read how to start a business in Ohio.

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