Meet the Teen Entrepreneur Living in My House (And His Advice for Other Kids Looking to Start a Business)

Welcome back to Small Business Straight Talk, a weekly newsletter covering small business topics and highlighting the best small business resources. I am the editor of CO— by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. You can sign up for CO—’s newsletter here and follow us on LinkedIn here. 

When I started writing this newsletter a few months ago, I figured I’d be lucky to get a few hundred readers a week. As my subscriber list started to grow, my 16-year-old son asked me every week when I was going to write about his business. I made him a deal - if I ever got 100,000 subscribers, I would do just that. I figured the chances of that happening were slim, so I would never have to make good on the promise.

Well, I was wrong. Last week, I hit the 100,000 subscriber mark (thank you, everyone who subscribed!) and now it’s time for you to meet Sam Mulvey, founder of 3D Printed Armies, a 3D printing business he started last year. Little did he know that when the pandemic hit and his summer job was canceled, his business would become his sole source of income and that even he would have to make a pandemic pivot. 

Sam isn’t the only teen running a 3D printing business this summer. In fact, there are many stories of teens who used their 3D printers to print masks and other products to aid in the coronavirus effort. You can read more about them here. 

Sam’s business pivot meant finding ways to expand and grow his business even when there was less demand for his product. Here’s what he has to say about his business and his advice for other teen business owners.

Me: So, Sam, tell us a little about your business.

Sam: I run a 3D printing company that sells game pieces for the tabletop game "Dungeons and Dragons." I've owned my Etsy store 3DPrintedArmies for a little over a year now. 

[Editor’s Note: Technically you must be 18 years old to own an Etsy shop, but Etsy’s policy allows teens between 13 and 18 to run a shop if they are directly supervised by a parent and the parent takes responsibility for the shop. You can read more here.)

Me: How has your business been impacted by the pandemic?

Sam: The pandemic has slowed down sales, like it has for most businesses. People haven't been getting together nearly as much for board games as they have before the pandemic, so this was sort of expected. However, I spent the free time I had off of school to start marketing and scaling my business. I added over 200 different models to my store (I previously had only about 30).

Me: Can you tell us more about how you market your business?

Sam: I mainly market my business on Instagram. I post photos of models that have been printed on my machines and people who find them interesting are able to click the link to my shop and purchase any of the models that were shown in photos. Etsy also advertises my products on Google for free, and will only take a cut if it leads directly to a sale.

 Me: What advice do you have for other teen entrepreneurs?

 Sam: I would suggest starting out small. I started with only around 6 different models in my store. It took a little while to get my first sale, but once I did get a purchase I knew that I could turn this into something profitable. Also, I would say that you should expect failures. My business, like every business, was a series of trial and error that all led to what it is today.

Me: Thanks, Sam. We also have lots of great advice for teen entrepreneurs on CO— by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Here are some articles they can check out:

• Business ideas: There are all sorts of businesses teens can start that require low startup costs and plenty of opportunity. Here’s a list of business ideas especially for teenagers. 
• Getting Started: If you’re just starting to think of opening a business, you can check out our step-by-step business guide here. 
• Step by Step: And, here is a 20-step checklist for starting your business. 
• Free Tools: Once you get started, you’ll need some tools to help you run your business. Here is a list of free small business tools you can consider. 
• Social Entrepreneurs: If you’re socially minded and want to start a business that gives back to others, you might want to consider social entrepreneurship. This article explains a little more about what that means. 
• Family Businesses: And, for teens looking to start a business with their families or siblings, here’s a list of family-owned businesses that have made it big. (Walmart, anyone?) 

Looking for more information? CO— has an entire section dedicated to starting a new business. You can check it out here. 

Jeanette Mulvey is a passionate advocate for small business and the Executive Director of Content for CO— by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.