M16, speaking fluent english, hungarian, B2-C1 Chinese, and some German. I also do some martial arts on the side (national comps winner), pretty good at public speaking, and Im a straight A Student.
Thats like every skill ive got, but im motivated to make some money. If you have an idea, id be thrilled to hear it. Im willing to put in any time needed, but i want to earn some serious money.
I speak multiple languages, but Im 16. How do I make money?
byu/2twomad inEntrepreneur
Posted by 2twomad
11 Comments
Sell products from China to wherever you live but reach out to wholesalers with your level of Chinese and see if you can cut out some deals.
I think, you could do something related to coordinating with different language speaking people.
In which country do you live?
Check out [aibizgen.net](http://aibizgen.net) – It generates business ideas based on your preferences. In your example you could use people learning a language as the target audience. Maybe you get some inspiration.
I created a prompt describing your case to an AI, and this was the result:
In Hungary, a minor aged 16 can seek increased legal autonomy through a court process, although there is no formal general emancipation law like in some other countries. The process involves petitioning the court for limited emancipation or legal capacity to independently manage personal and financial affairs. Key elements of this process typically include:
– Filing a petition with the court, providing identification details, residence, birth certificate, and declarations demonstrating the minor’s ability to manage their finances and personal affairs.
– Including an affidavit from a professional familiar with the minor’s situation (such as a doctor, social worker, or teacher), attesting that emancipation or increased autonomy is in the minor’s best interests.
– The court hearing both the minor and the parents or guardians, possibly appointing an investigator or guardian ad litem to assess the case.
– Demonstrating that the minor is at least 16 years old, legally resident, able to support themselves financially (e.g., through employment), manage their social and personal affairs, and that emancipation serves the minor’s best interests.
– The parents’ consent is ideal but the court can consider granting autonomy even over parental objection if the minor’s welfare supports it.
This legal pathway allows the minor to gain certain adult legal capacities, such as working, signing contracts, or conducting business, but some age-specific legal restrictions still apply. Full emancipation in Hungary is more limited and less common than in some other legal systems, focusing more on court-approved status adjustments that protect the minor’s rights and interests.
Therefore, a 16-year-old in Hungary seeking more autonomy to legally work or conduct business would likely need to initiate a court petition demonstrating their capability and the best interest basis for the court to grant such status, with professional and parental input considered in the hearing.
Become a language tutor. That’s a great way to make money by working a few hours a day.
If you can read and write as well, pick up translation work online.
if interested in language specific business check out Olly Richard’s stuff. especially a book he published called “anatomy of a 10m business”. it’s generally applicable to education businesses but Olly himself started story learning – probably some useful parallels for you?
Get in touch – I may have a very interesting opportunity.
yeah you’ve got a killer stack for 16. I’d pick one offer and validate fast. Two clear paths: 1) language tutoring for adults or kids. Niche it, like Chinese for travelers or English conversation for Hungarian teens. Charge $20-30/hr to start, do 5 free trial sessions for testimonials, then raise. Cold DM local FB groups, WeChat groups, school parents, and post short clips on TikTok showing quick tips. 2) translation + cold outreach. Pitch bilingual landing page copy or customer support replies for small Shopify stores selling into HU or DE. Quick script: “I help ecommerce stores expand to Hungarian and German with native-sounding copy. Here’s a 100-word free sample.” Send 20 emails a day, track replies in a sheet.
Martial arts is a sleeper too. Offer small-group workshops for kids on Saturdays. $15-20 per kid, 8 kids, 90 minutes. Partner with a community center so insurance and space are simple. Add public speaking coaching for teens doing debate or interviews, 4-session package.
Pricing: start low, package outcomes, not hours. Example: “Translate product page + 3 emails for $120.” Deliver fast, get 3 case studies, then bump pricing.
If you start a tiny agency around translation or outreach later, Reddit is actually decent for lead gen. I’ve used DitDo to catch posts where founders ask for translators or multilingual CS. It flags high-intent threads and pings you fast, which saves time vs doomscrolling. Not needed on day one, but it helped once I had an offer that converts.
Tbh the big win is 30-day sprints. 20 cold outreaches daily, 3 short-form posts weekly, 5 trials total. Track hit rate, iterate the offer, keep what works. You’re young, so speed and consistency are your edge.
Make a YouTube channel, focusing on language learning and have some side vlogs in it that focuses on your life as a 16 yrs old with all that skills and talent. What you have reached at 16 yrs old is almost impossible compared to your peers.
Teach some of the languages on online platforms 🙂 Like teaching English on TutorABC, or teaching Chinese on Preply, italki, Cambly etc. Good luck!