5 ChatGPT Prompts That Can Help Teens Launch A Startup

Forbes

2 days ago

teen entrepreneur using ChatGPT to help with her business
Teen entrepreneurship continues to be on the rise. According to Junior Achievement research, 66% of U.S. teens aged 13-17 say they're likely to consider starting a business as adults, with the 2023-2024 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor finding that 24% of 18- to 24-year-olds are currently entrepreneurs. These young founders aren't just dreaming—they're building real ventures that generate revenue and create social impact, and they are using ChatGPT prompts to help them.
At WIT (Whatever It Takes), the organization I founded in 2009, we have worked with over 10,000 young entrepreneurs. Over the past year, I've observed a shift in how teens approach business planning. With our guidance, they are using AI tools like ChatGPT not as shortcuts but as strategic thinking partners to clarify ideas, test concepts, and accelerate execution.
The most successful teen entrepreneurs have discovered specific prompts that help them move from idea to action. These aren't generic brainstorming sessions—they're using targeted questions that address the unique challenges young founders face: limited resources, school commitments, and the need to prove their concepts quickly.
Here are five ChatGPT prompts that consistently help teen entrepreneurs build businesses that matter.
"I notice that [specific group of people]
A teen might use this prompt after noticing students at school struggling to afford lunch. Instead of assuming they understand the full scope, they could ask ChatGPT to research school lunch debt as a systemic issue. This research may lead them to create a product-based business where the proceeds help pay off lunch debt—combining profit with purpose.
Teens notice problems differently than adults because they experience unique frustrations—from school organization challenges to social media overwhelm to environmental concerns. According to Square's research on Gen Z entrepreneurs, 84% plan to still be business owners five years from now, making them ideal candidates for problem-solving businesses.
"I'm [age] years old with approximately [dollar amount] to invest and [number] hours per week available between school and other commitments. Based on these constraints, what are three business models I could realistically launch this summer? For each option, include startup costs, time requirements, and the first three steps to get started."
This prompt addresses the elephant in the room: most teen entrepreneurs have limited money and time. When a 16-year-old entrepreneur employs this approach to evaluate a greeting card business concept, they may discover that they can start with $200 and scale gradually. By being realistic about constraints upfront, they avoid overcommitting and can build toward sustainable revenue goals.
According to Square's Gen Z report, 45% of young entrepreneurs use their savings to start businesses, with 80% launching online or with a mobile component. This data supports the effectiveness of constraint-based planning—when teens work within realistic limitations, they create more sustainable business models.
"Act like a [specific demographic] and give me honest feedback on this business idea: [describe your concept]. What would excite you about this? What concerns would you have? How much would you realistically pay? What would need to change for you to become a customer?"
Teen entrepreneurs often struggle with customer research because they can't easily survey large groups or hire market research firms. This prompt helps simulate customer feedback by having ChatGPT adopt specific personas.
A teen developing a podcast for teenage female athletes could use this approach by asking ChatGPT to respond to different types of teen athletes. This helps identify content themes that resonate and messaging that feels authentic to the target audience.
The prompt works best when you get specific about demographics, pain points, and contexts. "Act like a stressed high school senior applying to college" produces better insights than "Act like a teenager."
"I want to test this business idea: [describe concept] without spending more than [budget amount] or more than [time commitment]. Design three simple experiments I could run this week to validate customer demand. For each test, explain what I'd learn, how to measure success, and what results would indicate I should move forward."
This prompt helps teens embrace the lean startup methodology without getting lost in business jargon. The focus on "this week" creates urgency and prevents endless planning without action.
A teenager wanting to test a clothing line concept could use this prompt to design simple validation experiments, such as posting design mockups on social media to gauge interest, creating a Google Form to collect pre-orders, and asking friends to share the concept with their networks. These tests cost nothing but provide crucial data about demand and pricing.
"Turn this business idea into a clear 60-second explanation: [describe your business]. The explanation should include: the problem you solve, your solution, who it helps, why they'd choose you over alternatives, and what success looks like. Write it in conversational language a teenager would actually use."
Clear communication separates successful entrepreneurs from those with good ideas but poor execution. This prompt helps teens distill complex concepts into compelling explanations they can use everywhere—from social media posts to conversations with potential mentors.
The emphasis on "conversational language a teenager would actually use" is important. Many business pitch templates sound artificial when delivered by young founders. Authenticity matters more than corporate jargon.
The difference between teens who use these prompts effectively and those who don't comes down to follow-through. ChatGPT provides direction, but action creates results.
The most successful young entrepreneurs I work with use these prompts as starting points, not endpoints. They take the AI-generated suggestions and immediately test them in the real world. They call potential customers, create simple prototypes, and iterate based on actual feedback.
Recent research from Junior Achievement shows that 69% of teens have business ideas but feel uncertain about the starting process, with fear of failure being the top concern for 67% of potential teen entrepreneurs. These prompts address that uncertainty by breaking down abstract concepts into concrete next steps.
Teen entrepreneurs using AI tools like ChatGPT represent a shift in how business education is happening. According to Global Entrepreneurship Monitor research, young entrepreneurs are 1.6 times more likely than adults to want to start a business, and they're particularly active in technology, food and beverage, fashion, and entertainment sectors. Instead of waiting for formal entrepreneurship classes or MBA programs, these young founders are accessing strategic thinking tools immediately.
This trend aligns with broader shifts in education and the workforce. The World Economic Forum identifies creativity, critical thinking, and resilience as top skills for 2025—capabilities that entrepreneurship naturally develops.
Programs like WIT provide structured support for this journey, but the tools themselves are becoming increasingly accessible. A teenager with internet access can now access business planning resources that were previously available only to established entrepreneurs with significant budgets.
The key is using these tools thoughtfully. ChatGPT can accelerate thinking and provide frameworks, but it can't replace the hard work of building relationships, creating products, and serving customers. The best business idea isn't the most original—it's the one that solves a real problem for real people. AI tools can help identify those opportunities, but only action can turn them into businesses that matter.